2016’s “War Dogs” is a film that Todd Phillips directed and wrote with Jason Smilovic and Stephen Chin. It was based on Guy Lawson’s 2011 Rolling Stone article and Efraim Diveroli’s 2016 autobiography, “Once a Gun Runner,” which is at the center of a legal dispute. The same story is told in a novel by Lawson titled “Arms and the Dudes” which was written later.
The movie tells the tale of two arms dealers named Efraim Diveroli and David Packouz who receive a $300 million contract from the US Army to provide ammunition for the Afghan National Army.
Some of the incidents are not fully genuine, though, as the movie excessively dramatizes and fictionalizes them. Jonah Hill, Miles Teller, Ana de Armas, and Bradley Cooper, who also co-produced the film, are all members of the cast.
The movie began filming in Romania on March 2, 2015. It had its New York City premiere on August 3, 2016, and Warner Bros. Pictures released it on August 19, 2016. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $86 million at the box office. For his performance, Jonah Hill was nominated for a Golden Globe.
War Dogs: A True Story of a Film Based on It?
Although the narrative of David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli is based on actual occurrences, parts of the events in the film “War Dogs” are fictitious. As a result, the actual events don’t match up with how they were portrayed in the 2016 movie “War Dogs.”
The two arms dealers David Packouz (Miles Teller) and Efraim Diveroli (Jonah Hill) are the center of the “War Dogs” storyline. They secure a $300 million Pentagon contract to provide weapons to American allies in Afghanistan. Even though the plot may seem impossible, it is based on real events that have been slightly embellished for the sake of the film.
The movie’s main plot faithfully retells the events that were initially covered by Rolling Stone and later elaborated upon in Guy Lawson’s book, “Arms and the Dudes.” The movie’s co-writers, Todd Phillips, Stephen Chin, and Jason Smilovic, were able to accurately depict Packouz and Diveroli’s real-life pasts as small-time arms dealers.
While Diveroli learned the art from his uncle in Los Angeles and became a billionaire at the age of 18, Packouz previously worked as a massage therapist and sold bedsheets that he purchased from textile firms abroad. The movie faithfully depicts the website the Department of Defense used to publish armament contracts for public auction.
The government was under pressure to provide no-bid contracts to smaller businesses like Packouz and Diveroli’s, and these are other accurate details.
The peculiarities and behaviors of the characters, such as using marijuana before a crucial meeting with military leaders, are inspired by actual occurrences. Iz, who is portrayed by Ana de Armas, is likewise based on an actual person and wasn’t only included for dramatic effect.
What is the basis for War Dogs?
The 2016 American movie War Dogs, which Todd Phillips directed and co-wrote with Jason Smilovic and Stephen Chin, is based on Guy Lawson’s 2011 Rolling Stone article and Efraim Diveroli’s 2016 autobiography, “Once a Gun Runner,” as detailed in an ongoing legal dispute.
As is typical in cinematic adaptations of true crime stories, considerable artistic license was employed to add drama, even if the movie faithfully captures the spirit of the narrative and people.
The movie’s depiction of Diveroli firing a gun after a deal fell through, as seen in the trailer and poster, is a considerable departure from the truth. Despite the moment in the movie highlighting his fixation with money and power, Diveroli was not that careless in real life.
Furthermore, none of the events depicted in War Dogs occurred. While Packouz and Diveroli did encounter some peril, the majority of their labor was completed in front of a computer.
To make the narrative more appealing, Phillips emphasized the risk. The two did go to gun shows and travel, but they were never accused of smuggling weapons or passing through Iraq’s Triangle of Death.
The film also includes a scene in which Bradley Cooper’s Henry Girard kidnaps Packouz. This wholly imaginary scene bookends the movie. Packouz wasn’t in charge in Albania, the location of the kidnapping, and Girard was modeled after Swiss Army dealer Henri Thomet. There was no kidnapping or torture, even though Thomet tried to defraud them and was removed from the agreement.
In the film “War Dogs,” a massage therapist named David Packouz tries to make money by reselling bedsheets but is unsuccessful.
Then he meets up with his old acquaintance Efraim Diveroli, the owner of AEY Inc., a business that provides the US government with weapons for the Iraq War. David accepts a job at AEY while deceiving Iz about the true nature of his work, even though he and his partner Iz oppose the war.
AEY submits bids for modest orders of military hardware costing millions that larger contractors reject. They are granted a contract to deliver Beretta handguns to the Iraqi Police, but an embargo on Italy causes the supply to be delayed.
David and Efraim bribe locals and travel through perilous terrain to deliver the consignment to Iraq. They impress Captain Santos by delivering the pistols, and he pays them well.
Larger and more lucrative contracts are won by AEY, such as “The Afghan deal,” which calls for 100 million rounds of $300 million AK-47 ammunition. They travel to Albania to test the ammo after Girard, an arms dealer on a terrorist watch list, offers to conduct the transaction through AEY.
David learns that the majority of rounds are created in China, which is prohibited owing to a US embargo, and Efraim has them repackaged to hide this. A disagreement that results in David’s kidnapping and beating is caused by Efraim’s intention to remove Girard from the agreement.
After David leaves AEY, the FBI eventually detains both him and Efraim. Efraim receives a four-year prison term, while David enters a guilty plea and is placed under home arrest. As the film comes to a close, Henry, the arms dealer, offers David money in exchange for his quiet regarding Bashkim, the missing Albanian driver.
Efraim receives a four-year prison term for his numerous crimes at the end of War Dogs, but David is given a seven-month house arrest in exchange for his cooperation. Later, Henry thanks David for keeping his identity a secret from the FBI and apologizes to him for his conduct in Albania.
Henry refuses to respond when David asks about the meeting’s goal and Bashkim’s fate and instead offers a briefcase full of cash in exchange for David not asking any more questions.
By stressing David’s status as the movie’s protagonist and his moral principles, the finale leaves the spectator pondering about his choice of whether to accept the offer or not. David expresses disapproval of Efraim’s choices throughout the movie and hesitates to follow him, which is reflected in the film’s climactic climax.
The true story of two arms traffickers, Efraim Diveroli and David Packouz, is the basis for the movie War Dogs. Despite being heavily dramatized, the film effectively conveys the essence of their actual experiences.
According to a 2016 Bustle.com article, Diveroli deliberately discouraged people from seeing the movie in favor of promoting his autobiography, Once a Gun Runner, and his media outlet, Incarcerated Entertainment.
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