War Dogs - A Different Movie the Second Time Around

Rating: 9/10 (11 June 2017)

Some movies are exactly the same every time you see them. Todd Phillips's The Hangover is a perfect example. It is my go-to film anytime I'm blue and need a laugh. It is always the same stupidly funny movie that makes me laugh in all the same places ("Not you, fat Jesus.."). The same director does something very different with War Dogs. I loved this film when I saw it in the movies so I knew I'd enjoy it again recently on DVD. In the theater I thought it was funny - a great buddy film featuring two former middle school friends who reconnect and have an amazing adventure. Jonah Hill's character seems a brash, funny wheeler-dealer - the kid who always has big ideas. By the end of the film you see him for who he really is - a much darker, malignant personality - cunning and manipulative with no regard for others. And that is what makes War Dogs so different the second time around. The scenes he made funny and maybe a little endearing the first time you watch are much darker on second viewing as you see how he pulls people into his web. It was fascinating to see the same movie twice and get such a different feel the second time - if you liked War Dogs, it is definitely worth a repeat watching.