War Dogs (2016)
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The story
In 2005, David Packouz, a massage therapist in Miami, is struggling with a failed business venture. He reconnects with his friend Efraim Diveroli, who runs a company, AEY Inc., that sells arms to the U.S. government. Efraim offers David a job, and the two begin navigating the complexities of military contracts. After securing a deal to provide pistols to the Iraqi police, they must navigate international borders and navigate the dangers of the 'Triangle of Death.' As their operations expand, the duo faces the escalating risks and moral compromises inherent in the illicit arms trade while trying to secure a massive contract for the Afghan military.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 2005, David Packouz, a massage therapist in Miami, is struggling with a failed business venture. He reconnects with his friend Efraim Diveroli, who runs AEY Inc., a company selling arms to the U.S. government. Efraim offers David a job, and the two begin navigating the complexities of military contracts. They successfully navigate an Italian embargo to deliver pistols to the Iraqi police, but the success leads to more ambitious and dangerous deals. They eventually land a massive contract for AK-47 ammunition for the Afghan military. However, the deal involves illegal Chinese-made weapons and a treacherous partnership with a dealer named Henry Girard. After a falling out with Girard leads to David being kidnapped and beaten, David quits AEY. He eventually reveals the truth to his girlfriend, Iz. While Efraim's behavior becomes increasingly unstable, David returns to his old life. Eventually, both men are caught by the FBI. Efraim is sentenced to four years in prison, while David receives house arrest. In the end, a remorseful Henry Girard offers David a briefcase of money for his silence during the trial.
- First release year
- 2016
- Runtime (minutes)
- 114
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Todd Phillips
- Writers
- Todd Phillips · writer; Jason Smilovic · writer; Stephen Chin · writer
- Cast and characters
- Jonah Hill · Efraim Diveroli; Miles Teller · David Packouz; Ana de Armas · Iz; Bradley Cooper · Ralph Slutsky
- Genres
- dark comedy; crime; biographical
- Themes
- consequences of greed; moral ambiguity; military-industrial complex
- Tone and mood
- dark comedy; tense
- Setting
- Miami, Florida; Iraq; Albania; Jordan; and Afghanistan during the mid-2000s.
- Premise and plot tags
- based on true events; arms trafficking; buddy comedy
- Source material / true-story basis
- the 2011 Rolling Stone article "Arms and the Dudes" by Guy Lawson (which was later expanded into a book, also titled Arms and the Dudes)
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, with some praising the lead performance while others criticized the narrative's handling of the real-world events.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 62% · scale: percentage · review count: 235; Metacritic · score: 57 · scale: 100 · review count: 41
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Globe · performance · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film's poster parodies the Scarface poster.; The script included scenes based on the screenwriter's own experiences in Iraq.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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