Jonah Hill and Miles Teller Run Guns in War Dogs Trailer

‘The Hangover’ trilogy director Todd Philips is back with another madcap vision of decadent young Americans wreaking havoc around the world - only this time, astonishingly, it’s based on true events.

‘War Dogs’ stars Jonah Hill (who’s clearly gained weight for the role) and Miles Teller as a pair of 20-something entrepreneurs trying to get ahead in one of the oldest professions: arms dealership.

If the trailer above is anything to go by, we’re in for a high-volume satire of the American dream which looks likely to be as hilarious as it is terrifying.

Set against the backdrop of the US military’s Middle Eastern conflicts of the 2000s, Hill and Teller are Efraim Diveroli and David Packouz, two Miami-based buddies who, according to the official synopsis, “exploit a little-known government initiative that allows small businesses to bid on U.S. Military contracts.

“Starting small, they begin raking in big money and are living the high life. But the pair gets in over their heads when they land a 300 million dollar deal to arm the Afghan Military—a deal that puts them in business with some very shady people, not the least of which turns out to be the U.S. Government.”

Speaking to USA Today earlier this week, director Phillips explained his attraction to ‘War Dogs’ (previously entitled ‘Arms and the Dudes’):

“I like making movies about bad decisions. This is the ultimate story about these two guys making some key bad decisions in their lives — seeing an angle and exploiting that angle but going too far.”

Phillips describes Hill’s Efraim as “almost like a Tony Soprano — he’s not that but he sees himself as that, this swagger that doesn’t match who the character is. It’s a weird confidence with this guy that I just love.

"That comes with a youthful ignorance. They really thought they could compete with these big defense companies, whether it’s Halliburton or Raytheon, and step into this arena as these two kids working out of an office in Miami Beach.

“They were in over their head from day one, and the ballsy part of the story is really interesting, the fact that they thought they could compete and did successfully for a few years.”

“It’s more of an indictment on the government than it is on these two kids who saw an angle.”

Bradley Cooper co-stars and produces.

‘War Dogs’ hits UK cinemas on 26 August.

Picture Credit: Warner Bros

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