Jonah Hill’s performance carries an oddly-paced boring film.
WAR DOGS follows two friends in their early 20s (Hill and Teller) living in Miami Beach during the Iraq War who exploit a little-known government initiative that allows small businesses to bid on U.S. Military contracts.
There was nothing inherently awful about this movie, but by the time the credits rolled I felt as if I had been watching for 5 hours - which is never a good sign. This certainly isn’t the worst film screening currently, but it is underwhelming and slow. The film is divided into chapters and every time a chapter title card appears it slows the film’s pace, disillusioning the audience. The chapters really hinder the film, as the illusion of cinema is constantly broken.
The script is based on a series of true events and while the actual story is interesting and remarkable the script itself is lacklustre. Actors Jonah Hill and Bradley Cooper are great and Hill’s characterisation especially stands out. Miles Teller is good, but isn’t up to the standard of Hill or Cooper - he often overplays the tender moments.
Overall, this film from “Hangover” creators is remarkably different, underwhelming and slow, but does feature some great performances from Jonah Hill and Bradley Cooper.
2 Stars
Review by Benjamin Maio Mackay
Screening courtesy of Palace Nova Cinemas
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