Saw this a few weeks ago, so forgive me if I end up talking total shit.
I've been waiting a long while to finally see this film for one reason - my psycho obsession with Miles Teller. I can tell you that he is just a tiny fraction of why I love this film, now I've actually seen it.
I didn't even know much about it, which his rare for me as I usually research everything about a film before hand, but I knew a number of things about it that made me 100% confident it would be more than just good...........I wasn't wrong.
Based on the true story of David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli - two twenty something middle school friends, who get back in touch after a few years and end up securing a $300 million contract to supply arms (yes actual weapons) to the US government. It is every bit as gob smacking as it sounds, believe me.
You literally could not make this shit up.
The real life events took place around 2004 - 2005 and obviously garnered local media attention and a tiny section of the front page of the New York Times, but nothing much really came of it, until Guy Lawson spotted the headline and decided to give it the attention it quite rightly deserved - so he wrote a whole feature on the boys for Rolling Stone Magazine, which then turned into a book, which then caught the eye of the producers and now here we are, with a better than average film.
The screenplay was written by Todd Phillips (The Hangover Trilogy) Stephen Chin (Another Day in Paradise) and Jason Smilovic (Lucky Number Slevin) - now these are three VERY different writers and you certainly can see a piece of each of them in the script and I really think its the mixture of these three personalities and writing styles that makes War Dogs the sophisticated enthralling story it is, which is genius in my opinion, because they've basically taken the gigantic mishaps of two stoner losers from Miami and made it into an edgy, charming, shocking and above all funny, movie.
The whole film obviously stinks of Todd Phillips because he directed it, so on the surface its the winning 'Hangover' formula of boys being boys, doing naughty things and being generally stupid and a bit gross, but there's so much more to it - morality, political corruption, criminal activity, family tension, bromance - you name it there's a dash of it in there.
Above all what I enjoyed about it most, was how laugh out loud funny it was, without taking away from its message or even dumbing down what these boys did - they broke the law in spectacular fashion and quite rightly got their comeuppance.
The film basically ridicules what they did and doesn't even slightly attempt to make you root for these boys in typical Hollywood fashion; it's a cautionary tale that, refreshingly, doesn't give you that awful feeling in the pit of your stomach that most true crime movies do - its entertainment with an educational edge.
Miles Teller and Jonah Hill were a match made in heaven, they are both such natural actors and both so characteristically funny that they bounced off each other really well.
It was refreshing to see the roles reversed if I'm honest - we so often see Miles Teller playing the reckless, morally bankrupt, drainer that's always getting everyone else in shit or wrapped up in the stupid crap hes got into this week type person, that it was lovely to see him play a character who's attempting to be the moral compass for a change; the voice of reason who means well really but just gets wrapped up in things due to his circumstances. Not taking away from what he did - he was an idiot - but my point is he played it well with a level of humour that obviously comes naturally to him.
Jonah Hill on the other hand was REALLY ANNOYING, but hats off to him because he obviously nailed the character completely, even down to creating his own laugh that grated on me so much I wanted to slap him! Someone said to me they didn't even notice it - he literally must have watched a different film to me because it stuck in my head for days ha ha.
Like I said, the roles are reversed, Jonah Hill is usually the lovable loser, who means well but is just a bit unlucky but he was an out and out arsehole in this film and he played it so well, whilst also managing to keep that hilariously funny persona shining through - I hated him by the end of this film and that's no easy feat, I'm of the generation that has grown up with Judd Apatow, his band of merry men (and women) and their glorious sense of humour shaping films, which always depict Jonah as the likable loser - this was a welcome break from the norm. Even as Donnie Azoff in Wolf of Wall Street, despite the debauchery he got himself involved in, he was always fiercely loyal - not this guy though, jesus what a sneaky shit.
Initially Jesse Eisenberg and Shia LeBeouf were cast in the roles, yes they are both fantastic actors, in fact Jesse Eisenberg is one of my faves, but I think the end result would have been a total train wreck, to be honest - the tone would have been really jumbled and we would have ended up with a quirky drama taking itself too seriously rather than the intelligent crime comedy/drama that we now have, which is much easier on the eye and much more entertaining.
I wont tell you too much about the actual story because its just so unbelievable as it unfolds your jaw will just drop lower and lower, although there was definitely some artistic liberty taking, the facts are there and they are unbelievably fun to watch.
The soundtrack needs a mention - so diverse and super cool, it gives the likes of Forest Gump and Guardians of the Galaxy a run for its money that's for sure.
I've been waiting a long while to finally see this film for one reason - my psycho obsession with Miles Teller. I can tell you that he is just a tiny fraction of why I love this film, now I've actually seen it.
I didn't even know much about it, which his rare for me as I usually research everything about a film before hand, but I knew a number of things about it that made me 100% confident it would be more than just good...........I wasn't wrong.
Based on the true story of David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli - two twenty something middle school friends, who get back in touch after a few years and end up securing a $300 million contract to supply arms (yes actual weapons) to the US government. It is every bit as gob smacking as it sounds, believe me.
You literally could not make this shit up.
The real life events took place around 2004 - 2005 and obviously garnered local media attention and a tiny section of the front page of the New York Times, but nothing much really came of it, until Guy Lawson spotted the headline and decided to give it the attention it quite rightly deserved - so he wrote a whole feature on the boys for Rolling Stone Magazine, which then turned into a book, which then caught the eye of the producers and now here we are, with a better than average film.
The screenplay was written by Todd Phillips (The Hangover Trilogy) Stephen Chin (Another Day in Paradise) and Jason Smilovic (Lucky Number Slevin) - now these are three VERY different writers and you certainly can see a piece of each of them in the script and I really think its the mixture of these three personalities and writing styles that makes War Dogs the sophisticated enthralling story it is, which is genius in my opinion, because they've basically taken the gigantic mishaps of two stoner losers from Miami and made it into an edgy, charming, shocking and above all funny, movie.
The whole film obviously stinks of Todd Phillips because he directed it, so on the surface its the winning 'Hangover' formula of boys being boys, doing naughty things and being generally stupid and a bit gross, but there's so much more to it - morality, political corruption, criminal activity, family tension, bromance - you name it there's a dash of it in there.
Above all what I enjoyed about it most, was how laugh out loud funny it was, without taking away from its message or even dumbing down what these boys did - they broke the law in spectacular fashion and quite rightly got their comeuppance.
The film basically ridicules what they did and doesn't even slightly attempt to make you root for these boys in typical Hollywood fashion; it's a cautionary tale that, refreshingly, doesn't give you that awful feeling in the pit of your stomach that most true crime movies do - its entertainment with an educational edge.
Miles Teller and Jonah Hill were a match made in heaven, they are both such natural actors and both so characteristically funny that they bounced off each other really well.
It was refreshing to see the roles reversed if I'm honest - we so often see Miles Teller playing the reckless, morally bankrupt, drainer that's always getting everyone else in shit or wrapped up in the stupid crap hes got into this week type person, that it was lovely to see him play a character who's attempting to be the moral compass for a change; the voice of reason who means well really but just gets wrapped up in things due to his circumstances. Not taking away from what he did - he was an idiot - but my point is he played it well with a level of humour that obviously comes naturally to him.
Jonah Hill on the other hand was REALLY ANNOYING, but hats off to him because he obviously nailed the character completely, even down to creating his own laugh that grated on me so much I wanted to slap him! Someone said to me they didn't even notice it - he literally must have watched a different film to me because it stuck in my head for days ha ha.
Like I said, the roles are reversed, Jonah Hill is usually the lovable loser, who means well but is just a bit unlucky but he was an out and out arsehole in this film and he played it so well, whilst also managing to keep that hilariously funny persona shining through - I hated him by the end of this film and that's no easy feat, I'm of the generation that has grown up with Judd Apatow, his band of merry men (and women) and their glorious sense of humour shaping films, which always depict Jonah as the likable loser - this was a welcome break from the norm. Even as Donnie Azoff in Wolf of Wall Street, despite the debauchery he got himself involved in, he was always fiercely loyal - not this guy though, jesus what a sneaky shit.
Initially Jesse Eisenberg and Shia LeBeouf were cast in the roles, yes they are both fantastic actors, in fact Jesse Eisenberg is one of my faves, but I think the end result would have been a total train wreck, to be honest - the tone would have been really jumbled and we would have ended up with a quirky drama taking itself too seriously rather than the intelligent crime comedy/drama that we now have, which is much easier on the eye and much more entertaining.
I wont tell you too much about the actual story because its just so unbelievable as it unfolds your jaw will just drop lower and lower, although there was definitely some artistic liberty taking, the facts are there and they are unbelievably fun to watch.
The soundtrack needs a mention - so diverse and super cool, it gives the likes of Forest Gump and Guardians of the Galaxy a run for its money that's for sure.