Is Todd Phillips’ War Dogs Movie Was Based on Real Story Of Two Best Friends?

The events depicted in Todd Phillips’ War Dogs were based on real ones, but the real narrative behind the picture is much different. Eleven years have passed since Lord of War, Nicolas Cage’s own renowned portrayal of a real-life gun runner, which inspired the story of War Dogs. War Dogs, a 2016 Warner Bros.

The release is based on the true story of two best friends, Efraim Diveroli and David Packouz, who negotiate and seal a massive arms transaction with the United States Department of Defense. The bro-comedy War Dogs made $86.2 million worldwide on a budget of about $40 million and earned mixed to negative reviews from critics.

The wild genuine narrative at the film’s heart is what really stands out. Their deal mandates that they supply weapons to US-backed forces in Afghanistan. As a result of a series of unfortunate events, the two embark on a world tour during which they interfere with shady politicians and dangerous arms traffickers in order to make a buck.

Is ‘War Dogs’ Based On A True Story?

In the film War Dogs, the true events behind arms traffickers Efraim Diveroli and David Packouz are revealed. The plot of the film revolves around Miles Teller’s character, Efraim Diveroli, an armaments dealer who, upon reuniting with his old friend David Packouz (also played by Teller), offers Packouz a billion-dollar opportunity to participate with him in some illegal dealings.

As much as the two love their success and the finer things in life, they quickly find themselves in over their heads when they are given a $300 million deal to provide to their rivals, i.e. the Afghan forces. The film is realistic in the sense that it captures the essence of its characters accurately. However, in order to make for a more exciting and dramatic film, several liberties were done.

The Rolling Stones had written an in-depth study based on actual events, comparing and contrasting fictional and real-life occurrences. The second act, revolving around Bradley Cooper’s Henry Girard kidnapping of Packouz, was discovered to be heavily conceptualized.

His role in the lives of the two was relatively little because he was cut off from the huge transaction at such an early stage, but his character is based on a genuine individual who did try to rip them off. A lot of the spectacular scenes in the film didn’t happen in real life, for example, the two getting into difficulties while smuggling weaponry abroad.

As for the real-life pair, they were last seen engaged in lengthy legal fights over the ownership of the film, so it’s safe to assume that their relationship has soured. While Packouz publicly supported the film and was even spotted at the screening, Diveroli was anything but cooperative and sued Warner Bros for allegedly taking his story without permission.

Read More: Corpse Face Reveal: How Does Corpse Husband Look Like?

David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli’s Where Are They Now?

After the events of War Dogs, what did Packouz and Diveroli do? Where are they now? Despite the fact that Packouz and Diveroli were closest friends in real life (as depicted in War Dogs), they have grown apart in the years following the dismantling of their armaments enterprise. Part of Packouz’s current life shift can be attributed to his role in the Todd Phillips movie.

Teller and Phillips spoke with Packouz directly about the project, which is why he is so well-represented and why the finer points are so spot-on. Not ashamed of his history, he made a trip to the set and saw the premiere of the finished picture. These days, Packouz makes his living as a musician and runs a business selling electronic drum kits.

This is, of course, when he isn’t taking care of his kid or touring the world, both of which he enjoys doing. His time as a gunrunner is long over. On the other side, Efraim Diveroli is taking a unique approach to his own history. He documented his life in the biography Once a Gun Runner and sued the makers of War Dogs for plagiarizing his story.

Both David Packouz and Diveroli, unlike the vast majority of infamous criminals shown in true crime shows and films, were spared lengthy prison terms. Packouz earned seven months of home detention for his cooperation after being charged with fraud and conspiracy, while Diveroli was given a four-year prison sentence, as depicted in War Dogs.

Contrasted with Packouz, who worked together on the project more, Diveroli was not cooperative at all. Diveroli had nothing to do with War Dogs and actually tried to dissuade people on social media from going to see it. Diveroli had previously requested monetary compensation and a share of future revenues from War Dogs.

Read More: How Old Was Natalie Portman In The Star Wars Universe Episode 1?

Although Diveroli runs a media company called Incarcerated Entertainment, he spends much of his time-fighting lawsuits, including the one brought by Warner Bros. In addition, he had to cope with claims of withholding millions of dollars in revenues from Packouz and their associate Ralph Merrill.

Everything War Dogs Makes Up

Although the basic gist of the tale and the characters is accurate in War Dogs, some dramatic license was applied in order to increase the film’s overall tension. This is a typical technique used in cinematic depictions of true crimes. The film’s trailer and poster depict Diveroli shooting a gun off after a deal falls through, however, this actually never happened in the movie.

Naturally, this demonstrates Diveroli’s preoccupation with wealth and power, but in reality, he wasn’t quite so careless. The events depicted in War Dogs also did not take place in real life. There were times when Packouz and Diveroli were in danger, but it was usually when they were sitting at their computers.

By exaggerating the dangers of their work, Phillips makes for a more exciting read. The two frequently traveled to foreign countries to attend gun fairs. No one ever opened fire on them because they were carrying weapons, and they avoided the “Triangle of Death” in Iraq altogether.

Bradley Cooper’s character, Henry Girard in Maestro, kidnaps Packouz, however, this event never takes place in real life. Both halves of the scenario are fictional, although they bookend the film War Dogs. It wasn’t even Packouz’s job to be the point man in Albania (where he gets kidnapped). Cooper also drew inspiration for his Girard character from a real person, Swiss Army trader Henri Thomet.

Read More: How Old Was Actor Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man 1?

Even though Thomet did try to rip them off and was soon removed from the major deal, no kidnapping or torture took place. Another untruth is that Efraim and David are roughly the same age. When they were reunited, Efraim was 19 and David was 23 years old.