2.5 stars (out of 4)
Here comes another flashy and outrageous black comedy in which Jonah Hill behaves like a money-grubbing schmuck. Call him the Wolf of War Street. And this time, golden boy Leonardo DiCaprio isn’t around to take the fall for him.
Still interested?
If so, buckle in for War Dogs (opening Friday, August 19). This is the true story of two twentysomethings (played by Hill and Miles Teller) who make tens of millions scamming the government. Though some real-life incidents have been movie-fied for entertainment value, there’s no getting around the sheer and utterly FUBAR craziness of their tale.
We start in Miami 2005, during the thick of the Iraq War. But this film smartly focuses on the business of battle, not the politics behind it. A perpetual troublemaker named Efraim Diveroli (Hill) has made a killing out of selling weapons to the U.S. military. It’s easy! He just goes on an obscure government web site, types in successful bids and watches the money pour in. Is it legal? Sure. Well, kinda. Efraim is the type of guy who threatens a stranger by waving a machine gun in the air, so he’s not exactly an angel.
He is a master pitchman, though. Efraim will say or do anything to close a deal, whether he’s expounding the virtues of church to an Army general (truth: he’s Jewish) or fibbing to his generous silent partner. No wonder he easily recruits childhood buddy, David Packouz (Teller), an aimless father-to-be who earns a living massaging rich, creepy old men. “This isn’t about being pro-war,” he says to David of the racket. “It’s about being pro-money!”
Soon, they’re buying glass-enclosed mansions on the beach. By 2007, they land a $300 million — $300 million! — arms deal with the military. But the more successful they become, the more corners they cut. And a side deal with a sleazy supplier (Bradley Cooper, in a rare supporting role) could spell doom.
Even if you’re not familiar with this real-life history chapter, you’ll recognize the narrative of dudes who lie and steal their way to the top — only to see it fall apart in spectacular fashion. Director Todd Phillips (the Hangover trilogy) fails to put an original spin on the genre, as he relies on well-worn touches such as fast-talking narration and “we’re making big bucks!” montages. He even throws in the slo-mo shot of the guys walking toward the camera with super-smug looks on their faces, which is so overused that it needs to be parodied on a Saturday Night Live digital short.
Perhaps it’s an unfortunate stroke of luck that Phillips is delivering his work in what has to be the cinematic golden age of slick power-mongering. The art of the deal has already been examined in the past three years in American Hustle, The Wolf of Wall Street and The Big Short; plus, Seth Rogen & Co. deliver bro-bonding vehicles every few months. This is a wildly uneven mixture of both movie models. That’s why a scene in which Efraim and David get high before meeting with officials at the Pentagon isn’t as funny as it should be. Too obvious! The guys are far more entertaining working angles overseas in the desert and trying to outgun the enemy in the “triangle of death.”
So what to make of Efraim and David? Judging by the flick’s inconsistent tone, their arc is one-half hero’s journey, one-half pathetic cautionary tale, with bits and pieces of visual extravagance crammed in between the empty spaces. David is the more sympathetic of the two, and he’s still an untrustworthy liar; Efraim’s deceitfulness is despicable (and weirdly anti-Semitic). You’ll want to root for these guys, worry for them — and, sigh, slap them in the face. They may have been geniuses at earning money, but you don’t have to spend your own to watch them roll in it.
