At first glance, the script for War Dogs probably read like an outlandish action comedy.
How could a couple of stoner dudes from Miami secure a $300 million contract to supply arms to the U.S. government? How could the Pentagon supply tens of millions of shoddy weapons to Afghani troops fighting Al Qaeda and the Taliban? How could the U.S. government be tricked into purchasing decomposing, 40-year-old munitions that were culled from a Communist surplus stockpile or manufactured cheaply in China — from a supplier run by the likes of a 22-year-old masseur?
To get the too-crazy-to-be-true story in full detail, you'll have to read Rolling Stone 's throughly reported account, or the resulting book , Arms and the Dudes. But if a funny, fictionalized version of the events suits you, then War Dog s will do just fine. Jonah Hill and Miles Teller star as the unexpected arms dealers in the movie, which is helmed by Todd Phillips, director of The Hangover. Bradley Cooper also co-stars as a ridiculously shady character who helps them pull it off. (Today, the three principal players in the scheme are embroiled in a lawsuit — not with the government, ironically, but with each other, over who pocketed that $300 million payday.)
War Dogs is a perfect example of truth being stranger than fiction, but it's not the first film of its kind. Here are seven more movies you won't believe are based on true stories.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
Journalist Jean-Dominique Bauby was editor-in-chief of Elle France when he suffered a stroke that left him unconscious for 20 days. When he woke up, his mind was intact — but his body was paralyzed. Bauby chronicled his experience with what is known as locked-in syndrome in a 1997 memoir, which we wrote by blinking his left eyelid to indicate letters in the alphabet. The writing process took him 10 months, and his memoir became the basis for the French drama of the same name.
Open Water (2003)
In 1998, Tom and Eileen Lonergan went scuba diving with a group to see Australia's Great Barrier Reef. They never returned. (The crew apparently didn't take an accurate head count.) What happened next is anybody's guess — their bodies were never found, and the couple is assumed to have died out at sea. The haunting film imagines what their final days and hours looked like — battling jellyfish, mental anguish, starvation, and lots of sharks.
Balto (1995)
In 1995, a potentially lethal diphtheria epidemic threatened the youth of Nome, Alaska. When the plane that was supposed to fly a supply of antiserum from Seattle to Nome wouldn't start, the situation became dire. The serum was transported by train to the town of Nenana — where it was decided that sled dogs were the best option to get the lifesaving medicine to the remote town in time to prevent an outbreak. More than 20 mushers and their teams of intrepid dogs braved blizzards and freezing temperatures in relay runs. The final, most dangerous part of the run was led by a husky named Balto — the subject of this very stressful children's movie.
Alpha Dog (2006)
This crime drama not only boasts an incredible cast — including Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake, Anton Yelchin, Olivia Wilde, Amanda Seyfried, Sharon Stone, and Bruce Willis — but a fact-based plot. The story revolves around the 2000 kidnapping and murder of 15-year-old Nicholas Markowitz. The names and details were changed, but the essence of what happened — a petty drug feud spun out of hand — remains. In fact, the Santa Barbara DA provided the filmmakers with court documents and expert consulting. The case was ongoing when the movie was released, but the killer was convicted in 2008.
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
The story of Frank Abagnale — played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the film based on Abagnale's memoir — is truly unbelievable. But the teenager really did pose as professionals, most notably a Pan-Am pilot and a Georgia hospital doctor. And when we say "pose," we mean he actually flew planes and treated patients. The professional impostor's lifestyle was bankrolled in part by Pan-Am, but mostly by forging checks. Oh, and he really did escape police custody — twice. Abagnale spent less than five years behind bars before becoming a fraud consultant for the federal government.
Braveheart(1995)
In 13th-century Scotland, a warrior named William Wallace led his people in the fight for autonomy from England during the First War of Scottish Independence. His men did achieve some incredible victories on the battlefield, inspiring patriotic epic poems including "The Wallace," which is the basis of the Mel Gibson vehicle. The most excruciating scenes in the movie — when Wallace is tried, hanged, drawn, and quartered by King Edward I for high treason — are, sadly, based in reality.
Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
In 1944, Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer — portrayed by Brad Pitt in the movie adaptation of Harrer's best-selling memoir — and his companion were exploring British India during WWII when they were captured by the British and taken to an internment camp. After escaping to Tibet, where they stayed for — you guessed it — seven years, they became deeply embedded in the country's life and culture. Most incredibly, Harrer really did tutor and befriend the young Dalai Lama.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
Tom Hanks & Meg Ryan Are Together Again, Answering Our '90s Rom-Com Prayers
An Introduction To Your Next Celebrity Feud Obsession
Behind The Scenes Of Refinery29's Shatterbox Anthology Short Films