War Dogs

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2:32

War Dogs

R

Released Aug 19, 2016

1h 54m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

62%

Tomatometer

235 Reviews

69%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

With the war in Iraq raging on, a young man (Jonah Hill) offers his childhood friend a chance to make big bucks by becoming an international arms dealer. Together, they exploit a government initiative that allows businesses to bid on U.S. military contracts. Starting small allows the duo to rake in money and live the high life. They soon find themselves in over their heads after landing a $300 million deal to supply Afghan forces, a deal that puts them in business with some very shady people.

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Critics Consensus

War Dogs rises on the strength of Jonah Hill's compelling performance to take a lightly entertaining look at troubling real-world events.

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Kristen Yoonsoo Kim

Complex

Sure, there's voiceover, freeze frames, and morally reprehensible characters, but it reads more like a parody film than an inspired one.

Feb 23, 2017

Full Review

Nigel Andrews

Financial Times

By the end we have warmed -- almost -- to the innocent villainy of two con folk serving a greater maladroit maleficence.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 27, 2016

Full Review

Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

Utterly specious.

Rated: 2/5

Oct 10, 2016

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Zach Pope

Zach Pope Reviews

Jonah Hill delivers one of his best performances

Aug 7, 2023

Full Review

Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but it is also lazily standing on the shoulders of giants. Thats the impact and existence of Todd Phillipss War Dogs in a gun err nutshell.

Rated: 2/5

Mar 8, 2022

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Michael J. Casey

Michael J. Cinema

Plain laziness.

Rated: 1.5/5

Jun 30, 2021

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Louis B

I liked it, but I got the sense, that it is trying so hard to be funny and just doesnt succed, because its too serious. For example, Jonahs laugh is hilarious, but seems a bit out of place, because the rest of the movie is not. In my opinion, either make it dead serious, or as ironic as possible. The mix doesnt work.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/10/25

Full Review

Buck M

There's something intriguing about average guys with desk jobs spontaneously transforming into literal gun runners through war-torn Iraq.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/05/25

Full Review

THE NASHVILLE I

The story behind War Dogs is good, but the movie is not. The shady dealings part is downplayed in favor of the cheaper aspects that made up Wolf of Wall Street and Superbad.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

06/13/25

Full Review

Darsou C

Very fast paced movie with excellent acting by Hill and Teller. It comes across as a comedy at times and quite a brilliant one too but the dramatic twists bring you back to the serious material at the root of the movie. Never a dull moment!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/26/25

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Audience Member

Amazing movie, damn J***...

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/29/25

Full Review

Benjamin H

While the chemistry between its two leads is solid, it looks nice and has a couple of cool segments, War Dogs is a largely forgettable and uninteresting film that is further brought down by uneven pacing, some poor characterization and a lot of dialogue that could have been worked on more.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/22/25

Full Review

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Todd Phillips

Director

Jonah Hill

Efraim Diveroli

Miles Teller

David Packouz

Ana de Armas

Iz

Bradley Cooper

Henry Girard

Kevin Pollak

Ralph Slutsky

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War Dogs: Trailer 2

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Synopsis

With the war in Iraq raging on, a young man (Jonah Hill) offers his childhood friend a chance to make big bucks by becoming an international arms dealer. Together, they exploit a government initiative that allows businesses to bid on U.S. military contracts. Starting small allows the duo to rake in money and live the high life. They soon find themselves in over their heads after landing a $300 million deal to supply Afghan forces, a deal that puts them in business with some very shady people.

Director: Todd Phillips
Producer: Mark Gordon, Todd Phillips, Bradley Cooper
Screenwriter: Stephen Chin, Todd Phillips, Jason Smilovic
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Bros. Pictures, Joint Effort, The Mark Gordon Company
Rating: R (Language Throughout|Drug Use|Some Sexual References)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 19, 2016, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 14, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $43.0M
Runtime: 1h 54m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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