War Dogs
Jonah Hill, Miles Teller
Directed by Todd Phillips
Warner Brothers Home Entertainment 2016
114 minutes
War Dogs is the true story of two twenty-something Americans who found a Pentagon loophole and became very successful international arms dealers … for a while. Though there is a bit more tell than show in the waw War Dogs is put to screen, the end product is an interesting movie with solid performances.
Miles Teller plays David Packouz, a twenty-something college drop-out massage therapist who has a bit of larceny in him but does not quite know how to make it work. An old high school friend of his named Efraim Divoreli crosses his path. Divorelli (Jonah Hill) has the ability to be whoever he needs to be to make you like him. Divorelli has discovered the U.S government is farming out all contracts through a website and anybody can bid on any one of them. He has contacts with weapons dealers and enlists his new best friend Packouz to form a company that will bid on all the small-time weapons deals the government needs fulfilling. The little company, much like Divorelli himself, soon becomes too big for its own good and things go haywire.
Central to War Dogs is the man behind the scene, a big-time dealer named Henry Girard (Bradley Cooper). Cooper gives an excellent performance and creates a character that is charming and threatening at the same time. Milers Teller plays the cental character and his subdued performance sort of takes the edge off the manic scenery chewing Jonah Hill seems to have his mind set on for most the movie.
War Dogs could probably have benefited from a couple more action scenes featuring things blowing up and such but that is just me.
Look for the real David Packouz as the bald guy singing “ Don’t Fear the Reaper” in the old folks’ home.
Special features for WarDogs Blu-ray and Digital HD include a making of, a behind the scenes, and a nifty Schoolhouse Rock style cartoon titled Pentagon Pie
War Dogs will be available on November 22 on Ultra HD Blu-ray for $44.95, Blu-ray for $29.98 and DVD for $28.98. The Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack features the film on Ultra HD Blu-ray disc in 4K with HDR, a Blu-ray disc with special features in HD, and a digital version of the movie in Digital HD with UltraViolet*. The Blu-ray includes the film in high definition on Blu-ray disc with a digital version of the movie in Digital HD with UltraViolet*, and the DVD features the film in standard definition. Fans can also own War Dogs via purchase from digital retailers beginning on November 11.