While he was previously best known for his work on R-Rated comedies,Todd Phillipsshocked audiences with his dark take on the iconic Batman antagonistJoker. The gritty origin tale was inspired by theMartin ScorseseclassicsTaxi DriverandThe King of Comedy, and earned significant awards attention that was unusual for a comic book film.Jokerreceived eleven Academy Award nominations, withJoaquin Phoenixtaking home the trophy for Best Actor. It was a surprising move for Phillips, who was previously best known for comedic work includingRoad Trip, Due Date,and The Hangovertrilogy.
However,Jokerwas not the first time that Phillips tackled a dark, challenging story with a strong political message. Right before tackling the Clown Prince of Crime, Phillips had shown his dramatic abilities with another film indebted to the cinema of Scorsese. The satirical black comedyWar Dogsexamined the world of modern arms dealerships in a style similar toGoodfellasandCasino.WhileWar Dogsembellished some elements of history, it tells a timely story about the irreversible damages of the arms race and the selfish dealers that were at fault.
Loosely based on the true story of two young men, David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli, who won a three hundred million dollar contract from the Pentagon to arm America’s allies in Afghanistan.
What Is ‘War Dogs’ About?
War Dogsfollows massage therapist David Packouz (Miles Teller), who is struggling to provide for his girlfriend Iz (Ana de Armas) when he learns that she is pregnant. David has a chance encounter with his high school friend Efraim Diveroli (Jonah Hill), an arms dealer for the U.S. Army who operates the independent company AEY Inc. Efraim offers David a role aiding him amidst the ongoing war in Iraq. WhileIraq War moviesoften run into the issue of being too patriotic,War Dogsacknowledges that it is Packouz and Diverolis' ignorance that makes them dangerous, as they don’t realize just how dangerous supplying weapons to a war zone will be.
David is opposed to the war itself, but nonetheless helps Efraim provide ammunition and weapons to the Iraqi police in Baghdad and eventually goes on a series of misadventures throughout the Triangle of Death. They share a dangerous encounter with the arms dealer Henry Girard (Bradley Cooper), who has David kidnapped and beaten at gunpoint. While Efraim shows no signs of acknowledging the human costs of their deal, David struggles with going against his core beliefs. Phillips does a good job acknowledging David’s misgivings, but not absolving him of his crimes. His light sentencing following the conspiracy charges is framed as a cruel bit of irony considering the many deaths he was responsible for. The influence of Scorsese is evident, as Phillips incorporates several references toScorsese’s 1990 classicGoodfellas.
War Dogssucceeds becausethe film does not lionize Packouz or Diveroli’s behavior, and makes it clear that the consequences that they face are entirely of their own doing. Teller delivers one of the strongest performances of his career, showing Packouz’s gradual realization of his own villainy andHill continues his string of strong dramatic roleswith an eccentric performance as the foul-mouthed, untrustworthy character. It’s also a nice chance to seeAna de Armas in this earlier roleprior to her acclaimed work inBlade Runner 2049,No Time to Die, andKnives Out.
How Much of ‘War Dogs’ Happened in Real-Life?
Like manymovies based on true stories, some elements ofWar Dogsare exaggerated for dramatic purposes. However,the film is based on the real crimes that Packouz and Diveroli committed between 2005 and 2007. Phillips and his co-writersStephen ChinandJason Smilovicbased their screenplay on theRolling Stonearticle “Arms and the Dudes” byGuy Lawson,which details the origins of the duo’s strange relationship. Packouz joined Diveroli’s emerging weapons company AEY in 2005. At the time, Packouz was 25 and Diveroli was 19.AEY quickly grew in prominence, earning nearly 150 contracts within their first year of operation. In 2007, AEY earned a contract worth $300 million to supply the Afghan Army with AK-47 ammunition. While both men eventually pleaded guilty on criminal charges of conspiracy, Packouz spent less than one year on house arrest, and has a cameo appearance inWar Dogs. Diveroli was sentenced to four years in federal prison, and published his memoirOnce a Gun Runner….in 2016.
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Many of the most unbelievable scenarios in the film actually happened, including Packouz and Diveroli’s marijuana-infused misadventures before a meeting with Department of Defense representatives.War Dogsis heralded asone of Hill’s best movies, and Diveroli may have been just as eccentric as his performance suggests. Diveroli had developed a strong desire to rebel ever since childhood, and learned how to game the Department of Defense’s weapons bidding network by buying cheap ammunition. By outsourcing supplies to Eastern Europe and Asia, AEY was able to take contracts away from larger suppliers.
AlthoughWar Dogsdepicts Packouz and Diveroli fulfilling their contracts through overseas expeditions,in reality the pair did most of their work from their apartment in Miami.Although the film is framed asa military espionage movie, most of the danger that Diveroli and Packouz experience overseas, including their exploits in the Triangle of Death, were invented entirely for the sake of dramatic tension. While thecharacter Henry Girard is largely inspired by the Swiss Army arms dealer Heinrich Thomet, the real Thomet never kidnapped Diveroli and Packouz. In real life,Diveroli sued the producers ofWar Dogs,claiming that the film drew inspiration from his memoir without the rights.
‘War Dogs’ Changed Everything for Todd Phillips
War Dogsserved as proof that Phillips could handle more ambitious projects,as he was previously best known for his work in the comedy genre. After the negative reviews for the twoThe Hangoversequels, regarded as some of theworst comedy sequels of all-time, it seemed that Phillips had lost the spark of ingenuity that he had at the inception of his career.War Dogscertainly featured some darkly amusing jokes, but it also contained an important message about the danger of putting faith in the military-industrial complex. The downbeat note that the film ends on indicates that, despite their crimes, neither Diveroli or Packouz faced any real consequences for their actions.
War Dogsalso proved that Phillips could get more mature performances out of his actors.WhileHill was known for playing likable charactersin films likeMoneyballandSuperbad,Phillips gave him the opportunity to play a truly monstrous character. Diveroli isn’t just rude and obnoxious; he seems to care very little about the lives that his business endangers, and uses his status as an American businessman as an excuse for his war crimes. The performance earned him a nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical/Comedy at the Golden Globe Awards. WhileWar Dogswas shut out by the Academy Awards, Phillips would go on to directJoaquin Phoenixto an Oscar for Best Actor for his performance inJoker.
War Dogsintroduced anti-capitalistic themesthat would become critical withinJoker, as Phillips indicates that it is American greed that is to blame for Diveroli and Packouz’s surprising rise to success. Similarly,Jokershows how the economically impoverished citizens of Gotham City take part in a fight against Thomas Wayne and high society after Arthur Fleck initiates a revolutionary call to arms. It’s fairly impressive to see how radically Phillips has evolved as an artist. While he began his career making offensive comedies with graphic gross out jokes, he turned into a storyteller capable of raising important points about the mistreatment of disenfranchised people.
War Dogsis currently available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
