Ana de Armas might now be known for stealing the show in Blade Runner 2049, portraying Marilyn Monroe in Blonde, being a Bond Girl in No Time to Die, and taking down bad guys in Ballerina, but, before all of those, one of her first English-language movies was a complete box office flop. The actress currently stars in Eden, alongside Sydney Sweeney, Vanessa Kirby, Jude Law, and Daniel Brühl, which was recently released on digital. But, as well as de Armas’ new movie receiving some love on digital, one of her first English-language films is also making a well-deserved comeback on the streaming charts.
Ana de Armas’ second English-language film, the severely underrated War Dogs, is now streaming on Netflix, and audiences are obsessed with the bonkers crime thriller. War Dogs is currently the 10th most popular movie on the streaming platform. Released in 2015, the film starred Jonah Hill and Miles Teller as two men who go from living modest lives in America to becoming two of America’s most successful arms dealers. The film was directed by Joker‘s Todd Phillips, who co-wrote the script with Stephen Chin and Jason Smilovic. De Armas plays Iz, the girlfriend of Teller’s David, who is left to look after their child while David travels the world setting up his new “business.” The official synopsis reads:
“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.”
Released in 2016, neither critics nor audiences knew what to make of War Dogs when it was released. The film holds a 62% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which would usually be considered decent. But War Dogs is one of those films that critics either loved or hated, with little in between. Audiences held similarly divided opinions, as it holds a 69% audience rating, with those reviews ranging from 5/5 and calling it “underrated” and a “masterpiece,” to the harsh 1/5 ratings that label it as “uninspired.” The film’s box office was also a shaky affair. The film grossed just $86.4 million worldwide. It was technically a success, with a budget of $40 million. But it was far from the massive hit Warner Bros. was expecting.
Ana de Armas Couldn’t Speak English While Filming ‘War Dogs’
War Dogs might have been one of Ana de Armas’ first English-language movies, but the actress still had a tenuous grasp on the language while filming. Speaking to Magazine C in 2022, the actress revealed that she was still learning English during production.
As for War Dogs‘ script, Ana de Armas was able to understand some of the words. But, for the ones she didn’t, she had to learn phonetically. Thankfully, the hard work paid off, as her performance in the film led to de Armas being cast in some gigantic roles.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
