War Dogs

In 2016, director Todd Phillips traded the frat-house comedies of his past for the high-stakes world of international arms dealing. War Dogs tells the improbable true story of two Miami Beach friends who stumbled into the Pentagon's $300 million contract to supply ammunition to Afghanistan's security forces. The film pairs Jonah Hill and Miles Teller as the unlikely entrepreneurs, with Ana de Armas as Teller's girlfriend and Bradley Cooper in a brief but memorable turn as a shady arms dealer. Phillips, working from a script he co-wrote with Stephen Chin and Jason Smilovic, balances dark comedy with a cautionary tale about greed and American overreach. The film opened in August 2016 to mixed reviews, with critics praising the performances but finding the tonal shifts uneven. It grossed $86 million worldwide against a $50 million budget, a modest hit that proved Phillips could stretch beyond his usual comedic territory. The movie's blend of brash humor and gritty realism captures the absurdity of a war economy where two kids with no experience could become major players.

The story originated from a 2011 Rolling Stone article by Guy Lawson, Arms and the Dudes, which detailed the real exploits of David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli. Packouz, a massage therapist, and Diveroli, a high-school dropout, exploited a Pentagon program that allowed small businesses to bid on government contracts. Their biggest score was a $300 million deal to supply ammunition to Afghan forces, which they fulfilled by secretly sourcing Chinese rounds through Albania. The film's script went through several drafts before Phillips signed on, drawn to the story's inherent absurdity and moral complexity. He brought along his frequent collaborator, cinematographer Lawrence Sher, and composer Cliff Martinez, whose electronic score adds a relentless pulse to the proceedings. The production shot primarily in Romania, which doubled for both Miami and Albania, and the cast included a mix of American and Eastern European actors, lending authenticity to the international settings. [edit]

Miami Beach, 2005. David Packouz (Miles Teller) is a massage therapist with a failing business and a girlfriend, Iz (Ana de Armas), who wants stability. He's peddling high-end massage machines to elderly clients when his childhood friend Efraim Diveroli (Jonah Hill) reappears at a funeral. Efraim, brash and self-assured, pitches a scheme: the U.S. military needs supplies for Iraq and Afghanistan, and the government lets small businesses bid on these contracts. Most defense giants ignore the small bids, leaving a gap for hustlers like him. He's already running AEY Inc. from a Miami office, and he wants David on board.

David, desperate for money, signs on. Their first deal is supplying Beretta pistols to the Afghan police, sourced from Albania. The logistics are a nightmare: corrupt middlemen, shipping regulations, and constant fear of exposure. They hustle through, making a profit, and David sees the money roll in. But Efraim's recklessness grows with each success. He lies to clients, cuts corners, and treats every deal like a poker game. David gets uneasy but stays, drawn by the cash and the thrill.

Their big break comes when they win a $300 million contract to supply ammunition to Afghanistan's security forces. To fulfill it, they need 100 million rounds, which they plan to source from China. The problem: a U.S. embargo on Chinese ammunition. They route the shipment through Albania with the help of Henry Girard (Bradley Cooper), a fixer with CIA ties. The deal spirals into a web of international politics, bribery, and double-crosses. Efraim becomes paranoid, seeing threats everywhere, while David struggles with the morality of what they're doing.

As the pressure mounts, the partnership frays. Efraim's ego and greed push him to cut David out, and their friendship deteriorates into mutual suspicion. The Albanian shipment gets seized by the government, and the deal collapses. Federal investigators close in, and the pair's scheme unravels. The film tracks their rise from small-time hustlers to major players, and their fall as the system they tried to game turns on them. It's a story about the absurdity of the war economy, where two amateurs could game a system designed for the big players, and the cost of that hubris.[edit]