Liberty at the movie: War Dogs
“War is about economics”– That observation made in the opening montage of War Dogs. As the quotes suggests, despite what you may think from the title, this is not a war picture.
The War Dogs of this movie are arms dealers– specifically Efraim Diveroli and David Packouz two twenty somethings who scammed the Pentagon on a multi million-dollar contract, and yes this is based one a true story.
At the regaining of the movie, Packouz (played by Miles Teller) is struggling to make it big by selling custom bed sheets to Florida retirement homes while working as a massage therapist to pay the bills. After reuniting with his old high school pal Diveroli,(played by Jonah Hill) he joins Duivoli ‘s “defense contracting:” business AEY.
Duveroli’s business model is to scower the Pentagon’s website looking for Defense contracts too small for the big contracts to waster there time on. As Dicveroli explains the “crumbs” of the Pentagon’s pie can amount to millions.
AEY’s business model is based on the Bush administration’s efforts to open up biding on military contracts to small business in respond tot he public criticisms for awarding non-bid contracts to large firms to “Cheney’s boys.”
Duveroli and Packouz both oppose the Iraqi war, but as Dueroli puts it their business is “not about being pro-war but about begin pro-money.”
A theme on the movie is how the US Government relies on small military contractors to the deals they can;t with the people the will not deal with– and how the US Government, in the words of their fellow shady arms dealer Henry Girard ” the government wants to look the other way, don’t force them to look.”
One of the film’s best sequences involves AEY’s attempts to get around Italy’s ban on shipping weapons to Iraqi, climaxing in a harrowing ride through the triangle of death and Dueroli and Packouz being paid in US cash sized from none other than Saddam Hussein.
AEY’s biggest contract was a multi-million deal to arm US forces. I won’t spoil how they almost pulled off a huge con on the US Government or the extremely stupid way they got caught. I will say that (since it was in the trailer) they won the contract by under bidding their nearest bid by $53 million dollars.
When Packouz tries to console Dueroli by pointing out that for once the American taxpayer is getting a good deal on a military contract, Dueroli replies with a sentiment shared by numerous crony capitalists,corporate welfare queens, bureaucrats, and elected officials: “(Obesity deleted) the American taxpayer”
War Dogs befits form several strong performances. Teller does a great job as decent man who gets involved in an indecent business for reasons both honorable (he wants to provide for his wife and daughter) and questionable (life as an international arms dealer is a lot more exciting than life as a massage therapist.)
Other stand-ours are Patrick St. Esprit as the “old-school:” US Army Captain, ,and Bradley Cooper as Henry Girard, and arms dealer known for arming every side of every conflict. Cooper brings a prefect combination of cool and menace to his role.
But the standout performance is Jonah Hill. Hill show why people where charmed and coned by Duveroli, while making clear that there is something a little “off” about him. Hill deserves at least an academy award nomination just for the creepy laugh he gives Duveroli.
War Dogs is an amusing film that provides an interesting look at the cynicism and corruption that infects the “business of war,”– and how the US Government tries to look the other way.
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