Release Date: August 19th, 2016
Starring: Jonah Hill, Miles Teller, Bradley Cooper, Shaun Toub, Ana de Armas
Director: Todd Phillips (The Hangover Trilogy, Old School, Due Date)
Pre-Trailer Thoughts: The trailer for War Dogs gained a lot of buzz when it first came out, but honestly, I didn’t watch it until today. That being said, knowing Todd Phillips is directing is both a blessing and a curse. He can easily direct gritty scenes, which this movie needs, but let’s be honest, his library of work besides the original Hangover and Old School is pretty flawed. –LJF
Pre-Trailer Thoughts: I had almost no idea this movie even existed before today, which was surprising given the amount of big names involved. The Hangover director Todd Phillips pairing up with Jonah Hill and Miles Teller already sounds like an intriguing match-up on paper. Add to that the fact the movie is based on the real lives of two Miami arms dealers and this suddenly seems like Phillips’ attempt at doing something akin to Scorsese’s Wolf of Wall Street or Goodfellas. – JTM
Rate the Trailer: 3 out of 5. War Dogs looks entertaining, at least. Besides Hill, Teller, and Cooper, I don’t recognize a single face among the rest of the cast, which is something I honestly like. Hill’s lines actually made me laugh out loud, and despite Teller having being somewhat of a rough person to deal with behind the scenes, I actually like him as an actor, especially in Whiplash. He deserves better material than Fantastic Four and Divergent, so hopefully this opens some more doors for him. The plot itself is intriguing, so I hope that all the factors work together. -LJF
Rate the Trailer: 4 out of 5. The Wolf of Wall Street comparisons were apparently warranted, as this trailer definitely gives off a similar vibe to that film, albeit with a more action oriented edge. Teller and Hill look to have a great chemistry with one another, and I think they should do a fine job of balancing comedy and drama. Phillips grew stale with The Hangover sequels, but this looks to be something to get him back on track. The source material here gives him a lot of room for some fantastic political satire. Everything here seems to aim a bit broader than if say, Scorsese had actually been directing this, but Phillips looks to have made a cohesive film and can keep it moving at a decent pace. – JTM
Theater, Rent, No Thanks, Undecided? Rent. While the two main actors are draws for me, I don’t think War Dogs screams theater viewing. That being said, it should make for a solid rental. Let’s hope Hill still has some zingers left for the final viewing. -LJF
Theater, Rent, Undecided, No Thanks? Rent. The only reason I wont be seeing this in theaters is it comes after a few weeks of “must-see” releases, so I’ll likely be trying to save my money at that point in the summer. However the moment this comes to a streaming service I’ll be checking it out. – JTM
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