FILM REVIEW – WAR DOGS. With Jonah Hill, Miles Teller, Bradley Cooper, Ana de Armas, Kevin Pollak. Written by Stephen Chin and Todd Phillips & Jason Smilovic. Directed by Todd Phillips. Rated R for language throughout, drug use and some sexual references. 114 minutes.

If you look at films about World War II–particularly those made during the war–there’s a definite point of view. There’s no amibiguity as to who the good guys (us) and the bad guys (Germany, Japan) are whether the film is a drama or comedy, or it ends in victory or defeat. For filmgoers of that era, there was was no question as to why we were fighting.

In the decades since, those who led us into war–particularly in Vietnam or Iraq–could not convince Americans as to our goals. Stop the spread of Communism? Go after hidden caches of weapons? Spread democracy? The longer those wars…