(SPOILER WARNING!!! This article does contain spoilers, if you haven’t seen the movie, just see the first paragraph to be informed without spoilers!!!)

War Dogs is a very interesting movie, it may start off a little slow, but the story about the thin line between greed and ethics is something for everyone to think about!!!

Rating: 3.5 Stars

I can finally talk about Jonah Hill. I was first introduced to him in the movie Accepted where I thought he would be typecasted as a nerdy and innocent guy. Though when I saw Knocked Up and the chemistry he has with other comedic actors like Seth Rogen, Jason Segal, and Jay Baruchel, I thought he showed some potential. It wasn’t until the movie Superbad where I was laughing my butt off at his comedic performance. How he acts like a jerk and a desperate teenager, really showed me he has comedic talent. Since then he has made some funny films like 21 Jump Street and This is the End. He has made some bad ones as well like The Sitter and The Watch, but let’s not forget his potential in his dramatic acting where he actually got nominated for two Oscars for Best Supporting Actor in Moneybag and The Wolf of Wall Street. So he has some depth and variety in his acting repertoire. Though I will say one thing, I was proud of him for losing weight, cuz it inspired people to do the same, but I am disappointed that he is gaining it all back. Regardless, it doesn’t interfere with his acting talent, and when I saw the trailer for War Dogs, I knew we were in for a treat. I was partially right.

What I Like: I thought the chemistry between Jonah Hill and Miles Teller was pretty good. Teller played David Packouz who is a guy desperate to make it big in the business world, but is failing terribly and now that he is expecting a baby, he is really desperate for anything. He finds his old friend, Efraim Diveroli, who is a small time black market weapons dealer looking to expand his business and wants David to join. Though reluctant at first, David decides to join him. Seeing Hill playing Efraim was fun to see. He is a smart business person, but is also a jerk. As the movie progressed, it showed how greed overcame him in making stupid decisions. What I liked about this movie is showing how a business can cross the line between ethical and unethical. Though David is always hesitant in doing unethical business, Efraim’s greed always influenced him and his business in doing the unethical thing. Eventually the greed and poor decisions created their downfall in the black market weapons business. It was interesting to see how the black market weapons industry works, and how expensive wars can be. Also how the US can make unethical business decisions for the military as well. It is a good political movie if you really pay attention to, and the fact that it is a true story really made it that much more interesting. I also enjoyed seeing Bradley Cooper support acting as Henry Girard, a big time black market weapons distributor who helps the guys’ business get the US contract. He was very intimidating in the few scenes he was in, and was the epitome of greed taking over your personality.

The So So: The trailer of this movie kind of portrayed it as an action comedy, but as a comedy, it wasn’t really that funny. Yes it had its moments courtesy of Hill’s performance, but I expected it to be funnier. With that said, it didn’t affect this movie. If you approach it as a drama, it will be more fulfilling.

What I Didn’t Like: The beginning of this film’s pacing was very slow for my liking. Reason is because the first third of the film was all about explaining the business of being a black market weapons dealer, and the rules they should go by. Once the guys got into the country of Jordan, that is where the film got going and made even more interesting. The good acting was not enough to get rid of the boringness at the beginning.

Overall: The movie is good enough to pique your interest on the subject matter this film is trying to portray. The acting is good enough to make it watchable, but be prepared for this to be a drama more than a comedy. Maybe the business and politics in the film will intrigue you, but the pacing was too slow for my liking and took me a while to get back in it!!!

Rating: 3.5 Stars