![]() ![]() At the time they reunited, Efraim was 19 and David was 23. Efraim and David are also said to be around the same age, which isn’t true. Though Thomet did try to rip them off and was cut from the big deal shortly thereafter as a result, no kidnapping and torturing of any kind occurred. Packouz wasn’t even the point man in Albania (where he gets kidnapped). Cooper’s Girard was also based on a real person, inspired by Swiss Army dealer Henri Thomet. The sequence bookends War Dogs, but it was all fiction. Related: Goodfellas True Story: How Billy Batts’ Real Murder Was DifferentĪnother notable moment that didn’t really happen was when Packouz gets kidnapped by Henry Girard, played by Maestro ‘s Bradley Cooper. They never came under fire for transporting arms and they never even went through Iraq’s infamous Triangle of Death either. When the pair went abroad, it was for gun shows and the like. Phillips makes their job seem far more dangerous than it ever was to heighten the story. Packouz and Diveroli did find themselves in precarious situations, but it was mostly from behind a computer screen. Similarly, none of the action that takes place in War Dogs actually happened either. This is, of course, a moment that shows Diveroli’s obsession with money and power, but he wasn’t as reckless in real life. One notable difference: Diveroli shooting a gun off after a deal fell through, as seen in the film’s trailer and poster, did not occur. This is a common practice in onscreen adaptations of true crime stories. While War Dogs does get the essence of its story and characters correct, some creative liberties were taken to embellish certain things – namely, the drama. Even Ana De Armas’ role as Packouz’s girlfriend Iz was based on a real person, despite some theorists suggesting she was added into the movie for the sake of creating conflict. Details like how the pair both got high before a big meeting with military heads are true and add to the absurdity of it all. Beyond Packouz and Diveroli’s lives in War Dogs, the facts surrounding the government’s involvement in their lives, such as being under pressure to level the playing field after being scrutinized for giving no-bid contracts to big companies, were also accurate. A lot of the subtleties to the characters and stories were well-founded. How he acquired his insight into the trade and then used it is all fact – even down to the website the Department of Defense used to post weapon contracts for public auction. Diveroli’s life was shocking in the War Dogs movie, thanks to the conviction of the performance by Don’t Look Up ‘s Jonah Hill. Meanwhile, Diveroli was shipped off to Los Angeles midway through high school where he sold guns with his uncle – and learned about arms dealing, before partnering with Packouz to do it on a bigger level.Įfraim went on to become a millionaire at 18 years old, using his expertise to outbid larger companies for smaller, more disposable deals. ![]() Packouz was working as a massage therapist before reuniting with his former high school friend and he also went on to sell sheets he bought from textile companies overseas. The backstories that David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli – played respectively by Miles Teller and Jonah Hill in War Dogs – are very much true to life. Along with co-writers Stephen Chin and Jason Smilovic, Phillips managed to give a fairly accurate depiction of the events. Guy Lawson’s article was later expanded into a book, Arms and the Dudes, which set the foundations for Phillips’ biopic. The story was first covered by Rolling Stone, which gave a detailed report of the events. There are a lot of things War Dogs gets right. Critical reviews of War Dogs call it an above-average film. When things go awry, the pair set off on a globetrotting adventure that sees them meddle with corrupt politicians and volatile arms dealers to make an extra buck. Their contract means they’re responsible for arming allies of the US with weapons in Afghanistan. What’s most striking about the film is the rambunctious true story at its core. ![]() War Dogs was an entertaining bro-comedy that received middling reviews and took in a worldwide gross of $86.2 million from a budget of around $40 million. War Dogs’ true story-inspired tale comes 11 years after Nicolas Cage’s own iconic portrayal of a real-life gun runner in 2005’s Lord of War. Warner Bros released War Dogs in 2016, and the focus of War Dogs‘ true story, real guys Efraim Diveroli and David Packouz, are two best friends that landed a colossal arms deal with the Pentagon. Todd Phillips’ War Dogs movie was based on real events, but War Dogs’ true story was different than what appeared in the film.
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