While there have been several movies through the years that have gone by the name ‘War Dogs,’ we are going to assume that it is the 2016 movie starring Johan Hill and Bradley Cooper that you fell in love with.
You discovered that you loved that movie, so now you are looking for some war dogs like movies.
Don’t worry. We have you covered.
On this page, we have 23 movies that give off the same sort of vibe. This means black comedy, sorta true stuff, that sort of thing.
Don’t worry. We won’t give any spoilers for these 23 movies like War Dogs.
American Made (2017)
Not quite a black comedy this one, just a pure comedy. Starring Tom Cruise as a former CIA agent now running substances for the Cartel in Mexico. This movie is actually based upon a true story, although we genuinely cannot say how true it is. Some of the things that you see happening in this movie are a little bit too ‘good to be true’ but, hey, that’s the movie business. The stand-out part of this movie is Tom Cruise, so if you enjoy him as an actor, you will enjoy him in this one of the movies like War Dogs.
21 (2008)
Jim Sturgess and Kevin Space lead the cast in this movie like War Dogs. 21 is a heist movie. Again, it is based on a true story. Now, it didn’t receive a whole lot of good reviews, but we reckon that you should still check it out. It can be fun at times. This movie chronicles a college math group that are looking to win big at a casino through ‘card counting,’ which, of course, is perfectly legal, but the casinos tend not to be massive fans of you doing it. So yeah, a movie based on math. Doesn’t sound great, but it really is.
White Boy Rick (2018)
Not much comedy to be found in White Boy Rick, but it does follow the same sort of story beats that you will find in War Dogs. You get a person that is a little bit down on his luck entering the world of crime, mainly to sell substances and gun parts. It is based on a true story too (the youngest-ever FBI informant). The movie stars Richie Merritt and Matthew McConaughey.
The Big Short (2015)
Based on a true story, The Big Short stars Christian Bale and Steve Carell in the main roles. This movie goes into depth on the financial crisis of 2008 and how it started. It is based on a book of the same name. One of the interesting things about The Big Short is that, while it discusses some pretty complicated themes, it does it in a unique way. It means that those, even without knowledge of how the housing market works, can feel at home. It is no wonder it picked up an Oscar and was nominated for several more.
Molly’s Game (2017)
Molly’s Game is the perfect movie if you love your casino crime. This movie is based upon the true story of Molly Bloom, an FBI informant who ended up having her underground gambling ring exposed. An underground gambling ring that often played host to a ton of celebrities. This is an Aaron Sorkin movie, so while it is fantastic, you can expect a lot of his typical tropes i.e., intense walking down corridors discussing things, etc. Of course, it also received good reviews.
99 Homes (2014)
Who would have thought that a movie about evicting people from their homes would be good? Well, that is just what 99 homes is about. After being evicted from his home, Andrew Garfield’s character starts to do the same thing to others. Lots of twists and turns along the way. This may not necessarily be for everybody that is looking for movies like War Dogs, but it is still 100% worth checking out.
Get Hard (2015)
Get Hard has Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart sitting in the main roles here. This movie features a guy sentenced to prison for a crime he didn’t commit (Will Ferrell). This results in the guy reaching out to Kevin Hart, his car cleaner, to help prepare him for prison. It is a comedy movie, of course. However, there is a surprising amount of drama intertwined into things too. This movie didn’t receive great reviews, but that’s fine. It is very much a chill-out movie. One, you can lay back, relax, and watch.
Pain & Gain (2013)
Mark Wahlberg and Duane Johnson sit at the helm of this movie. It is an action-comedy based on the true story of the Syn Gym Gang, a gang formed of bodybuilders back in the 1990s. They carried out a lot of murder, extortion, and whatnot. Now, do bear in mind that this is a Michael Bay movie. It hasn’t exactly received a lot of praise for the direction or the historical accuracies. However, like most Michael Bay movies, that doesn’t matter. This is about having a fun experience…
American Hustle (2013)
Christian Bale and Amy Adams lead the cast in American Hustle, a true story based upon an FBI sting on US Congress. However, don’t worry. This isn’t going to be a movie that gets too political if you want to take a break from that. We don’t want to go too in-depth on the story just because we don’t want to share spoilers. However, this movie is absolutely 100% worth watching. It received critical acclaim and picked up several awards.
The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)
The Wolf of Wall Street is another movie based on a true story. This time, set in the heart of New York City. Financial scams are the norm here. Again, another movie that has received a huge amount of praise. If you are looking for movies like War Dogs, then this may even be at the top of your list because it stars Johah Hill. Although, of course, Leonardo DiCaprio takes center stage in the movie.
Joy (2015)
Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, and Robert DeNiro. What a case! Joy is based on the true story of Joy Mangano, a woman that turned into a self-made millionaire. It discusses her path from rags to riches. This movie didn’t receive terribly good reviews for the story (it is a rather boring story), but if you want to see one of the best acting performances from the life of Jennifer Lawrence, then it is almost certainly worth checking this out.
Blow (2001)
Blow, as the name probably suggests to you, is based on a true story of a cocaine empire. While George Jung is the main depicted character here, you also get a bit of a dive into the life of the likes of Pablo Escobar. The movie sticks Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz in the main roles, and people absolutely loved the chemistry that they had on the screen. In our opinion, this is probably one of the best Johnny Depp movies of them all, and that is really saying something!
Lord Of War (2005)
Nicolas Cage fronts this movie. As anybody who has ever seen a Nicolas Cage movie before will know, Lord of War features a great acting performance. Cage stars as an illegal arms dealer. Somewhat surprisingly, this movie doesn’t go down the route of some of the other movies on this list. It doesn’t attempt to glorify the idea of arms dealing. Instead, it is clear that it is incredibly bad. So much so that human rights organizations around the world praised the movie.
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Catch Me If You Can is an Oscar-winning movie by Steven Spielberg. It puts Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks in the main roles. Based on a true story, Leonardo DiCaprio plays a scam artist that has managed to ‘talk’ his way into the likes of airline pilot jobs, etc. Tom Hanks is the police officer tasked with chasing him around the world and catching him. Pretty funny movie, but not without its deep, dramatic moments.
21 Jump Street (2012)
Based on the TV series of the same name, Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum are at the forefront of 21 Jump Street. The movie stars them as undercover police officers tasked with going back to High School and unraveling a substance ring. It received positive reviews from the critics and eventually spawned the sequel 22 Jump Street, just in case you want even more movies like War Dogs.
Legend (2015)
Most of the movies that we have discussed so far are set in the US, so how about a little bit of London crime for you? Legend is the biographical movie of The Kray Twins. Tom Hardy plays both roles. Expect a ton of conflict in this movie, although because it is set in a slightly different country from the other movies discussed so far on this list, you can expect the culture to be slightly different. It is quite interesting. It helps that it is a good movie too.
Black Mass (2015)
Black Mass is the true story of Whitey Bulger, a mob boss. Johnny Depp leads the cast here, so you know that you are in for an acting masterclass. We don’t want to go too into depth on the story because, once again, we don’t want to mention spoilers. However, it really is the story of how Whitey Bulger came into controlling Boston with the Winter Hill Gang. Of course, it charts their downfall too.
Billionaire Boys Club (2018)
The Billionaire Boys Club is based on a true story. This club, around in the 1980s, was a group of college kids who decided to put together their own Ponzi Scheme. It isn’t long before this results in murder. Not many people have heard of this movie because it stars Kevin Spacey. The allegations against him came out at the last possible moment before this movie was released, and thus marketing wasn’t heavy for it at all.
Burn After Reading (2008)
This movie is absolutely hilarious, so if you are into that sort of thing, check it out. John Malkovich plays the role of an unemployed CIA Analyst who somehow leaves his memoirs kicking around. Cue a couple of guys who are looking to profit from selling them. Lots of adventure. Lots of fun along the way. This is a movie that you absolutely should check out.
True Story (2015)
Jonah Hill and James Franco lead the cast in True Story. This is based on a true story of an FBI Agent accused of murdering his wife (played by Franco) who develops a friendship with a journalist (played by Hill) while in prison. The movie essentially charts the story of the murders and the developing relationship between the two characters as he opens up more and more about what happens.
The Laundromat (2019)
The Laundromat is a true story movie like War Dogs that discusses the Panama Papers. If you can’t remember back then, this is when a whole host of documents were released that showed that the rich and famous were hiding assets around the world, basically avoiding tax on their income. The story is very much fictionalized but does follow the same story beats like the real one. We probably wouldn’t watch this movie if you are looking for some Wikipedia-style information, just if you want to see Meryl Streep in a great acting role.
A Perfect World (1993)
Clint Eastwood and Kevin Costner sit in the main roles for the 1993 movie ‘A Perfect World.’ The movie features Clint Eastwood in pursuit of a couple of escaped convicts. We won’t say much more than that in order to spare you from spoilers. However, suffice to say, this movie was universally praised. ‘
The Usual Suspects (1995)
Finally, we have Bryan Singer-directed The Usual Suspects, which managed to pick up a couple of Oscars. The movie starts with the burning of a boat and, through a series of flashbacks, you are taken through the story of how that boat came to be alight with almost all of the occupants dead. It is a mile-a-minute movie and one that we really think that you will like.
