It is definitely style over substance, but it is enjoyable and worth a watch despite having little staying power.

Rating: 6/10 (2 September 2016)

'War Dogs' is the latest film directed by Todd Phillips of 'Hangover' fame, a comedy/drama starring Jonah Hill and Miles Teller as a pair of amateur arms-dealers. The film is loosely based on a true story, even featuring a cameo by the actual person portrayed by Teller, though it takes several liberties with the source-material. The feature isn't as controversial or important as it perhaps thinks it is, but it is still mostly entertaining with good performances despite having little beneath the surface.
The movie spends more time trying to create a style then it does trying to inject the story with substance, and as a whole suffers for it. The narration is very expositional and feels lazy, not to mention that the film freeze-frames for no reason other than for Teller to get his voice-over out, and the semi-frequent use of stock-footage gets a little annoying as it feels rather out of place. The other thing that got on my nerves was the intermittent quotation title-cards, used as unnecessary chapter breaks. These short asides were never needed, their unnecessary nature compounded by the fact that they always contained a quote that would then be said in dialogue just minutes later. They also didn't separate distinct parts of the plot, such as time-jumps or location-changes, and thus beg the question as to why they were included. The stylistic choices hark back to 'The Wolf Of Wall Street' and 'The Big Short', but they never add up to something unique and instead feel like re-treads; the elements never feel consistent, meaning that the film itself comes across as poorly disciplined. The story is interesting most of the time, and the two lead characters provide engaging screen-presences, though the film does drag its heels in the second act. As a whole it feels a bit too long, lacking in a proper finale and leaving us with a relatively weak conclusion. There isn't really any danger and the characters tend to enjoy what they're doing. In the end, it all seems mainly inconsequential as it is mostly consequence-free and focused on frivolous antics; it doesn't get as deep into the ethics of the situation as it should, leading to a light and fluffy affair with little staying power. The other issues with the story are that it is generally unmemorable, spends too much time on set-up but not enough on pay-off and features weak characterisation.
Other than the two leads, the other players don't have anything to do – even Ana de Armas' character is only included to provide a motive for Teller's protagonist to do what he does. It's a shame as there are some great actors here, the best performance is given by Bradley Cooper but he is barely on-screen. Thankfully, the two leads are good. Hill delivers another diverse dramatic performance that proves he can really act, while Teller is solid as essentially a surrogate for the audience. The script is decent, featuring fairly naturalistic dialogue and some witty banter. However, I didn't find the film funny at all. The audience I saw it with laughed consistently while I barely cracked a smile. It didn't take away from my enjoyment, but I feel as though it works better as a drama than a comedy. That's why it is a shame they went for style and humour over depth and emotion, I think it would have been a much more engaging film if it was a little darker and more contemplative. Technically speaking, everything is good here. The direction is competent, bordering on proficient, but it is unremarkable on the whole and goes largely unnoticed. The cinematography is clean, crisp and efficient. The movie feels tangible from start to finish, with real locations being used frequently and the occasional action being shot neatly. The music is a slightly underwhelming, lacking in an original score and flittering between licenced pieces frequently. The choices are quite generic and have been used before under similar circumstances, but they fit the scene they're in and never detract from the experience.
Overall, 'War Dogs' is an enjoyable film that is a clear example of style over substance; the performances are good, the script is entertaining and the plot is mostly engaging but a lack of depth hurts the staying power of the picture. It is unmemorable and unimportant, but a decent time and worth a watch once: 6/10.