War Dogs: Relevant, Informative, Entertaining

Rating: 7/10 (1 October 2016)

"They call guy like us 'War Dogs'. Bottom-feeders who make money off of war without ever stepping foot on the battlefield."
"War Dogs" is based on the true story of David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli, two young men in their twenties who landed a $300 million contract from the Pentagon to arm the U.S. army in Afghanistan. The film has a mix of comedy and drama to entertain as well as inform the audience about how a massage therapist and his childhood friend were able to make a deal with the U.S. government through illegal arms dealing. Viewers are in with the action as Packouz and Diveroli continue their covert business dealings from Miami to the deserts of the Middle East to parts of Eastern Europe. To the two men, life becomes about money, guns, and drugs. As they enjoy their fun, wealthy lifestyles and continue their big business dealings, they start to conflict with each other as they become stringent about money and labor, changing the plot of the film from dealing with the government to dealing with each other. "War Dogs" is comparable to "Wolf of Wall Street", with its base on true events and its similar elements of crime, extravagance, and adventure.
With Miles Teller, Jonah Hill, and Bradley Cooper, as well as Todd Phillips, the director of the "Hangover" trilogy, "War Dogs" infuses comedy into the serious drama of arms dealing. This is called Black Comedy, a style that makes light of serious topics, in this case war and arms dealing. To prepare for his role as Efraim Diveroli, Jonah Hill had gained a significant amount of weight, a noticeable difference from his characters in previous movies such as "22 Jump Street". Diveroli is aggressively against the film, refusing to meet Jonah Hill and suing Warner Bros. for stealing his story from his memoir, Once a Gunrunner. The film, however, is actually based off of the novel about Packouz and Diveroli, Arms and the Dudes by Guy Lawson. On the other hand, Packouz is for the film, even making a cameo as a singer in a scene at a nursery home. After being released from house arrest for his part in the arms dealing, Packouz went on to pursue his musical career, inventing a guitar pedal, the BeatBuddy, a few years later.
"War Dogs" has received mostly positive reviews, for its lively, wildly entertaining qualities and exposé of the international black market of arms dealing, a topic rarely talked about in the sea of corrupt politics, money laundering, drug dealing, etc. that make for most biographical films. "War Dogs" demonstrates the danger of greed, corruption, and lawlessness, driving two old friends into enemies. To viewers looking for a fun summer flick with friends, "War Dogs" makes a great option. On the other hand, "War Dogs" had not gone over well with other top critics, who judge the film as shallow and a mere presentation for entertainment that glorifies the luxuries lives that resulted from the illegal actions of two criminals. It makes too light the immorality of the black market, even making the men's business out of lies look thrilling, when really it is a violation of societal rules. It serves as fleeting diversion, lacking a lasting message about the incorrectness of gunrunning.
The action is thrilling and eye-opening for the audience, engaging for teenagers and adults. It is especially relevant now, since the events took place only a few years ago in 2007, and since another biographical film "Snowden" is in theaters now. This new genre of government corruption is not exactly educating the American audience of the iniquities of dishonesty and immorality, but rather informing them of the reality of what goes on with the U.S. government and politics. The critics do make a good point in that the film does celebrate the avaricious actions of criminals, just like the film "Wolf of Wall Street". However, the average adult should realize that, after watching "War Dogs" as well as "Wolf of Wall Street", the luxury of the characters is a result of their deception and thievery of American taxpayer money, unethical qualities that always end up in their incarceration and unscrupulous images. The bad guys are egocentric, and they never end up successful in the end. In terms of social value, the film does denounce the characters' actions, and their luxurious lives, though entertaining to watch, demonstrate their ignorance. The film's relevance, thus, beckons the American audience to watch, keeping the entertainment level and aesthetics (taking place in various settings) high in order to further attract viewers. Unlike normal comedies such as "Hangover", its point was more than just to amuse but also to keep the topic grounded in current events.