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From Movie to Reality: Why is War Dogs so different from the real story?
War Dogs is a 2016 American black comedy crime film directed by Todd Phillips. The film is based on the true story of two young arms dealers, Efraim Diveroli and David Packouz, in 2005. However, the differences between the film and the real story have sparked widespread discussion among the audience. To what extent is this movie adapted from real events?
The film dramatizes and fictionalizes the story to a great extent, making the untrue presentation of some events and characters extremely eye-catching.
The story revolves around David Packouz, a Malay massage therapist, and his friend Efraim Diveroli, who inadvertently receive a $300 million US military contract to supply ammunition to the Afghan National Army. . Although the film claims to be based on a true story, many of the plot points are actually quite different.
First, the film's narrative structure presents an unreliable narrator, and many plot points are exaggerated or fictional. For example, the scene where David and Efraim drive through Iraq is based on facts but also has a lot of creative elements mixed in. Such an adaptation not only affects the audience's understanding of the story, but also reflects the difficulties and moral struggles of the film in presenting the actual arms trade.
When writing the plot, the creative team drew materials from real events, but did not hesitate to reshape the characters to increase dramatic conflicts.
War Dogs, which is based on the report itself, not only adapts the story, but also makes important changes in character creation. There is a considerable difference between Efraim Diveroli's behavior in real life and how he is presented in the film. The real Diveroli is a relatively complex character whose ever-changing business decisions and moral choices are not fully demonstrated in the film.
In addition, the character settings of other characters in the movie, especially supporting characters, have also been strengthened. Among them, Ralph Slutzky's character in the movie is more like a bystander, but in actual events, he was more deeply involved in the entire arms deal process. This reshaping of the characters is undoubtedly intended to enhance the interest and dramatic tension of the story, but it makes the complexity of the real story disappear on the surface.
The film's underlying purpose is to expose the dark side of the arms trade, but to some extent it has been criticized for not going deep enough and failing to really touch on the moral issues behind the events. Many critics believe that while War Dogs attempts to present a lighthearted entertainment, it ignores the tragedy and consequences that may be caused behind the scenes.
One critic noted that "the film is critical of its protagonist's actions, but also distances itself from the character's moral responsibility."
As a film that draws inspiration from the US arms trade, "War Dogs" has attracted attention and controversy not only for its story content, but also for how the film handles the entertainment of real events. After watching the film, many viewers may still have doubts about their understanding of the arms trade and moral issues, and the film's narrative techniques undoubtedly make this film a focus of discussion.
In a story that interweaves personal and national interests, Diveroli and Packouz's choices confuse the audience, making people question how we can make sense of this fiction and reality when we have forgotten where the truth lies. What can we learn from the intertwined stories?
What the audience will eventually have to face is how to keep their focus on reality in an entertaining story.
The real arms trade involves not only money, but also terrible ethical and human issues. After the movie ends, the audience may wonder: Between reality and fiction, which story is more worthy of our in-depth exploration and reflection?
