Bradley Cooper does such a good job in this movie. The 2016 American dark comedy movie was directed by Todd Phillips. He also wrote the movie, alongside Jason Smilovic and Stephen Chin. The whole movie is based on a 2011 Rolling Stone article by Guy Lawson. Fans loved the movie. And luckily for all of us, the genre has many more movies like War Dogs.
What is the plot of the movie? Two arms dealers receive a US Army contract to supply ammunition for the Afghan National Army. But the firm is heavily fictionalized and dramatized. Some of the events were invented or based on other events. So do not take the movie as a true story.
Alongside Bradley Cooper, we also see Jonah Hill, Ana de Armas, and Miles Teller. Director Todd Phillips is known for his comedic effort. While the movie is based on some type of a true story, most of the events are largely fictitious. Fun fact: the real David Packeouz has a brief cameo in the movie.
Now let’s take a look at other movies like War Dogs.
The Hangover
We said director Todd Phillips is famous for his comedy movies. Well, The Hangover made him famous and a household name. The 2009 American comedy movie also stars Bradley Cooper in the main roles. Other actors include Zach Galifianakis, Heather Graham, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong, and Jeffrey Tambor.
The movie tells the story of four friends who travel to Las Vegas for their bachelor party. But they wake up in a mess with no memory of the previous night.
Through the movie, they have to find out what happened. The Hangover was such a critical and commercial success, it became the highest R-rated comedy ever in the US.
The Hangover Part II
With such a commercial success, it was expected Todd Phillips to make another Hangover movie. The second installment is also known as The Wolfpack is Back or The Hangover Again.
In this movie, the gang also plans a bachelor party.
Only this time, Stu takes no chance and subdued pre-wedding brunch. Sadly, things do not go as planned, and we have another bad hangover with no memories of the previous night.
Development on the sequel began only two months after the original Hangover was released.
The Hangover Part III
The full title is The Rise of Marshal, and this one came out in 2013. It follows the Wolfpack, which is Stu, Phil, Doug, and Alan. In this movie, they try to get Alan the help he needs after facing a personal crisis after the bachelor party in Bangkok.
But an incident from the original movie comes to haunt them and things go awry.
Catch Me If You Can
This movie has two legendary actors in the main roles. Leonardo DiCaprio got a nomination for a Golden Globe Award for his role in the movie. The movie itself earned two Academy Award nominations.
The movie will keep you entertained for something more than two hours. DiCaprio plays Frank Abagnale Jr. a 19-year old con man who through life impersonates a doctor, a lawyer, and an airline pilot.
This one is also a true story. If you loved the comedy in War Dogs, this movie will entertain you for sure.
American Sniper
The 2014 American biographical war drama movie was directed by Clint Eastwood. It is loosely based on the memoir American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in US Military by Chris Kyle.
The movie follows the life of Kyle, who became the deadliest marksman in US military history. He had 255 kills from four tours in the Iraq War. Of them, 160 were officially confirmed by the Department of Defense.
Kyle was celebrated for his military success, but that took a toll on his personal life and family life. The movie tells the story of what soldiers have to go through for their country. Bradley Cooper was highly praised for his lead performance.
Lord of War
The 2005 American crime drama movie makes it on the list because of the lead actor. Anytime you have Nicolas Cage, you have an entertaining movie. Cage is just that funny.
In this movie, he plays a fictional illegal arms dealer. He is inspired by the stories of real-life arms dealers and smugglers.
Yuri Orlov, played by Cage, is the eldest son of a family of Ukrainian refugees. The movie also stars Ethan Hawke. It was endorsed by the human rights group Amnesty International for highlighting the issue of arms trafficking.
The Wolf of Wall Street
This biographical crime black comedy movie is another one starring Leonardo DiCaprio. He is just awesome. Martin Scorsese directed the movie based on the 2007 memoir by Jordan Belfort.
The movie recounts Belfort’s perspective on his career as a stockbroker in New York City. It also talks about how his firm, Stratton Oakmont, engaged in rampant corruption and fraud on Wall Street.
Ultimately, that led to this downfall. Margot Robbie and Donnie Azoff star alongside Leonardo DiCaprio.
Leonardo was nominated for an Academy Award for best actor but didn’t win it. He did, however, win a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Musical or Comedy.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
The 2016 American biographical war comedy-drama movie is based on the memoir The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan by Kim Barker.
It stars Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman, Alfred Molina, Billy Bob Thornton, and Christopher Abbott in the main roles.
The movie tells the story of Kim Baker, a television journalist who covers only low-profile stories. So, she decides to take a short assignment as a war correspondent in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom.
Despite the danger, she stays there for months, years, and far more beyond her original assignment.
Due Date
In 2010, we saw the release of the American black comedy road movie, again directed by Todd Phillips. You can say he has been busy for the past several years. The movie follows a man played by Robet Downey Jr. who has to get across the country to Los Angeles in time for the birth of his child.
But he is forced to road-trip with an aspiring actor, played by Zach Galifinakis, and other people. The crew includes characters played by Jamie Foxx, Michelle Monaghan, and Juliette Lewis.
The movie received mixed reviews and earned more than $220 million at the box office.
American Hustle
This is another black comedy crime movie. It was inspired by the FBI Abscam operation of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Christian Bale and Amy Adams star in the main roles. They are two con artists who are forced by an FBI agent to set up an elaborate sting operation on corrupt politicians.
The movie opened to wide acclaim from critics. They praised the screenplay and ensemble cast. American Hustle received ten Academy Award nominations. Sadly, it didn’t win a single Oscar.
Gold
The 2016 crime drama is loosely based on the true story of the 1993 Bre-X mining scandal. At the time, a massive gold deposit was supposedly discovered in the jungle of Indonesia. For legal reasons and to enhance the appeal of the movie, character names and story details were changed.
Iron Man
When you talk about war movies, you have to mention Iron Man. While it is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the movie works as a standalone war and arms dealing movie.
The superhero movie was based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Robert Downey Jr stars in the titular role. And he was solely responsible for the success Marvel had from Iron Man and so on.
The A-Team
People born in the 1980s and 1990s have probably watched the television series of the same name. But it took some time for someone to make a movie about the A-Team.
That happened in 2010, with Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Quinton Jackson, Jessica Biel, Sharlto Copley, and Patrick Wilson in the main roles.
It tells a story of a special forces team who, imprisoned for a crime they didn’t commit, escapes and sets out to clear their names.
Bad Boys
The 1995 American buddy cop action comedy movie is one of the best movies like War Dogs. Michael Bay directed the movie. That tells you one thing. There is a lot of action and blowing things up.
Martin Lawrence and Will Smith star as the two Miami narcotics detectives in the main roles. The two are quite opposite. Martin Lawrence plays a family character with a low paycheck, while Will Smith is the wealthy single guy who drives luxury cars.
Things start getting entertaining when they have to switch roles.
Bad Boys for Life
Bad Boys for Life is the third installment of the Bad Boys Franchise. It came out in 2020, more than 17 years after the sequel Bad Boys II in 2003.
The third movie has been in the talks for many years before it finally came to fruition. The movie went through several attempts to enter production over a decade because of budgetary constraints.
12 Strong
The other name of the movie is 12 Strong: The Declassified True Story of the Horse Soldiers. It is an American action war movie based on Doug Stanton’s non-fiction book Horse Soldiers.
The movie tells the story of US Army Special Forces sent to Afghanistan following the September 11 attacks.
