Todd Phillips has a thing for chaos. Before he was reinventing the Joker as a nihilistic loner, he was busy taking the true story of two 20-somethings from Miami Beach and turning it into a neon-soaked, high-stakes arms dealing comedy. When you look back at the cast of War Dogs the movie, it’s kind of wild to see how perfectly the chemistry landed. You’ve got Jonah Hill at his most unhinged and Miles Teller playing the "straight man" who slowly loses his moral compass.
It works because it shouldn't. Efraim Diveroli and David Packouz were real people. They were essentially kids who found a glitch in the Pentagon’s procurement system. The movie doesn't just tell their story; it uses a specific group of actors to highlight the sheer absurdity of the American military-industrial complex.
Honestly, the film’s longevity isn’t just about the "get rich quick" fantasy. It’s about the faces. It’s about the way Jonah Hill laughs—that high-pitched, wheezing cackle that feels like it’s mocking everyone in the room.
Jonah Hill as Efraim Diveroli: The Engine of the Film
Jonah Hill didn’t just play Efraim Diveroli; he transformed into a human gold chain. To get the vibe right, Hill gained significant weight and adopted a slicked-back, spray-tan aesthetic that screamed "I have a table at the club but I'm paying for it with government money."
Efraim is a sociopath. He’s a chameleon who becomes whoever he needs to be to close a deal. In the film, Hill plays this with a terrifying intensity. One minute he's a devoutly religious gun runner, and the next, he's firing an AK-47 into the air in Albania because he’s annoyed at a local middleman.
The real Efraim Diveroli actually declined to meet with Hill. He was busy writing his own memoir, Once a Gun Runner, while serving time in federal prison. This gave Hill the freedom to create a character that was more of a "force of nature" than a 1:1 biopic impersonation. He captures that specific brand of South Beach hustle where every conversation is a transaction.
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Miles Teller as David Packouz: The Relatable Entry Point
If Efraim is the gas, David Packouz is the brakes—at least at first. Miles Teller was coming off the massive success of Whiplash when he took this role. He plays David as a guy who is tired of rubbing down rich men as a massage therapist and just wants to provide for his pregnant girlfriend, Iz.
Teller’s performance is subtle. You see the gradual erosion of his ethics. It’s not a sudden jump; it’s a slow slide into the "Grey Area." By the time he’s driving a truck full of Berettas through the "Triangle of Death" in Iraq, he’s just as complicit as Efraim.
The real David Packouz actually has a cameo in the film. Keep your eyes peeled during the scene at the elderly home early in the movie. David is the guy playing guitar. He’s actually a musician in real life now, having pivoted away from the arms trade to invent a drum machine pedal called the BeatBuddy.
Supporting Players That Ground the Madness
- Ana de Armas as Iz: Before she was a global superstar and a Bond girl, Ana de Armas played David’s partner. Her role is tricky because she has to be the moral anchor in a movie that celebrates immorality. She represents the "real world" that David is trying to protect, even as he lies to her face every single day.
- Bradley Cooper as Henry Girard: This might be the most underrated part of the cast of War Dogs the movie. Cooper, who also produced the film, plays a high-level, semi-mythical arms dealer based on the real-life Henri Thomet. With his oversized glasses and clinical, cold demeanor, he feels like a shark in a suit. He doesn't need to yell. He just needs to exist to show David and Efraim how small-time they actually are.
- Kevin Pollak as Joel Utter: Pollak plays the "silent partner," a dry cleaner owner who provides the initial capital for AEY Inc. He thinks he's helping Israel; Efraim just wants his money.
The Real Story vs. The Hollywood Version
The movie is based on Guy Lawson’s 2011 Rolling Stone article (and later book) titled The Arms and the Dudes. While the cast brings a lot of swagger, the real-life logistics were even more boring and terrifying.
In the film, they drive through Iraq. In reality, they mostly did their business via fax machines and shaky internet connections from a dingy office in Miami. Todd Phillips knew that watching two guys send emails doesn't make for a $100 million blockbuster, so he added the "Death Triangle" chase.
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The cast of War Dogs the movie had to sell that fiction. They had to make us believe that these two guys were "war dogs"—bottom feeders who make money off war without ever stepping foot on a battlefield.
Interestingly, the film leaves out some of the more litigious aspects of the story. The real Efraim Diveroli actually sued Warner Bros. and the producers, claiming they stole his life story from his then-unpublished manuscript. The lawsuit didn't really go anywhere, but it adds a layer of meta-irony to a movie about guys suing and betraying each other for a piece of the pie.
Why the Chemistry Between Hill and Teller Works
Usually, in a duo-led film, you have a clear hero and a clear sidekick. Here, it’s a partnership of convenience.
You can feel the tension in every scene. Hill dominates the frame. He talks over people. He uses his physical presence to intimidate. Teller, on the other hand, watches. He listens. He reacts. This dynamic mimics the real-life power struggle between the two founders of AEY Inc.
When the FBI finally raids their offices, the fallout feels inevitable. The cast manages to make the betrayal sting. You almost want them to get away with it, not because they’re good people, but because they’re so much more entertaining than the faceless government bureaucrats they're scamming.
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Key Takeaways for Fans of the Movie
If you’re revisiting the film or just discovering the madness of the AEY Inc. story, there are a few things to keep in mind about how this cast was assembled and what they’ve done since.
- Look for the Nuance in the Supporting Cast: Beyond the big names, actors like Shaun Toub (who plays Marlboro) bring an authentic, gritty feel to the international segments of the film.
- The Soundtrack as a Character: While not part of the physical cast, the music—curated by Cliff Martinez—functions as a narrator. It pulses with the same cocaine-fueled energy as Jonah Hill’s performance.
- The Directorial Shift: This was a pivotal moment for Todd Phillips. He was moving away from the pure slapstick of The Hangover and toward the cynical, character-driven dramas like Joker. You can see the seeds of that transition in how he directs the tension between Teller and Hill.
- Follow the Real People: David Packouz is very active on social media and often talks about his experience with the film. Efraim Diveroli remains a more private, controversial figure, though his book offers a vastly different perspective than the movie.
How to Deep Dive Into the War Dogs Lore
If the movie left you wanting more, don't just stop at the credits.
- Read the original Rolling Stone article: Search for "The Arms and the Dudes" by Guy Lawson. It’s a masterclass in investigative journalism.
- Check out the "American Greed" episode: There is an episode of the CNBC show American Greed that covers the AEY Inc. scandal with real footage and interviews.
- Watch the DVD Extras: Usually, these are boring, but the interviews with the cast of War Dogs the movie actually shed light on how much of the dialogue was improvised. Jonah Hill apparently improvised a significant portion of his "sales pitches," which explains why they feel so erratic and desperate.
The movie serves as a cynical reminder that in the world of high-level government contracting, it’s not about who is the most qualified—it’s about who can lie with the most confidence. The cast perfectly encapsulated that "fake it 'til you make it" ethos that defined a specific era of American ambition.
Next time you watch it, pay attention to the silence between Efraim and David in the third act. That’s where the real acting happens. It’s the realization that the "American Dream" they were chasing was actually a nightmare, and they’re about to wake up in handcuffs.