War Dogs (Aka Arms & The Dudes, by Stephen C. Chin, 2nd Draft, 1-27-12)

ARMS & THE DUDES
by
Stephen C. Chin
Based on the Rolling Stone Article

By Guy Lawson
Second Draft
January 27, 2012
Green Hat Films/Mark Gordon Co./Warner Brothers Pictures

INT. FLAMINGO APARTMENT. SUNSET/SAME TIME.
CREDITS ROLL as we TRACK through a penthouse apartment

high above Biscayne Bay. EFRAIM DIVEROLI (young--early
20’s, boy-next-door) paces around the dining table, fast.
Ignoring the spectacular sunset through the massive
picture window. On the cell:
EFRAIM
Pinari, oil’s at 140 bucks a
barrel. My transpo costs are
going through the roof....
While he talks, his partner DAVID PACKOUZ (20’s, skinny,

good-looking, shaved head, intense blue eyes) packs his
stainless steel Volcano vaporizer with tasty-looking bud.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
How is that your problem? How is
that...I’ll tell you how that’s
your problem. That’s your problem
because you’re sitting a billion
rounds of worthless gerbil-shit
ammo that NATO wants you to
destroy and no one else but me
would ever fuckin’ buy from you.
(hand over phone)
David. Let’s go. We’re late.
David nods as he turns on the Volcano. They start to

head out. Efraim not missing a beat on the phone.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
Pinari, Pinari, stop--listen to
me. This is 300 million dollars
we’re talking about here...
CUE 50 CENT’s ‘I Get Money’ as CREDITS continue OVER:
EXT. THE FLAMINGO SOUTH BEACH. SUNSET.
Efraim and David stride out like young gods through a

massive luxury apartment complex in South Beach.
EFRAIM (ON PHONE)

We’re gonna make so much damn
money on this deal your grandkids
will be living off it after you
and I are dead and gone...
There are acres of beach front: hot tubs; volleyball

courts; a beach bar. And everywhere, beautiful, young,
tanned sexy, half-naked people. Forget the FAST &
FURIOUS fantasy version of this. This is real.
2.
INT. EFRAIM’S NEW BLACK AMG. TWILIGHT/MOMENTS LATER.
Efraim’s still working as they roll through South Beach:
EFRAIM
Listen to me Pinari. Don’t make
me go to the Czechs. Don’t make
me make me go to the Hungarians.
I fucking hate the Hungarians.
(covering the phone)
David! What’s up at the airfield?
DAVID
Nobody’s answering...
EFRAIM
Check your email, check it again.
(back to the phone)
Of course it would be temporary.
If oil prices come down...
David refreshes his G-Mail. Yes! Fists in the air!
DAVID
They took off an hour ago.
EFRAIM
Yes! Pinari I gotta go.
(hanging up)
YES! YES! We did it! We fucking
did it! $300 fucking million!
DAVID
I can’t believe it. I can’t
believe it. We actually did it.
Efraim wraps an arm around David in a huge bear hug.
EFRAIM
I told you. I told you! Now
let’s go get some fucking sushi!
INT. SUSHISAMBA RESTAURANT. NIGHT/LATER.
CREDITS CONTINUE over RIHANNA’s ‘SOS’ as we follow Efraim

and David into sushi bar that could only be in Miami.
It looks like a nightclub. It’s dark like a nightclub.

And it sounds like a nightclub. But instead of DJ’s,
Japanese chefs make sushi under big gold discs.
And everybody’s working that hot/sexy/sleazy/cheesy

Latin/European look that makes Miami Miami.
(CONTINUED)
3.
CONTINUED:
We watch in quick-cut time lapse as Efraim and David buy

everyone rounds of neon-colored Beijo’s and Hakata’s.
Platters of rock shrimp tempura and beef maki rolls.
All the while sneaking bumps of coke off Efraim’s bullet

under the table. Wiping their noses with their napkins.
EFRAIM
(to waitress)
It’s OK, it’s OK. We have
allergies...
David’s phone RINGS. He cups his hand over it to try to

hear over Rihanna. His face goes white.
DAVID
It’s the pilot. He says our
plane’s been forced to land...
EFRAIM
What?!
DAVID
...in Kyrgyzstan. Some pissing
match between Putin and Bush.
They’re gonna fine us 300 grand a
day while they hold the plane.
EFRAIM
The fuck they are. Put me on.
(into phone)
Listen, you put the guy in charge
on the phone, right fucking
now....Hello? Who am I speaking
with? Listen General I-Can’t-
Pronounce-Your-Stupid-Fucking-
Name, do you know who you are
fucking with? You are fucking
with the United States of America.
Efraim is standing up now. Bellowing into the phone.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
Who am I? Who am I? I’m
Brigadeer General Hal Symington,
of the U.S. Army Logistics
Command. And if you don’t release
this plane, you are going to feel
the power--you are going to feel
the wrath of the greatest military
power the world has ever known.
Is that what you want? Cos I will
Saddam Hussein your ass all the
way back to the goddam stone age.
(CONTINUED)
4.
CONTINUED: (2)
CREDITS WRAP as we FREEZE-FRAME on Efraim going full

bore, oblivious to the gawking girls and sushi-chefs.
DAVID (V.O.)
That was classic Efraim. He
didn’t care--he’d do whatever it
took to get the deal done. He was
an animal. He was the greatest
businessman I’ve ever seen...
CUE: THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G. ‘Juicy’ as we FLASHBACK TO:
EXT. BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE MIAMI BEACH. 15 YEARS AGO.
DAVID (V.O.)
As far back as I can remember,
Efraim was always on the hustle...
Outside a nondescript building, a bunch of boys huddle

underneath the palm trees. They are all wearing white
shirts, black pants, black shoes and black velvet kippot.
EFRAIM (V.O.)
When you’re a hustler, people
assume you’re lazy. Like you’re
looking for some kinda short-cut.
Efraim (pudgy, 8 years old) is running a mean game of 3-

card monte. His hand-work is dazzling. Smooth, fast but
casual--perfectly misleading. He’s taking all the kids’
money. With that big smile we’ll come to know too well.
EFRAIM (V.O.) (CONT’D)

Are you kiddin’ me? Hustlers work
twice as hard as everybody else.
That’s why it’s called hustling...
FLASHBACK/MONTAGE: of Efraim teaching himself to deal 3-

card. Standing in front of the dresser mirror in the
tiny room he shares with 3 brothers. Working his moves
over and over and over again. Getting faster and faster.

In the movies this takes like 10
seconds. In real life? I
guarantee you Yo Yo fucking Ma
never practiced like this...
We MATCH-CUT back to Efraim’s hands, working the cards in

the parking lot. When the back door of the synagogue
BURSTS open and a big man in a prayer shawl BURSTS out.
IRATE OBESE MAN

You! Gambling! And on shabbas.
(CONTINUED)
5.
CONTINUED:
Efraim SCOOPS up the cards and the money like a practiced

New York dealer and is off. The overweight man in the
shawl CHASING hard after him. As all the boys watch.
Efraim DODGES and DARTS. The big man is angry but he’s
also in terrible shape. HUFFING and PUFFING. As he
bends over, GASPING, Efraim doubles back and SNATCHES the
fat guy’s kippah. Right off his head. The man BELLOWS,
the boys CHEER and Efraim RUNS off laughing hysterically.
DAVID (V.O.)
You had to love him. No matter
what, he was always a step ahead.
INT. MIAMI BEACH HARDWARE STORE. A YEAR LATER.
DAVID (V.O.)
When the rest of us were trading
baseball cards, Efraim was
stealing whip-its.
Efraim (13) gets the CLERK to climb up the ladder for

something while he sneaks a box of whip-its. CUE CYPRESS
HILL ‘I Wanna Get High’ as we CUT TO:
EXT. MIAMI BEACH HARDWARE STORE. DAY/SAME.
DAVID (V.O.)
When we were all thinking about
having fun, getting stupid...
Efraim and his little crew of delinquents (David, AVY

(nerdy, Russian accent) and FISHY (half-black, goofy))
are smoking pot and doing whip-its on a fire escape.
DAVID (V.O.) (CONT’D)

Efraim was already thinking about
how to get rich...
INT. EFRAIM’S HOUSE. DAY/EARLIER.
Efraim’s parents are fighting about money. It’s nasty,

loud, vicious fight.
EFRAIM (V.O.)
You gotta understand: where I
grew up, business is part of the
culture. It’s what everybody
talks about all the time...
Down the hall in the family room, in earshot of the

fight, the little crew is watching SCARFACE, spellbound.
(CONTINUED)
6.
CONTINUED:

Who’s making this deal, who’s
making that deal. Who made a big
score. It’s all about the money.
TONY MONTANA (ON SCREEN)

Dis country, you gotta make de
money firs’. Den when you getta
money, you get de power. Den when
you get de power, den you get the
woman. That’s why ya gotta make
your own moves...
EFRAIM
BAM! There is is!
EXT. FONTAINEBLEAU HOTEL POOL. DAY/LATER.
EFRAIM
Know how the Galbut’s got so rich?
The little crew follows a labyrinthine route through back

service passages of a massive hotel a la GOODFELLAS.
DAVID
My mom says they bought all these
old hotels on the beach for cheap
and converted them to condos....
They sneak onto the back patio. Trying to look

nonchalant. Ahead is a massive pool area.
EFRAIM
Nobody else saw the play. That’s
how you get rich. The Galbut kid?
His dad flew his entire class to
Israel for his bar-mitzvah. The
entire class. In a private jet...
They whip off their t-shirts and jump into the pool.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
I’m gonna be rich someday. I’m
going to have my own jet...
Everyone cracks up. Bullshit!
FISHY DAVID
You never gonna be rich. Stoned maybe. Rich no.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
Wait and see losers. You bitches
are all gonna work for me someday.
(CONTINUED)
7.
CONTINUED:
Their laughter is cut short when a security guard spots

them and starts running toward them.
FISHY
Oh shit. Security!
CUE THE OFFSPRING ‘Come Out and Play’ as the little band
JUMPS out of the pool and starts RUNNING for the lobby.
Dripping wet, SHOVING through hotel guests. Efraim TIPS
over a huge vase in the massive glitzy lobby, SLOWING the
security guards as they chase them out into the street.
EXT. MIAMI BEACH FRONT. LATER THAT NIGHT.
At night, David plays the guitar as the other kids smoke

out on the beach in front of the Fontainebleau.
DAVID (V.O.)
Efraim never stopped thinking
about how to get rich...
INSERT: Ephraim buying a bag of weed from some rastas.

Selling to the other kids in school.

His first real business enterprise
leveraged his pre-existing
expertise and relationships.
INSERT: Ephraim buying a bigger bag of weed. Shopping

bag-sized. Bigger than him.

He was immediately successful.
INSERT: Ephraim dealing at school. On the beach. A

short, pudgy teenager in a kippah. What better cover?

So he decided to expand.
INSERT: teenage Ephraim approaching some homeless guys.

He hatched this plan. To use the
homeless guys on the beach as his
sellers. Move up to distribution.
Just like Tony Montana.
INSERT: Efraim pitching the homeless guys. Instructing

them. They gather around listening intently as he lays
out his plan. It looks like a sales meeting at Best Buy.
(CONTINUED)
8.
CONTINUED:

But of course, being homeless guys
they couldn’t help themselves...
INSERT: homeless guys smoking Ephraim’s weed. Happy and

well-baked, lounging around the beach front.

They smoked up all his product.
INSERT: Ephraim SCREAMING at the sheepish homeless guys.

A short fat kid smacking them around. Furious.
EXT. PIZZA PARLOR BACK PARKING LOT. LATER/NIGHT.
EFRAIM
Can you believe that shit?
The entire crew cracks up. They are sitting around the
fire escape. Smoking out. Wasted.
FISHY
It’s not their fault man. They’re
homeless! They got substance
abuse problems...
Fishy reaches for the J but Ephraim pushes his hand away.
EFRAIM
Fuck you Fishy. Go ask your
homeless friends for weed.
INT. TORES EMES ACADEMY. LATE NIGHT.
Efraim and David sneak into school after hours. The OLD
JANITOR looks at them but Efraim shines him on:
EFRAIM
We’re working on our National
Science Prize project.
They open up the chem lab. David has a key.
DAVID (V.O.)
At the time, GHB wasn’t even
illegal...
EFRAIM (V.O.)
David got the recipe from the
internet.
David spreads out a piece of paper with directions while

Efraim starts pulling out beakers, flasks and chemicals.
(CONTINUED)
9.
CONTINUED:
DAVID (V.O.)
Pink Floyd was supposed to play
“Dark Side of the Moon” at the
Pyramids, New Year’s Eve 1999.
David starts mixing up cleansers, chemicals while Efraim

keeps watch at the door. Teenage MISSION IMPOSSIBLE.

I was just trying to make enough
money to get there...in style.
David mixes up a monster batch. Gallons of G. He uses a

funnel to put it into empty vinegar jugs.
INT. DAYS INN SUBURBAN DALLAS. NIGHT/FEW DAYS LATER.
DAVID (V.O.)
See, once a year there’s this big
convention for orthodox kids....
Now it’s David’s turn to man the door as Efraim sells

caps of the G to a procession of dorky Orthodox boys and
girls in religious dress. Lined up down the hall. It
looks like an Amish barn-raising--but with drugs.

It was perfect. Until...
The COPS arrive. All the kids in the hall SCATTER.

David and Efraim are trapped in the room.
DALLAS COP#1
What’s in the jug son?
EFRAIM
Vinegar.
DALLAS COP#1
(deeply skeptical)
Vinegar huh.
EFRAIM
Yeah. You know, for cooking?
DALLAS COP#1
Sure. Bet you got oregano too.
INT. TORAS EMES ACADEMY PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE. LATER/DAY.
DAVID (V.O.)
They couldn’t arrest us because G
wasn’t illegal yet, but...
(CONTINUED)
10.
CONTINUED:
David and Efraim sit with their very pissed-looking

parents outside the principal’s office.

I got sent to Israel, to a school
for kids with drug problems...
INSERT: David getting high at the Dead Sea with a bunch

of hippy Orthodox kids with rasta-colored knit kippa.

And Efraim got sent out to L.A.
To stay with his uncle B.K.
EXT. BOTACH TACTICAL WAREHOUSE/LEIMART PARK. LATER/DAY.
Efraim and his uncle BK (heavy-set, 50’s, kippah) drive

up to a big white unmarked building with tinted windows.
Next to a discount sneaker warehouse and a wig shop.
INT. BOTACH TECHNICAL WAREHOUSE. LATER/DAY.
They get BUZZED in to what looks like a pawn shop--except

the cases are filled with police gear. BK’s employees
(black, latino, Orthodox) work the phones.
BK
This is my nephew Efraim. He’s
gonna be working with us here...
People nod but nobody stops working. BK leads Efraim

back into the big warehouse behind the shop-front.
BK (CONT’D)
Efraim. You know why you’re here?
EFRAIM
Yeah. I’m here cos I screwed up.
BK
And how did you screw up?
EFRAIM
I got caught.
BK SMACKS him on the back of the head. OW!
BK
You think that’s funny? You know
who takes drugs? Only three kinds
of people take drugs: stupid
people. Poor people.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
11.
CONTINUED:
BK (CONT'D)
And rich people that have nothing
better to do. So--are you rich
Efraim? Huh? Are you rich?
EFRAIM
No.
BK
Are you poor Efraim? Huh? Is my
sister’s son poor?
EFRAIM
No. I’m not poor.
BK
OK! So stop being so GODDAM
STUPID!
He SMACKS him again. HEY!
BK (CONT’D)
You know why I don’t do drugs
Efraim?
EFRAIM
Cos you’re not stupid, poor or
rich?
BK
I don’t do drugs because I have
something much more fun to play
with. Here. I show you.
He leads Efraim to the back, to a giant vault.
BK CRACKS open the thick steel door. REVEALING: a vault

lined with hundreds of machine guns: Uzi’s, MP5’s,
Steyrs, AR-15’s.
Efraim’s eyes are like saucers. BK smiles “I know”.
BK (CONT’D)
As a Type 11 Federal Firearms
License holder, I am permitted to
import and distribute all manner
of destructive armaments,
including machine guns, grenade
launchers, armor piercing...
EFRAIM
Grenade launchers?
BK picks up a Milkor MGL, a semi-auto 40mm 6-shot grenade

launcher. It looks like something out of DOOM.
(CONTINUED)
12.
CONTINUED: (2)
BK
(like a pusher)
Go ahead! Try it.
Efraim takes it gingerly. Hefts it. Hesitant.
BK (CONT’D)
Go on. Put it to your shoulder.
Efraim lifts the grenade launcher. Presses it to his

cheek. Pans around the vault. Huge smile. Boner.
BK (CONT’D)
I’m gonna make you a deal Efraim.
If you sell $20,000 of equipment
for me, I will let you shoot that.
EFRAIM
No shit?
BK
No shit. Now give me back my
grenade launcher.
MONTAGE: Efraim working the phones. MOISHE (young,

Orthodox) and FRED (50’s, black) show him the ropes:
MOISHE
Never let them off the phone
without buying...
EFRAIM (ON PHONE)

...and did I tell you about our
special on tactical holsters?
FRED
And don’t forget to upsell...
EFRAIM (ON PHONE)

Sir, we have a special today if
you buy 1/2 a dozen of those...
but’s a very good deal. Let me
just tell you about it....
MOISHE
Remember, it’s all about price...
EFRAIM (ON PHONE)

Will I match that price? I will
beat that price. I will crush
that price. Nobody beats Botach.
BK
If we’re out of stock, take the
order, ship them something else.
(CONTINUED)
13.
CONTINUED: (3)
MONTAGE CONTINUES: as Efraim goes into a selling frenzy.

Haranguing customers to buy more. Making up outrageous
stories: I need the money for college; I’m losing my
house; I have a kid with leukemia. GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS,
early Eddie Murphy funny shit. The boy has a gift.
INT. BK’S OFFICE. DAY/COUPLE WEEKS LATER.
BK is crunching numbers on a tape-calculator, old school.
EFRAIM
I did it.
BK
Did what?
EFRAIM
I made it. $20,000 in sales.
BK
No one sells $20,000 in a month.
EFRAIM
Go ahead. Check my sales sheets.
BK looks over the sheets. Suspicious.
BK
Is this true Efraim? You’re not
cheating?
EFRAIM
Ask Freddy. Ask Moishe.
BK checks and rechecks the sheets. Checks his computer.

Finally, he breaks out into a big smile.
BK
I can’t believe it. $20,000 in 4
weeks! You’re a genius Efraim!
(kissing him)
A GENIUS! You know what? Next
week is the SHOT Convention--in
Vegas. I’m taking you with me.
EFRAIM
What about the grenade launcher?
BK
Don’t worry about the grenade
launcher...
(winking broadly)
We’ll take it with us!
14.
INT. LAS VEGAS CONVENTION CENTER. DAY/NEXT MONTH.
The SHOT show is a massive trade show for the gun biz.
It fills the Convention Center. Scantily-clad Hooters-
type girls in camo bikinis pose with large automatic
weapons for dorky gun freaks. It’s redneck heaven.
Efraim and BK walk up to a booth: “VECTOR ARMS: Your

source for the best AK47 and UZI’s on the market.”
RALPH MERRILL (tall, middle-aged, Magnum PI moustache) is

showing off a shiny gold-plated Uzi.
BK
Ralph! What the hell is this?
MERRILL
It’s my new Bling line. Like it?
BK
Ugh. Ralph, this is my nephew
Efraim. Efraim, this is Ralph
Merrill. The biggest maker of
Uzi’s outside of Israel.
EFRAIM
Nice to meet you Mr. Merrill.
MERRILL
First time at the show Efraim?
BK
Ralph--he’s never even shot a gun.
MERRILL
A virgin huh? We’ll have to do
something about that....
EXT. NEVADA DESERT. LATER THAT NIGHT.
EFRAIM
So how’d you get into the Uzi
business Mr. Merrill?
BK and Efraim sit in Merrill’s hot-rod vintage Jeep as it

heads out of Vegas into the desert. It’s got big gripper
tires and a badass Hemi with a shaker sticking up out of
the hood. Like the coolest 60’s Baja 500 car ever.
MERRILL
BK never told you? How Henry
Thomet got me into the business?
(CONTINUED)
15.
CONTINUED:
EFRAIM
Who’s Henry Thomet?
Merrill shoots BK a look as we SLAM into: grainy surveil-

lance footage of a shadowy figure, face always obscured,
hanging with the most notorious dictators and criminals
of the century, from Charles Taylor to Pablo Escobar...
BK (V.O.)
Efraim, Henry Thomet is one of the
biggest arms dealers in the world.
MERRILL
Every war in the last 20 years,
Thomet has supplied: Somalia.
The Balkans. Lebanon...
INSERT: actual newsreel footage of war and revolution,

from shaky handheld of intense firefights and explosions,
to screaming missile launches and jet attacks:
MERRILL (V.O.) (CONT’D)

Iran/Iraq. Liberia. Mozambique.
The FARK. The Shining Path...
BK
You follow the guns, you follow
the money--you’ll find Henry.
Merrill turns off the highway. Efraim grips the bar as

they SLIDE and SKID, carving a plume through the desert.
MERRILL BK
But only if you know him. He’s obsessed with secrecy.
MERRILL
He’s got his own factories, his
own fleet. But to the outside
world, he’s invisible. They say
he’s never allowed himself to be
photographed--not even by the CIA.
INSERT: Thomet walking out of a hotel in some war zone,

surrounded by Colombian bodyguards. Hiding his face
behind a newspaper. But a PLANT in the crowd SHOVES past
him, dislodging the paper just long enough for a FAKE
PAPPARAZZI on a motorbike to SNAP a single photograph.
We don’t see Thomet’s face. We just hear him BARK orders

to his men as the fake papparazzi ROARS away on his bike.
The man almost makes it to the corner. Before Thomet’s

bodyguards SHOOT him in the back. END INSERT as the Jeep
turns down a dirt road into a long, deep canyon.
16.
EXT. NEVADA BOX CANYON. MINUTES LATER.
The Jeep parks in a box canyon littered with shot-up

cars, oil drums and an old Airstream trailer.
They get out and start unpacking the gun cases.
EFRAIM
So this guy Thomet got you into
the Uzi business?
MERRILL
It was the 80’s. Uzi’s were the
hot item. They were goin’ for 3,
4 times list. But you couldn’t
get’em. Everybody was sold out.
QUICK INSERT: 80’s newsreel footage of the crack wars.

Gangbangers showing off their Uzi’s. Reagan’s bodyguards
whipping out Uzi’s after he’s shot in D.C. Iconic.
MERRILL (CONT’D) BK
But your uncle found this Because South Africa was
big stash in South Africa. under a trade embargo. For
Cheap. apartheid.
MERRILL (CONT’D)
You could go to jail for importing
from there. But BK called Thomet.
EFRAIM BK
BK. You knew Thomet? Your uncle knows people.
BK and Merrill start laying out guns and ammo on a tarp.
MERRILL (CONT’D)
So Thomet calls up this Jordanian
prince....
INSERT: a dark hotel bar. A familiar shadowy figure--

face obscured--whispering in the ear of a SHEIKH.
MERRILL (CONT’D)
And arranges to transship the Uzis
through Amman.
EFRAIM
Wait...so that made it legal?
Yeah right. BK and Merrill both laugh.
MERRILL
It’s called ‘circumvention’
Efraim. And without it, there
wouldn’t be an arms business.
(CONTINUED)
17.
CONTINUED:
INSERT: a Lufthansa 747 touches down in Amman. On the

runway, the Sheikh is waiting with his bodyguards. The
747’s nose tips up and two brand new BMW 750iL’s roll out
MERRILL (V.O.) (CONT’D)

The Prince was so nervous, he only
let the plane land long enough to
take delivery of his BMW’s.
EFRAIM
His BMW’s?
BK
That was the deal. Henry gave him
two BMW 750’s with full Class A
armor and bullet proof windows...
INSERT: the Prince and his bodyguards drive off in their

new BMW’s. Workers start to move pallets from the 747 to
a FEDEX plane across the tarmac. Someone makes a call.
MERRILL (V.O.)
Those cars cost me 300 grand...
INSERT: The same shadowy figure from the bar--tall,

elegant in a perfectly-cut suit and Persols--takes the
call sitting out on the patio of his villa on Lake
Geneva. Careful to shield his face from surveillance.
HENRY THOMET
Mr. Merrill. Your Uzi’s will land
at JFK in 12 hours.
INSERT: Merrill takes the call in his shitty Mom and Pop
gun shop in Salt Lake. A world away.
MERRILL
But I made 8 million bucks on that
deal Efraim. 8 million bucks--in
the 80’s! It changed my life...
BK
OK--enough with the memories.
Let’s shoot!
In an INSANE SHOOTING MONTAGE we watch Efraim work his

way up from shotgun, to Steyr assault rifle to Uzi. As
the fun factor rises, his smile just gets bigger.
As he stands at the line with BK and Merrill--the three

BLAZING AWAY, carving the Airstream trailer into shredded
metal confetti like some bad 80’s Schwarzenegger pic--we
see the light of love--first love--shining in his eyes.
(CONTINUED)
18.
CONTINUED: (2)
MERRILL
BK. I think he likes it...
They both laugh as Efraim fires the grenade launcher--

rocking the range with GIGANTIC EXPLOSIONS. It is,
without a doubt, the single greatest moment of his life.
EXT. SOUTH BEACH MIAMI. DAY/4 YEARS LATER.
DAVID (V.O.)
It was probably like maybe 4 years
until I next saw Efraim...
Nothing has changed in South Beach. Hard to believe that

we’re at war in Iraq. But hey who reads the paper here?
SUPER: PROBABLY LIKE MAYBE FOUR YEARS LATER.
A beat-up Mazda Protege pulls up to a luxury high-rise.
David gets out. He’s older now. He has the same intense
blue eyes but his head is shaved. And he sports a tiny
goatee. He’s good-looking in a low-key indie-rocker way.

After I came back from Israel I
did a few semesters at Miami-Dade.
David pulls a vinyl duffle bag out of the trunk.

But knew I was never going to make
any money with a humanities
degree. So I moved into something
a lot more lucrative.
He heads through the lobby and up the glass elevators.
The elevator doors open into a full-floor penthouse.

There’s a stunning view of the bay. And a PORTLY
GENTLEMAN (40’s, ruddy, well-groomed) in a bathrobe.
PORTLY GENTLEMAN
Come on in David. There’s
champagne in the fridge and I
think there’s some weed left...
David unzips his bag and pulls out: a folding massage

table. Which he sets up in front of the windows.
DAVID (V.O.)
Look. How else was I gonna make
$100 an hour. Tax free?
(CONTINUED)
19.
CONTINUED:
We JUMP AHEAD to the big guy laid out on the table under
a towel. He’s massive--easily 250, 260. When David
folds the towel down, it reveals a vast topography of fat
folds dotted with a nice dusting of acne. Daunting.

And I earned every penny of it.
(to the big guy)
OK. So, John. Anything you want
me to work on today?
PORTLY GENTLEMAN
Just the usual.
David spreads oil on him like a chef marinating a side of

beef. It’s hard work. He sweats profusely.
DAVID
OK. Turn over please.
David averts his eyes, laying a towel over the guy’s

private bits. As David goes to work on the man’s massive
thighs, the guy cracks open one of his eyes--slyly. When
David is not looking, he SLIPS the towel off his crotch.
When David looks up he catches an unexpected eyeful. He

barely manages to suppress the flinch. Calmly, coolly,
silently he puts the towel back.
A second later, the guy pulls it down again.
FREEZE-FRAME on David’s look of horror/disgust/dismay:

When you’re a young guy, starting
out in a new business...
INSERT: a series of gay men, some older, some younger,

some good looking and buff, many not. All awaiting
David’s services with eager anticipation.

You don’t get to choose your
clients. They choose you...
David smiles but studiously avoids eye contact as he goes

to work. All focussed and serious.

Did they ever ask me for anything
extra? Sure. You can always ask.
GAY CLIENT #1
So...David...do you offer any
special services?
(CONTINUED)
20.
CONTINUED: (2)
DAVID
I try to bring something special
to all my services....
GAY CLIENT #2
So...uh...do you offer: full
release?
DAVID
Well I fully release your muscles.

I had a line for everything. I
had to. And if I had a client who
really pushed it, I’d just ask him
straight up what he was asking
for. I’d make him spell it out.
GAY CLIENT #3
Actually David, I was hoping we
could continue our therapy in a
more...personal way.
DAVID
(all innocence)
I’m sorry, I don’t understand.
What way would that be sir?
The client gets flustered, blushes--and turns away.

It wasn’t all gay guys. I had a
few middle-aged professionals...
David is working on a FEMALE LAWYER. When she pulls the

towel trick. Revealing a terrible, horrifying boob job.

...but I knew I didn’t want to do
this forever. I was already
working on other deals when I
bumped into Efraim again...
INT. SUBURBAN MIAMI HOUSE. NIGHT.
DAVID (V.O.)
...at a rabbi’s house.
Dorky guys in kippa stand around too shy to talk to

unattractive girls in dark dresses and black stockings.
David ignores them all as he drains the well-stocked bar.

I was just there for the booze.
(CONTINUED)
21.
CONTINUED:
Efraim walks up to the bar and pours himself a big vodka.

He’s stockier now, buff. Good-looking. Grown-up.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Efraim? Efraim, it’s David.
EFRAIM
Dude. What the fuck happened to
you? You look like a big penis...
(people turn to look)
With a little pube-stache.
DAVID
I thought you were in L.A.
Working for your uncle.
INT. EFRAIM’S BLACK MERCEDES S500. NIGHT/LATER.
EFRAIM
...BK taught me a lot, but it was
time to move on. Work for myself.
Efraim is blasting through Miami in his black S500.
DAVID
Nice car.
EFRAIM
Yeah, I got a good deal on it,
used. Hey, hand me that...
David passes him a glass pipe. Efraim fumbles around for

his lighter as the car SWERVES. David GRABS the wheel.
DAVID
Whoa, whoa. Watch the road.
EFRAIM
Relax dude. I got it.
Efraim lights up over the dash, steering with his

forearms. It’s a well-practiced move.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
You wanna hit this?
DAVID
Sure.
(deep hit)
Wow. That’s good shit.
EFRAIM
Yep. I still get the good stuff.
(CONTINUED)
22.
CONTINUED:
DAVID
So you’re uh, still dealing?
EFRAIM
Dealing weed? No dude, I’m doing
something much more lucrative now.
INT. PURDY LOUNGE. NIGHT/MINUTES LATER.
Efraim and David sit on an overstuffed couch on the side

of a big, casual bar/club. Watching the ladies go by.
EFRAIM
Yeah, I got my own company. Start-
ed it when I got back from L.A...
Two HOT LATINAS walk by hand in hand. One of them turns

to look twice at David. But before he can speak:
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
Hey. You guys do coke?
(off double-take)
I’m serious. You like blow?
The Latinas shake their heads in amazement and walk away.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
Fuckin’ chongas. GO BACK TO
HIALEAH! Hey, you want a bump?
Efraim takes a hit off a little bullet he takes out of

his pocket. Then offers it to David. David declines.
DAVID
So what does your company do?
But a WAITER sees the coke. Efraim palms the bullet.
PURDY LOUNGE WAITER

Sir--you can’t be doing that here.
EFRAIM
(napkin to nose)
No, it’s OK--it’s for my asthma.
I have an inhaler for my nose.
PURDY LOUNGE WAITER

Yeah right. If I see you again,
I’m calling security.
EFRAIM
That’s OK, we were just leaving...
23.
EFRAIM
You believe that asshole...
Efraim starts fumbling with his pipe again.
DAVID
Dude, you should really try the
Volcano. It’s a vaporizer. It’s
much healthier for you.
EFRAIM
When were you such a health nut?
DAVID
I’m a massage therapist now...
EFRAIM
Dude, you gotta stop saying that.
You know what it means, when a guy
says he’s a massage therapist?
It means he gives dudes hand jobs.
DAVID
No it doesn’t.
EFRAIM
I’m just saying, that’s what
people think.
DAVID
No--that is not what people think.
EFRAIM
Close your eyes and say ‘massage
therapist’. What do you see? I
see a big dick. In your hand...
DAVID
Fuck you Efraim.
EXT. ACE’S INDOOR SHOOTING RANGE. NIGHT/LATER.
DAVID
What is this place?
Efraim pulls up to a white industrial park warehouse.

Pops the trunk. Pulls out a black satchel. Unzips it:
it’s filled with Uzi’s and MP5’s.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Holy shit! Are those guns?
(CONTINUED)
24.
CONTINUED:
EFRAIM
No. They’re tennis rackets. Come
on, gimme a hand.
INT. ACE’S INDOOR SHOOTING RANGE. NIGHT/MOMENTS LATER.
DAVID
Dude, what the fuck? Tell me we
have not been driving around all
night with guns in your trunk.
They walk into a crowded gun range. Lots of Japanese and

German tourists getting their first gun experience.
EFRAIM
Relax. I’m a Class 3 Firearms
Dealer. It’s legal for me to buy,
sell, hold and transport fully
automatic weapons.
DAVID
You’re an arms dealer.
EFRAIM
I told you I had my own business.
DAVID
You sell guns. Machine guns.
EFRAIM
Nah--these’re just for fun. Hey
George! You got a lane for us?
GUN RANGE MANAGER

Sure Efraim, take #10.
He a regular. David’s in total disbelief.
EFRAIM
Hurry up. They’re closing.
Efraim plants his bags in front of Lane #10. Takes out

his guns and lays them out.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
You ever done this before?
(David shakes head)
No? OK, just do what I do:
Efraim hands him a clip. Takes one himself. Expertly

slots in the cartridges. David tries to do the same. He
JUMPS every time someone in another lane SHOOTS.
(CONTINUED)
25.
CONTINUED:
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
I think you’re gonna like this:
Efraim SNAPS a magazine home and FIRES a long BURST from

his MP5. RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT. Pulverizing the
target. All the German and Japanese tourists with their
little revolvers and pistols step back in their lanes to
see who’s shooting full auto.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
OK. Now it’s your turn.
David’s apprehension turns to elation as he RIPS OFF his

first clip at full auto. The Uzi JUMPS in his hands.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
Pretty fucking cool huh?
David’s still amped as Efraim drives him back. They

share another bowl in the front seat:
EFRAIM
So dude. You really serious about
this massage thing?
DAVID
Nah, it’s just temporary. I
already started a new business.
EFRAIM
Oh yeah. Doing what?
DAVID
Importing bed linens. I sell’em
to the old age homes.
EFRAIM
Really. How d’you find suppliers?
DAVID
The internet: AliBaba, Google...
EFRAIM
No shit. You making money?
DAVID
Yeah. I mean, I just got started.
EFRAIM
So how much you got in the bank?
(CONTINUED)
26.
CONTINUED:
DAVID
(uncomfortable)
I don’t know.
EFRAIM
Don’t be a pussy. Just tell me.
DAVID
OK fine. I got $24,000 saved up.
EFRAIM
24,000 bucks? That’s it?
DAVID
Yeah? Well how much have you got
in the bank then huh? Mr. Mogul.
EFRAIM
Oh that’s confidential. I
couldn’t tell you that.
DAVID
Fuck you Efraim.
Efraim looks at him. And smiles his beguiling smile.
EFRAIM
Alright David, I’ll tell ya. Not
because I’m bragging. Just to
inspire you. In cash? Today?
2.8 million. In a offshore
account in the Seychelles...
He’s dead serious. All David can say is:
DAVID
Dude!
EXT. EFRAIM’S BLACK MERCEDES S500. NIGHT/LATER.
As Efraim drops David off in front of his car:
EFRAIM
Listen dude. I know you’re doing
great with your bedsheets and your
handjobs and all...
(off David’s finger)
But my business is blowing up. I
could definitely use some help.
DAVID
Dude I don’t know shit about guns.
(CONTINUED)
27.
CONTINUED:
EFRAIM
So what? I’ll teach you. The
important thing is, we can trust
each other. We grew up together.
Don’t decide now. Just come by
the apartment. Check it out....
INT. DAVID’S MAZDA PROTEGE. LATER/NIGHT.
David drives his shitty old Mazda back to his shitty old
dingbat apartment. Old Cubans sit on lawn-chairs
gossiping, listening to salsa on the radio. Ghetto.
INT. DAVID’S SHITTY APARTMENT. LATER/NIGHT.
It’s a studio. With student/thrift-store furniture.

Window AC. He lies in bed thinking about Efraim’s offer.
INT. EFRAIM’S SHITTY APARTMENT. DAY/LATER.
JULIE
Who the hell are you?
David walks into Efraim’s much bigger apartment. JULIE

(50’s, overweight, too much make-up) is sitting at a huge
table with two computers and piles of paper. Efraim’s
also there--but on the phone. Selling hard.
DAVID
I’m David. Who are you?
JULIE
Oh you’re the Packouz kid. You
got sent away for dealing drugs.
DAVID
What?
JULIE
Efraim. EFRAIM! EFRAIM!!
EFRAIM
Hold on a sec...
(puts call on hold)
WHAT THE FUCK JULIE! CAN’T YOU
SEE I’M ON THE PHONE?!
JULIE
Why would you hire a drug dealer?
(CONTINUED)
28.
CONTINUED:
EFRAIM
WHAT BUSINESS IS IT OF YOURS WHO I
HIRE? You don’t even work here.
GO! GO SMOKE YOUR CIGARETTES!
As she heads out to the balcony Julie announces:
JULIE
You think you’re so smart Efraim,
but you will crash and burn...
EFRAIM JULIE
Shut up. Crash and burn...
EFRAIM
Shut up Shut UP SHUT UP! GOD!
(off hold)
Sergeant Gregg? I gotta call ya
back. Sorry....So, David. I’m
glad you came by.
DAVID
Does she work for you?
EFRAIM
Who, Julie? Fuck no--she’s my
aunt. C’mon, let’s go eat. Shit,
y’think I’d hire that crazy bitch?
INT. EFRAIM’S BLACK MERCEDES S500. DAY/LATER.
DAVID
Dude, what’re you looking for?
Efraim has his head down below the dashboard.
EFRAIM
My damn pipe. I know it’s here.
DAVID
Dude, watch the road.
EFRAIM
FUCK! That is so ANNOYING!
Efraim sits up. The Mercedes is drifting into a line of

parked cars. He JERKS the wheel, WHIPPING the big car
away. But not before it SCRAPES one of the parked cars.
DAVID
Dude! You just hit that car.
EFRAIM
What car?
(CONTINUED)
29.
CONTINUED:
DAVID
Dude. That car back there.
EFRAIM
Yeah we’ll leave a note later.
So: Jimmy’z or the Pita Hut?
INT. JIMMY’Z KITCHEN/SOUTH BEACH. DAY/LATER.
They’re standing in line at a sandwich shop filled with

South Beach girls of every kind. Mostly the trashy kind.
EFRAIM
OK. You follow the news?
DAVID
Uh, not really...
EFRAIM
But you are aware that we’re at
war, right? As a country?
DAVID
Personally I’m opposed to the war.
EFRAIM
Well you’re gonna have to get over
that...
David’s looking over at a very beautiful MULLATA GIRL,

cafe au lait skin, beautiful eyes. She’s smiling back.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
You know why I’m a Republican?
DAVID
Wait, you’re a Republican?
EFRAIM
Absolutely. Now, does that mean I
think George Bush deserves to be
President? No. Do I think he did
the right thing by invading Iraq?
Hell no. But am I happy about it?
Abso-fucking-lutely! Shit, if we
could just invade a few more
countries--Syria, Iran--you and I
could be billionaires. And that I
will vote for every goddam day of
the week. Oh...my...god!
Two INSANELY HOT LATINA’s walk by. Long black hair, high
heels and tight yoga capris. Ridiculous asses.
(CONTINUED)
30.
CONTINUED:
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
Look at those ASSES! Those
beautiful perfect round chonga
asses. Like peaches: just
begging to be bit into. Arrh.
As Efraim watches as the two Latinas go over to their

TOUGH LATINO BOYFRIENDS. Muscle shirts and fades.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
What a waste. If only they knew
how rich we’re about to be...
INT. EFRAIM’S BLACK MERCEDES S500. AFTERNOON/LATER.
Efraim’s trying to eat and drive. Stuffing his face.
EFRAIM
(in between bites)
OK so here’s the deal. There are
billions of dollars being spent on
the war effort every day. And the
Bush Administration is trying to
outsource every bit of it...
SUPER: over the dashboard--NEWSREEL FOOTAGE of the war.

A quick-cut MONTAGE of the enormous logistical scope of
it (planes disgorging mountains of equipment, soldiers
flying chartered 747’s, endless towers of crates, CNN
graphs about the billions spent) with Rumsfeld and Bush
babbling in the b.g. about the savings to the American
taxpayer and the efficiencies of outsourcing.

It’s called privatization. Why
have the big bureaucratic Pentagon
do it if private industry can do
it cheaper and better? And hey if
your buddies in the defense indus-
try happen to make a few billion
in the process--who cares? We’re
still saving the taxpayer money
right?
DAVID
I don’t understand. What does
this have to do with us?
EFRAIM
Don’t you get it? The whole damn
war. It’s all up for bid. And we
can make money on all of it...
31.
EXT. EFRAIM’S SHITTY APARTMENT. AFTERNOON/MINUTES LATER.
EFRAIM
Goddamit!
As he gets out, Efraim sees the new scrape on his car.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
You see that? Some asshole hit me
and he didn’t even have the god
damn decency to leave me a note.
DAVID
Dude--that’s from when...
EFRAIM
Fuckit--what’re you gonna do?
Come on. We got money to make...
INT. EFRAIM’S SHITTY APARTMENT. SAME.
EFRAIM
OK. So check this out. This is:
Efraim pats his computer. On screen is:
EFRAIM (O.S.) (CONT’D)

...www dot federal-business-oppor-
tunities dot gov: aka ‘FedBizOpps’
It’s a search engine. Like Google-
-but for federal contracts. Every
contract the government has out
for bid is here. All 40,800.
From frozen food to fighter jets.
DAVID
So who gets to bid on this?
EFRAIM
Anybody.
DAVID
Anybody?
EFRAIM
It’s the government. They have to
give equal access. In fact some-
times they have to give prefer-
ence. See this box: ‘Set Asides’?
(clicking on box)
There’s a Bush Administration
initiative to help small
businesses--like us. See these
others? Disabled? Minority?
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
32.
CONTINUED:
EFRAIM (CONT'D)
Lemme tell ya David, if you were a
black chick in a wheelchair? I’d
marry you in a fucking heartbeat.
Now you’re gonna search for
ammunition, arms, tac gear--
especially smaller contracts, the
stuff the big boys don’t want...
START MONTAGE: of searches. At first it all looks like

hieroglyphics. Walls of nonsensical military jargon.

Look for terms like ‘NON STANDARD’
‘X BRAND OR EQUAL’, ‘REFURBISHED’
or ‘REMANUFACTURED’.
Pretty quickly, David starts to see the patterns. Key

phrases pop up. Dates. Sizes. Set-asides.

We build a track record--what the
Pentagon calls ‘past performance’.
Once we have enough, then we go
after the big contracts--that’s
where the big money is. We’ll run
it through my company, AEY. But
we’ll split the profits, 50-50.
As they work at back-to-back computers, David starts

calling out contracts to Efraim: propane tanks; body
armor; night vision goggles. Millions of dollars.

There has never been so much money
spent so stupidly in the history
of mankind. It’s like they’re
spewing it out with fire hoses.
And all we gotta do is stand in
the right place with a big fucking
bucket. We can be billionaires by
the time we’re 30 David. You
think I’m exaggerating? Look at
Blackwater. Didn’t even exist 5
years ago. And they just won a
$1b contract with the State Dept.
DAVID
I got something: FN HERSTAL M249
EFRAIM
The Minimi--it’s a 5.56mm light
machine gun. Belgian, but made
under license in lots of places.
Can we substitute like quality?
(CONTINUED)
33.
CONTINUED: (2)
DAVID
No--it says FN North Carolina.
EFRAIM
There’s a really cheap knock-off--
but we can’t use Chinese...
DAVID
What’s wrong with Chinese?
EFRAIM
It’s illegal. There’s an arms
embargo on China--ever since
Tienanmen Square. Who’s the
contract specialist on this?
DAVID
Uh...Lindsey Michaels.
EFRAIM
OK. Watch this:
Efraim’s dials the phone. In dead-on army redneck drawl:
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
This is Contract Specialist
Lindsey Michaels from Army
Contracting Command Picatinny.
How ya doin’ down there today?
...You know I just put out a
solicitation for some M249’s and I
need your wholesale....$2888 a
piece? Including mags? Great....
Oh yes sir! We’ll keep killing’em
if you keep making the guns....
Absolutely. You have a good one!
(off D’s shock)
What? Now we know the wholesale.
DAVID
Efraim what if they knew that guy?
EFRAIM
All these army guys sound alike.
Look, the big boys gotta get 20,
25% to break even with their
overhead. If we put a 10, 11%
margin on this, we’ll crush’em.
DAVID (V.O.)
And we did. We crushed’em. Just
like Efraim said we would...
34.
INT. EFRAIM’S BLACK MERCEDES S500. NIGHT/DAYS LATER.
David passes the pipe to Efraim as they drive:
EFRAIM
Now winning the bid, that’s just
the beginning. On the Herstal
contract, our margin is what, 10%?
DAVID
10%. $350,000 profit on $3.5m.
EFRAIM
But by subbing in Korean knock-
offs, we cut our cost in half...
INT. DELANO HOTEL LOBBY. NIGHT/MINUTES LATER.
EFRAIM
That raises our margin to 60%. We
clear another $1.7, $1.8 million!
They’re walking into the glamorous lobby of the Delano:

30-foot columns with sheer white silk drapery panels.
Gilded booths with glamour girls tending millionaires...
DAVID
But Efraim, we can’t deliver
Korean. The contract specifically
says ‘no substitution’...
EFRAIM
FUCK the contract dude. You see a
crack in the door, you gotta kick
that fucker open...
The MAITRE’D leads them out to the patio on the bay.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
Once we’re in the deal and they’re
already pregnant--that’s when we
push out the margins. That’s the
time to renegotiate. I call it
‘squeezing into the deal.’ You
look for that crack--no matter how
tiny--and you squeeze into it.
Speaking of squeezing into cracks:
Efraim stops short. He’s spotted two hot MODELS (HOLLY &
CAPRICE) sitting alone at the outdoor bar.
DAVID EFRAIM
No Efraim. I’m hungry. We can eat at the bar...
(CONTINUED)
35.
CONTINUED:
LATER at the bar as Efraim tries to work his magic:
DAVID
(flagging bartender)
Can I get a menu please?
HOLLY
So what do you guys do?
EFRAIM
We’re international arms dealers.
HOLLY CAPRICE
What? For real?
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
Absolutely. Ever see that movie,
LORD OF WAR? With Nick Cage? I’m
the real life Nick Cage...
HOLLY
Is there a lot of money in that?
EFRAIM
Arms dealing? Yeah. Billions.
HOLLY
Oooh, I like the sound of that.
EFRAIM
Holly, do you have any idea how
much I would give? Just to eat
you out for 10 minutes?
HOLLY DAVID
WHAT!? Whoa whoa dude!
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
...I’d eat you out so good you
couldn’t walk. You couldn’t talk.
You couldn’t move. They’d have to
bring the paramedics in to revive
you. They’d have to put a mirror
in front of your nose to tell you
were still breathing...
HOLLY CAPRICE
That’s disgusting. Ugh what a pig!
Holly and Caprice immediately get up and leave.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
(calling after them)
Yeah. But I’m a rich pig!
(CONTINUED)
36.
CONTINUED: (2)
DAVID
Dude--what’re you doing?
EFRAIM
Fuck’em. Hot chicks are too much
work. Excuse me, do you do coke?
Efraim snags a cute Eurasian girl passing by (JAMIE, 28).
JAMIE
I beg your pardon?
EFRAIM
Do you do coke?
JAMIE
Uh, no. Not for two years.
EFRAIM
Wanna do some now?
JAMIE
Uh, OK...
EFRAIM DAVID
Hey! Close out my tab. Hang on a second dude...
The beautiful mullatta from Jimmy’z just walked by. All

dolled up with her clubgirl friends. But Efraim is
already up and paying the bill.
David is jammed in the tiny back seat as Efraim and Jamie

do bumps off the dashboard up front.
DAVID
Fuck dude--I didn’t even get to
eat.
EFRAIM
Don’t worry--we’ll order sushi.
INT. EFRAIM’S SHITTY APARTMENT. NIGHT/LATER.
David eats delivery sushi in the living room while the

sounds of enthusiastic sex filter out from the bedroom.
The phone RINGS. David’s not sure what to do.
EFRAIM (O.S.)
DAVID! PICK UP THE DAMN PHONE!
(CONTINUED)
37.
CONTINUED:
DAVID
Uh...AEY. Can I help you?
CAPTAIN SANTOS (ON PHONE)

Yes, this is Captain Mike Santos.
From Baghdad. I have a conference
call with Mr. Diveroli.
DAVID
I’m afraid Mr. Diveroli is--
EFRAIM (O.S.)
(picking up/panting)
Mike?....Efraim here....How ya...
doing out there...in Baghdad?

We’re great. But we’re still
waiting on that Beretta order.
EFRAIM (ON PHONE)

What? It still...hasn’t landed?

No, it hasn’t. And it’s been two
months now. Mr. Diveroli, the
Iraqi Police need those pistols.
Efraim in bed. Giving to Jamie. Close to climax.
EFRAIM
Don’t...worry...I’m...on it....
On Efraim’s rhythm we CUT INTO: A MONTAGE OF EFRAIM AND

DAVID WORKING.
DAVID (V.O.)
Efraim was incredible. He never
stopped. He thought money, deals,
day and night. Night and day.
MONTAGE: Around the clock. Sleeping on the couch, 2

hours at a time. Up in the middle of the night to take
calls from Iraq. Working FedBizOpps all day, calling
Eastern European suppliers all night. David still taking
the occasional massage--while Efraim gives him shit.
EFRAIM (V.O.)
You wanna be rich, you gotta work.
You wanna clock out, go work at
Burger King. This is 24/7 son.
CONTINUE MONTAGE: As a steady stream of delivery guys

drop off sushi, junk food, pot and coke as Efraim and
David work the phones, cajoling, begging, pushing.
(CONTINUED)
38.
CONTINUED: (2)
Efraim makes up outrageous excuses for substituting other

goods or for why he’s late (his kid has cancer etc.).
Taking breaks only to fuck Jamie or to smoke out:

You gotta be single-minded man.
Relentless. You lose that focus
for one second, and the competi-
tion’s gonna run right over you...
EXIT MONTAGE: on Efraim digging around in the ever

mounting stacks of paperwork piled everywhere.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
JULIE! Did we ever get final
payment on that Special Ops deal?
JULIE
How should I know? I’m not an
accountant.
EFRAIM
Then WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING
HERE?
JULIE
I don’t know Efraim. Maybe I just
like giving you shit.
EFRAIM
AARGH! David, tell me you found
something. Something big.
David is clicking through Fedbizopps offers. It only

takes him a few seconds on each one--he’s a pro now.
DAVID
Nah. It’s all chicken-shit.
EFRAIM
Bullshit. Look harder!
As Efraim takes a whiz, the phone RINGS. And RINGS.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
Somebody answer the damn phone!
DAVID
AEY. Can I help you? Hold on.
EFRAIM--it’s that Captain from
Baghdad again. He sounds pissed.
EFRAIM
Fuck that prick. Pain in my ass.
Just shine him on...
(CONTINUED)
39.
CONTINUED: (3)
DAVID
I can’t. I gotta go. I got work.
EFRAIM
A massage? You kidding me?
DAVID
Hey--you could always advance me
some commission here....
EFRAIM
Go--go give some gay guys handies.
EXT. LUXURY CONDO SOUTH BEACH. DAY/LATER.
DAVID (V.O.)
The money was starting to come in,
but I still had to make rent...
David pulls his old Mazda up outside a ritzy condo. As

he pulls his massage table out, an old Honda pulls up.
A girl gets out and starts taking her massage table out
of her trunk. David looks over and double-takes.
It’s the gorgeous mullata from Jimmy’z and the Delano.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Hey! I know you!
SARAH
No. I don’t think so.
INT. LUXURY CONDO SOUTH BEACH. DAY/MINUTES LATER.
As they wait together for the elevator:
DAVID
So what is that accent? It’s not
Cuban. It’s not Brazilian...
SARAH
You seem to know a lot about Latin
girls.
DAVID
Hey--don’t let these blue eyes
fool you. I was born in Miami. I
grew up with Latin girls.
SARAH
(smiling)
I bet...
40.
INT. LUXURY CONDO HALLWAY. DAY/MOMENTS LATER.
SARAH
(tough but flirty)
Are you following me?
DAVID
No. I swear. I have an
appointment in 1718.
SARAH
Really? Me too.
INT. LUXURY CONDO APARTMENT. DAY/MOMENTS LATER.
David and Sarah work side by side on a plump European

couple. The electricity mounts as they brush past one
another in the tight space. Flirting with their eyes.
Trying not to crack up as they murmur inane soothing
massage babble. Getting bolder as the massage goes on.
David touching her hand, her arm, gently as they pass.
After the massage, the wife tips them extra.
EUROPEAN WIFE
Do you two always work together?
DAVID
No. It was our first time.
EUROPEAN WIFE
Well you have great chemistry
together. Thank you.
David smiles, but Sarah blushes.
EXT. LUXURY CONDO SOUTH BEACH. DAY/60 MINUTES LATER.
As both of them put their tables back in their trunks:
DAVID
So uh, you want to get a coffee?
EXT. CUBAN SANDWICH STAND. DAY/MINUTES LATER.
David and Sarah drink cafe con leche’s at a Cuban

sandwich stand. On plastic lawn chairs. Very Miami.
Sarah’s strong, sexy, street-smart. Wicked smile.
SARAH
My dad’s Spanish but my mother’s
from Ghana. I grew up in Madrid.
(CONTINUED)
41.
CONTINUED:
DAVID
So that’s the accent...
SARAH
(smiling)
You gonna add me to your--
David’s phone RINGS. He looks at it. GROANS. He

clicks IGNORE. But it RINGS again. And again. A text
message appears: ANSR THE DAM PHONE! Finally:
DAVID
Yeah Efraim. What’s up?
EFRAIM (ON PHONE)

We got a big fucking problem.
INT. EFRAIM’S FLAMINGO APARTMENT. DAY/MINUTES LATER.
EFRAIM
It’s the Beretta deal. That
fucking Captain from Baghdad...
DAVID (V.O.)
Efraim had been stringing this guy
along for months. We were trying
to substitute in knock-offs. It
would’ve tripled our profit. But
the guy wasn’t going for it...
CROSSCUT between Efraim in Miami and the Cpt. in Baghdad.
EFRAIM
I’m telling you, I can’t get’em.
The factory’s backed up for years.
Years. The US Army’s putting an
order in for 450,000 pistols.
CAPTAIN SANTOS
I’m sorry but the contract clearly
specifies Beretta. Not Taurus.
EFRAIM
Please. You’re killing me. What
do you want me to do here? I told
you, I can’t get you Berettas...
CAPTAIN SANTOS
That’s not my problem.
DAVID (V.O.)
This deal was fucking cursed.
After we busted our asses to
source Berettas in Italy...
(CONTINUED)
42.
CONTINUED:
We follow the crates of pistols from the factory to the

airport, where they are seized by Italian officials.
DAVID (CONT'D)
We lost our fucking export permit.
When the Italian Parliament voted
against the war...
Efraim and David frantically work the phones.

Then when we finally got the
pistols out of Italy, the fucking
Jordanians seized them in Amman...
FLASHBACK: to Efraim and David working the phones again.

SCREAMING as their crates get seized off an ALITALIA
plane in Amman by Jordanian officials.

Nobody would tell us why. We were
losing our shirts on this deal.
Efraim tried to buy us time...
FLASHBACK: to Efraim now begging on the phone.
EFRAIM
There was a hurricane. Off Miami.
Yeah, the whole boat went down.
We lost the entire shipment.
CAPTAIN SANTOS
Wait, a hurricane? What?
EFRAIM
Look, insurance should cover it.
But it’s gonna take a few months
to reorder from the factory.
Efraim is totally convincing. Another Oscar performance.
CAPTAIN SANTOS
So you’re telling me the boat
sank. With all my pistols.
EFRAIM
Yes sir, that is correct.
CAPTAIN SANTOS
You know what Mr. Diveroli?
You’re a fucking liar.
EFRAIM
What?
(CONTINUED)
43.
CONTINUED: (2)
CAPTAIN SANTOS
How stupid do you think we are!?
We may be in Iraq, but we still
have the internet. Ever heard of
the Weather Channel dickhead?
EFRAIM
Now, now hang on...
CAPTAIN SANTOS
No. You’re not pulling this shit
on me. You are endangering our
mission and I’m shutting you down.
EFRAIM
Wait...
CAPTAIN SANTOS
Kiss your past performance goodbye
shitbag. I’m cancelling you for
cause.
Efraim turns white. Immediately shifting gears:
EFRAIM
I’m so sorry. You’re right. I
haven’t been completely truthful.
DAVID (V.O.)
You gotta understand. Getting
cancelled for cause is like death.
EFRAIM
I’m so ashamed. I’ve never been
in this situation before. But if
you cancel me for cause, you’ll
ruin my company. It will be on
our record forever. We’ll never
win another contract. I’m begging
you, don’t do this. Please. I’m
a family man, I have a wife--kids
to support. You’ll destroy me.
Efraim is giving the performance of a lifetime. Real

tears run down his face. It’s genuinely moving.
DAVID (V.O.)
He was really crying. I mean, you
could feel he really believed this
shit. But the Captain didn’t.
CAPTAIN SANTOS
Fuck you. And fuck the horse you
rode in on you lying sack of shit.
(CONTINUED)
44.
CONTINUED: (3)
LATER David smokes out to calm down while Efraim paces:
EFRAIM
You don’t understand: this is not
like getting fired. This is like
getting fired for fucking your
students. Forget it. It’s over.
DAVID
Can’t we appeal it?
EFRAIM
No. There’s no appeal. But wait.
They have to give us 10 days
notice. Before they can cancel.
DAVID
10 days? Efraim, we’ve been
trying to fix this for 3 months.
How we gonna deliver in 10 days?
EFRAIM
Fuck you pussy. 10 days is plenty
of time. We can still save this.
(off his disbelief)
Pack up your bags bitch. We’re
going to Jordan to get our guns.
INT. KLM FLIGHT TO AMMAN. LATER/NIGHT.
EFRAIM
I hear the weed is in Amsterdam is
ridiculous...
Efraim is trying to pick up the DUTCH STEWARDESS while

David is stuck talking to some JAPANESE JOURNALIST
sitting next to them. He gives David his business card.
JAPANESE JOURNALIST
So. Your first time to Iraq?
DAVID
Oh no, we’re not going to Iraq.
Just to Jordan.
JAPANESE JOURNALIST
Ah...so you are not journalist?
DAVID
No, no--we’re US Army contractors.
JAPANESE JOURNALIST
Sorry, I thinking maybe we share
truck, drive to Iraq together.
(CONTINUED)
45.
CONTINUED:
DAVID
Driving. To Iraq. Isn’t that a
little dangerous?
JAPANESE JOURNALIST
No problem. Iraqi smuggler, very
good. Go to Baghdad every night.
INT. AMMAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT CUSTOMS. DAY/LATER.
They watch as the Japanese guy pulls out his body armor
and press badges to show the Jordanian customs officers.
DAVID
Dude, that guy was cool.
EFRAIM
Are you kidding me? What kinda
putz makes 75 grand a year to
drive into a fucking war zone?
Even the redneck truck drivers are
making 200. Fucking moron.
DAVID
Dude, he’s right there.
The journalist turns and waves to them as he heads out.
EFRAIM
Hey, good luck man. Be careful
out there...
(aside to David)
Fucking moron.
INT. AMMAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT HANGAR. DAY/LATER.
Efraim and David are standing in a large hangar filled

with crates and boxes. From the heavy layer of dust on
everything, most of this stuff has been here a while.
JORDANIAN CUSTOMS OFFICER

You cannot ship this out of Jordan-
-your export permit has expired.
EFRAIM
The thing is, we don’t have time
to apply for another permit. We
need these guns in Baghdad now.
JORDANIAN CUSTOMS OFFICER

First you must reapply to the
Ministry of Customs. Then...
(CONTINUED)
46.
CONTINUED:
EFRAIM
Look, isn’t there something we can
do to uh...expedite the process?
Some kind of fee, some...fine?
Something right now. In cash.
Efraim is practically winking as he pulls out his wad.
EXT. AMMAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT HANGAR. DAY/LATER.
David and Efraim are physically escorted out of the

airport by hard Jordanian Army soldiers.
DAVID
Dude. Maybe you didn’t spell it
out enough for him.
EFRAIM
Shut up David.
INT. US EMBASSY AMMAN JORDAN. LATER/DAY.
Efraim is arguing with a dick US Embassy bureaucrat:
EFRAIM
I don’t think you understand...
US MILITARY ATTACHE
No I don’t understand. Why don’t
you just get a new export permit?
EFRAIM
We don’t have time for that now.
We only have a week to deliver.
US MILITARY ATTACHE
And...how is that a U.S. Embassy
problem?
EFRAIM
This is materiel critical to the
global war on terror. It’s being
held hostage by the Jordanian
government. With all due respect
sir, isn’t fixing that your job?
US MILITARY ATTACHE
No Mr. Diveroli, that is your job.
A job the US Government is paying
you handsomely to perform. Now if
you’ll excuse me, we have a little
war to run here. Good day sir.
47.
INT. AMMAN HILTON LOBBY. LATER/NIGHT.
EFRAIM
Fucking asshole. Sitting in his
air-conditioned office on our
dime. Telling me what my job is.
DAVID
But it is our job, isn’t it? I
mean, isn’t the whole point of
outsourcing that we fix the
problems--so they don’t have to?
EFRAIM
What are you, a fucking Republican
now? Shut the fuck up.
INT. AMMAN HILTON ROOM. LATER/NIGHT.
EFRAIM
FUCK! I can’t think without weed.
DAVID
Look. We still have 5 more days.
EFRAIM
But it’ll take weeks to get a new
export permit. So we’re fucked.
DAVID
We can’t put the guns on a plane
without an export permit. But
what if we could get’em to Iraq
without putting them on a plane?
EFRAIM
How?
JUMP TO: David using the hotel phone. Holding up the

Japanese journalist’s business card.
DAVID
Hello, Hiro? It’s David Packouz.
Yeah the guy from the plane...
Listen, Hiro--who do you use when
you drive to Iraq?
EXT. AMMAN HILTON. LATER/NIGHT.
Efraim and David are standing around the entrance to the

Amman Hilton late at night. They are visibly nervous.
The 4 big crates from Customs are piled up behind them.
They now have “MACHINE PARTS” crudely written on them.
(CONTINUED)
48.
CONTINUED:
EFRAIM
So what’s this guy supposed to
look like?
DAVID
He’s Arab. He has a moustache...
EFRAIM
Dude. You see anybody around here
who doesn’t look like that?
DAVID
And his name is Achmed.
EFRAIM
Sure Achmed--that narrows it down.
A big white GMC Suburban rolls up. An Arab guy with a

moustache rolls down the window.
ACHMED EFRAIM
Baghdad? Achmed?
INT. ACHMED’S GMC SUBURBAN. LATER/NIGHT.
Efraim counts out $100’s on the dashboard as they drive

through the empty, darkened streets of Amman.
EFRAIM
$2500 now. And the other half
when we get to Baghdad. OK?
ACHMED
Yes.
DAVID
So Achmed, how long is the drive?
ACHMED
Yes.
EFRAIM
You don’t speak English do you?
ACHMED
Yes.
EFRAIM
So let me get this straight.
We’re driving into Iraq with 800
pistols and some smuggler named
Achmed. Who we just met. And he
doesn’t speak a fucking word of
English?
(CONTINUED)
49.
CONTINUED:
DAVID
Hiro said he’s very professional.
Achmed is contentedly picking his nose. Humming.
EFRAIM
Yeah I can fucking see that.
As they leave town, concrete houses give way to mud.

Sand dunes as far as the eye can see. Flocks of sheep
and black Bedouin tents. With pick-up trucks outside.
They see a sign for the Iraq border. 2 KM ahead. But

before they get there, Achmed pulls over at:
EXT. JORDANIAN GAS STATION. NIGHT/MOMENTS LATER.
Achmed avoids the pumps and heads inside. Moments later

he reemerges holding two cartons of Marlboro Reds.
As Achmed gets back in, Efraim points at the gas gauge.

It reads about 1/3 full.
EFRAIM
Hey. Buddy. Forget the smokes.
We gotta fill up.
(tapping gas gauge)
Big drive. Need gas. Fill tank.
DAVID EFRAIM
He’s not a fucking Indian I know he’s not a fucking
Efraim. Indian...
ACHMED
No no. Betrol Iraq. Iraq!
(pointing ahead)
EFRAIM
No, no. We’re not waiting until
we get to Iraq. Fill it up now.
Achmed GUNS the GMC. And drives back onto the road.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
Hey hey! Stop! What’re ya doing?
Dude, you believe this shit?
EXT. JORDAN/IRAQ BORDER CROSSING. MOMENTS LATER/NIGHT.
EFRAIM
I don’t like this David...
(CONTINUED)
50.
CONTINUED:
DAVID
Look Efraim, he does this every
day. He knows what he’s doing.
They drive up to a remote border crossing.
Out in the middle of the desert, the road narrows to a

single lane lined by razor wire and guard towers. Sodium
arclights bathe the whole area in an eerie yellow glow.
Jordanian soldiers patrol with dogs and machine guns.
Up ahead, there’s a two-story high concrete mural of a

smiling Saddam Hussein--with his face shot out.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Dude. That’s real.
EFRAIM
Oh, we gotta get a picture with
that shit man. Here, shoot me.
The car pulls up to a toll-type booth. The sign says

JORDAN EXIT/CUSTOMS. A SOLDIER comes out to check.
DAVID
Oh shit. Customs!
EFRAIM
Let me handle this, OK. Good
evening officer, how ya doing?
But the soldier just ignores him. And talks to Achmed in

Arabic. They seem to know each other.
Achmed tucks a folded US $20 bill into one of the cartons

of Marlboros. And hands it to the soldier. The soldier
smiles and waves them on. Done deal.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
Shit. 2 months we’re hung up and
Achmed fixes it with 20 bucks and
a carton of smokes. Nice one man.
Efraim slaps him on the back. Achmed gives them a big

goofy thumbs up as they drive on through a no-man’s land
of concertina wire, electric fences and ‘LIVE MINES’.
Up ahead, guard towers and the big Saddam mural welcome

them to Iraq.
EXT. IRAQ BORDER CHECKPOINT. MOMENTS LATER/NIGHT.
DAVID
Dude. Where is everybody?
(CONTINUED)
51.
CONTINUED:
The Iraq side of the border is like a big gypsy camp:

Arabs huddle around small fires or sleep on the ground.
Men in long woolen Arab robes (dish-dashi) walk around
with well-worn AK-47’s. The check-point building is shot
to shit, riddled with bullet holes and shell craters.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Where’re the soldiers? The tanks?
EFRAIM
Let’s just be cool...
Two ARABS WITH AK’s wave them over to an inspection lane.
There’s a brand new million-dollar TSA airport x-ray

scanner--abandoned. Instead, they drive over a shallow
pit (like an old-fashioned mechanic’s bay) where one of
the Arabs crawls underneath looking with a flashlight.
The other Arab BANGS on the crate on the roof. He says

something in Arabic but once again, Achmed hands him the
magic carton of Marlboros. And it’s all smiles.
As they pull away from the checkpoint, into the desert:
DAVID EFRAIM
That’s it? We’re through? Fucking unbelievable.
Just down the road, Achmed pulls over at another camp.

Where a big gas tanker has overturned on it’s side.
Other white GMC’s are also pulled over. Hooded ARABS

mill around. Like the Sand People from STAR WARS--trying
to siphon gas out of the busted-open tanker. No luck.
Achmed pulls away. Up ahead, the desert stretches to the

horizon. Cut only by a empty 6-lane Western-style
superhighway. The GMC races ahead. 100, 120 mph. If it
wasn’t for the occasional burnt-out tank you’d think they
were in California--driving to Vegas for the weekend.
But their gas level is now below 1/4. And falling fast.
You can almost see it dropping as they RACE on down the

deserted highway. DUCKING charred trucks. SLAMMING on
the brakes when they come to bombed-out bridges. Driving
down the sandy washes past collapsed steel sections
surgically sliced off by US smart-bombs.
Like a race driver, Achmed knows every inch of his route.

They start to relax. David even starts to fall asleep.
As dawn breaks, there’s green on the horizon for the

first time. Palm trees. Vegetation. An oasis. But the
gas level is dangerously low. In the red now.
(CONTINUED)
52.
CONTINUED: (2)
Achmed slows down. And pulls off the highway at a burnt-

out rest-stop gas station.
EXT. HIGHWAY GAS STATION/REST STOP FALLUJAH. DAWN.
The gas station windows are blown out and the gas pump
covers are missing. There’s a town just a few miles
away. But Achmed seems nervous now. Jittery.
He puts a nozzle in his gas tank and tries to hot wire

the pump with the wires that dangle out from inside.
It’s not working. After a minute, Efraim gets out of the

truck. But Achmed pushes him back inside.
ACHMED
No. No good. No good.
EFRAIM
Hey, I gotta piss.
But Achmed closes the door on him and heads back behind
the station. Looking for something. David wakes up.
DAVID
What’s going on? Are we there?
EFRAIM
No. Achmed’s looking for gas.
Tense moments pass. And no Achmed.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
Fuck it. I gotta piss.
Efraim gets out of the car. He walks a few feet over to

the highway. It’s perfectly flat, no cover. He looks
around for a second. No one. Unzips. Starts to pee.
He really did have to go. He’s hosing down the pavement,

gloriously relieved. When he spies something out of the
corner of his eye. What is that? Off in the distance.
It looks like a cloud of dust. But it’s getting bigger.

Coming toward them. Fast. As Efraim peers at it, shapes
start to appear. Truck shapes. Big military trucks.
Trucks filled with ARABS in long robes. Arabs with AK-

47’s. Distinctly unfriendly-looking Arabs.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
Holy shit! David. DAVID!
Efraim rushes back to the truck. David is back asleep.

(CONTINUED)
53.
CONTINUED:
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
Dude. Wake up. Wake up! There’s
someone coming. Look.
David looks.
DAVID
Oh shit. Oh shit! Are those...
EFRAIM
They sure as shit aren’t our guys.
Fuck! Where the FUCK is Achmed?
They both SHOUT his name but there’s no sign of him.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
Fuck him. We gotta go.
Efraim climbs into the front seat.
DAVID
You can’t leave Achmed. We don’t
know where we are.
EFRAIM
You want to stay here? And get
your head cut off with a rusty
saw? Go ahead--I’m leaving.
Fuck fuck fuck. Efraim frantically searches for a key.

David looks out the back window. The trucks are getting
closer. Less than a mile away now. He climbs in front.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
Fucking Achmed. Cheap bastard.
We’re all gonna die because he
wanted free fucking gas...
DAVID
Found it!
David comes up with a spare key from the glove

compartment. Efraim jams it in the ignition.
As the engine ROARS to life, the sound brings Achmed

running out from behind the station. Trailed by another
one of the Sand People, carrying two big red gas cans.
DAVID (CONT’D) EFRAIM

Wait. Fuck him.
DAVID (CONT’D)
He’s got gas.
Achmed is furious. He YANKS open the door.

(CONTINUED)
54.
CONTINUED: (2)
DAVID (CONT’D) EFRAIM

Look! Look you fucking idiot.
They point at the trucks. Now less than 1/4 mile away.
Achmed basically shits himself.
He RUNS to the back of the truck, where the gas station

guy is filling the tank. He TIPS the can up higher.
EFRAIM
What the fuck? ACHMED! Let’s GO!
Achmed is deeply conflicted. He needs the gas. But the

trucks are getting closer. Really close. You can see
the faces of the insurgents on the trucks now.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
Fuck this. I’m not dying here.
Efraim JAMS the truck in gear and GUNS it. PULLING away
from the pumps with the can still stuck in the tank.
Achmed starts to CHASE after them. YELLING in Arabic.
DAVID
C’mon Achmed. C’mon! Get IN!
David OPENS his door. Efraim doesn’t slow down. Achmed,

who is old and a smoker, somehow manages to climb in.
YELLING at them in Arabic. As Efraim HAMMERS it.
The insurgents are close now. Really close. The GMC is

powerful but as it pulls onto the highway, the gap
narrows. With it’s heavy load the GMC is slower.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Holy shit, holy shit, they’re
gaining on us. Step on it!
EFRAIM
I am stepping on it.
ACHMED
Fallujah. Fallujah. No good.
EFRAIM
Fallujah? This is Fallujah! You
stopped for gas in fucking
Fallujah? We’re all gonna die.
Achmed climbs over the back seat. Takes a knife. And

starts to cut the straps holding the crates of guns.
EFRAIM (CONT’D) DAVID

David. What’s he doing? He’s gonna dump the guns.
(CONTINUED)
55.
CONTINUED: (3)
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
NO! Not the guns!
DAVID
Efraim, who cares about the guns.
We’re gonna fucking die here.
The gap is less than 100 feet now. The insurgents are
getting ready to shoot. Their gas gauge is below 0.
EFRAIM
Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me...Wait.
Wait! Oh god please be what I
think you are...
Up ahead in the distance--coming at them down the

opposite lane of the highway: is an American patrol.
A long, beautiful line of Humvees. With a Cobra

helicopter gunship overhead. ROARING toward them.
The Cobra pulls away from the convoy. And as it does,

the insurgent trucks behind them SLAM on the brakes.
And make a U-turn. Hightailing it back to Fallujah.

With the Cobra helicopter and the Humvees in hot pursuit.
As the Humvees RACE by, the US soldiers wave at them.

Efraim sticks his head out the window:
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
GO KICK THEIR FUCKING ARAB ASSES!
EXT. BAGHDAD POLICE ACADEMY GATE. DAY/LATER.
The GMC pulls up to a heavily-guarded gate.
EFRAIM
Hey. Go tell Captain Santos
Efraim Diveroli’s here. With his
Berettas.
EXT. BAGHDAD POLICE ACADEMY COMPOUND. DAY/LATER.
CAPTAIN SANTOS
I can’t believe it. I can’t
believe it.
Santos stands beside the GMC as his SOLDIERS unload the

crates of guns. Efraim hands him a contract form.
(CONTINUED)
56.
CONTINUED:
EFRAIM
Just sign here please. To
acknowledge you received full
delivery before the deadline.
CAPTAIN SANTOS
You drove these. From Amman.
EFRAIM
Yup.
CAPTAIN SANTOS
Through the desert. Through the
Triangle of Death.
DAVID
The Triangle of Death?
CAPTAIN SANTOS
Yeah. Fallujah, Ramadi, Najaf.
OTHER SOLDIER
That’s the insurgent kill zone
man. Nobody goes there.
EFRAIM
Well we knew you guys needed this
stuff so we had to get it done.
OTHER SOLDIER
You didn’t see any insurgents did
you?
EFRAIM
Well actually, yeah, we did...
DAVID (V.O.)
After Efraim told that story, we
were golden. It became this
legendary thing. It gave us huge
credibility. The word got around
and it took our business to the
next level...
INT. EFRAIM’S FLAMINGO APARTMENT. DAY/LATER.
DAVID (V.O.)
Back in Miami, we went from hust-
ling after every shit contract...
2ND MONTAGE: of David and Efraim working around the

clock. Still sleeping on couches. Getting sushi, junk
food, pot and coke from the same delivery guys. Efraim’s
still boning Jamie. David’s now seeing Sarah regularly.
(CONTINUED)
57.
CONTINUED:

...to pulling in serious deals.
We were becoming the go-to guys.
Our deal volume exploded...
MONTAGE of David and Efraim moving from Efraim’s shitty

apartment to an ocean-view penthouse in the Flamingo.
Italian sofas, huge marble table, SCARFACE poster. Hot
girls out by the pool. Parties on the beach. Big-time.

And that’s when the money really
started to roll in.
David buys a new black Audi. Efraim trades in his S500

for a black AMG. They both buy good clothes, for the
first time (with their girlfriends in tow). David buys
jewellry for Sarah. And retires his massage table.

But we still were on the hunt for
that one really big deal. The big
score. Fuck you money.
EFRAIM
Holy shit. Ho-ly shit.
DAVID EFRAIM
What is it? Oh my god. Check this out.
Efraim turns the computer screen around. Up on it is a

typical FedBizOpps solicitation. INSERT: FBO.org page.
DAVID
Dude it’s just an ammo contract.
EFRAIM
No it’s not. Look.
DAVID
Whoa! 200 million rounds? That
can’t be right.
EFRAIM
You know what this means? Dude,
the Army doesn’t think Bush is
gonna get reelected! They’re
gonna try to supply the entire
Afghan Army for the next 30 years.
While they still can. Dude!
DAVID
What does this mean: ‘Serviceable
without qualification’?
(CONTINUED)
58.
CONTINUED: (2)
EFRAIM
It means they don’t give a shit.
We can deliver anything. Old,
rusty--it could be from WWII. As
long as it goes bang and out the
barrel, it’s good to go.
DAVID
7.62, 12 gauge, grenades, rocket
launchers--it just goes on and on.
EFRAIM
This is it. This is what we’ve
been waiting for. The mother
lode. We gotta go for it.
MONTAGE: of David and Efraim working the contract. They

jam on the internet, send out blanket emails, make calls.

We can’t buy Chinese and we can’t
buy from Russia. So we gotta go
to all those factories and
stockpiles in the former Soviet
Union: Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia,
Serbia, Croatia, Hungary, Ukraine.
David and Efraim desperately trying to communicate with a

series of schlubby middle aged men and women in decrepit
grey Cold War factories. Shouting over the phone.
Nobody speaks English. It’s aggravating. And comical.
INT. EFRAIM’S FLAMINGO APARTMENT. 10 TO MIDNIGHT.
Efraim is franticly crunching numbers.
DAVID EFRAIM
Efraim, what are we doing? Just give me a second.
DAVID
We don’t have a second. The bid’s
closing.
EFRAIM
None of these numbers are real. I
have no idea what to fucking bid.
DAVID
Then we should pass.
(CONTINUED)
59.
CONTINUED:
EFRAIM
We’re not gonna fucking pass. If
we bid this right we’re gonna make
20, 30 million bucks at least. I
can’t walk away from that.
DAVID
Yeah, but if we screw up and bid
too low, we’re fucked. We’ll get
cancelled for cause and we’ll lose
everything we’ve worked for.
EFRAIM
The big boys gotta come in at 320,
325 minimum. The question is,
will anyone go lower? Fuck!
(agonizing over it)
Fuck, shit. Dammit. Fuck.
DAVID
Efraim, this is crazy. We got
like less than 2 minutes here.
EFRAIM
Fuck it. 300. 300 million. No
one’s gonna go that low. If our
numbers are right we can still
make 20, 25 million on the deal.
A beat. David looks at Efraim.
DAVID
Fuck it. If we’re gonna go that
low, I say go 298. That way...
EFRAIM
...if somebody else goes 300 we’re
still lower. That’s smart. OK.
Efraim anxiously types $298,000,000 on the form.
DAVID
God that’s a big number.
Efraim holds his finger over the ENTER button.
EFRAIM
Are you up for this, bitch?
DAVID
Just push the fucking button.
EFRAIM
If we do this, you can’t pussy out
on me. You gotta be in it 100%.
(CONTINUED)
60.
CONTINUED: (2)
DAVID
Push the fucking button already!
EFRAIM
All or nothing David. 24/7 for
the next year. Agreed?
DAVID
Yes, yes--push the fucking button!
Efraim hits the return key. It’s 10 seconds to midnight.

The page FLASHES. And REFRESHES.
It thanks them for their bid of $298,000,000. And

suggests they print the page for their records.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Oh god. What did we just do?
EFRAIM
We just bluffed our asses off,
bitch. Now we wait. And see if
it worked...
INT. MIAMI DRUGDEALER HOUSE. DAYS/LATER.
Efraim and David are sitting in a blinged-out 80’s-style

bayfront house with RAOUL (pudgy, chains, Gucci). We
vaguely remember Raoul from the delivery montage.
DAVID
You got any of that new budder?
RAOUL
That shit’s a myth man. No, today
I got Humboldt, Hawaiian and some
very nice Mexican--just came in.
Raoul pulls out his bags of weed on offer.
EFRAIM
Mexican? Fuck Mexican! Why would
you waste my time with Mexican.
RAOUL
Why you prejudging it man? Check
it out. Smell it.
EFRAIM
Dude, you’re Mexican. Do you
smoke Mexican?
(CONTINUED)
61.
CONTINUED:
RAOUL
Fuck you. I’m not Mexican--I’m
Cuban! And what does that got to
do with it? If they grew weed in
Israel, would you fuckin smoke it?
EFRAIM
Absolutely! Cos it’d be badass,
like everything else from Israel.
DAVID
Look let’s just take the Humboldt
OK? It’s got more crystals.
EFRAIM DAVID
Hey--it’s not just about We’ll take two ounces of
THC. A real connoisseur... the Humboldt Raoul.
RAOUL
No problem. 2 ounces that’s $600.
EFRAIM
$600! Are you fucking kidding me?
What are we, tourists?
RAOUL
Every time. Every time you come
here Efraim you try to...
EFRAIM RAOUL
Don’t say it! Don’t say ...jew me down.
it!
EFRAIM
You racist motherfucker! You
dirty, racist wetback spic
motherfucker. I can’t believe you
went there. After all the
business I’ve given you...
Efraim GRABS Raoul a semi-playful headlock...
RAOUL
OK OK, $450. $400! Take it!
INT. EFRAIM’S BLACK MERCEDES AMG. DAY/LATER
EFRAIM
Can you believe that racist shit?
From a fucking Cuban! In 2006...
As he speeds through South Beach, Efraim opens the baggie

while steering with his forearms. Groping for his bong.
(CONTINUED)
62.
CONTINUED:
DAVID
Good thing you punished him with
that sale then...
Efraim pushes the baggie into David’s face.
EFRAIM
Smell that. Smell that shit. No
pussy in the world ever smelled
that good. If Adolf fucking
Hitler sold shit that good you’d
have to buy from him, am I wrong?
Efraim packs a bowl and lights up, takes a massive drag.
DAVID
Dude. Take it easy...
EFRAIM
Damn that’s some sick shit.
He exhales, filling the entire cabin with smoke.
DAVID
Efraim, be careful. Efraim! Stop
sign! EFRAIM LOOK OUT!
But it’s too late. Efraim has drifted right through it.
T-BONING a ancient Honda with a bone-jarring CRUNCH!
EXT. SOUTH BEACH SIDE STREET. DAY/SECONDS LATER.
EFRAIM
What’s wrong with you? Why didn’t
you stop?
Efraim is confronting the other driver: a tall, slender

Haitian man (RON, 40’s, meek) who looks devastated.
RON
But I did stop. You didn’t stop.
EFRAIM DAVID
I have a witness. Dude...
RON (CONT’D)
Look, I don’t want any trouble.
EFRAIM
(lightbulb)
Wait, you’re Haitian right?
RON
Maybe we can just work this out.
(CONTINUED)
63.
CONTINUED:
EFRAIM
No. You have to pay me for the
damage you did. Look at my car!
DAVID
Efraim...come on.
RON
Look, I am not a rich man. I’m
just a bookkeeper...
EFRAIM
Wait. You’re a bookkeeper? A
bookkeeper or an accountant?
DAVID
Efraim!
RON
In my country I am an accountant.
But in this country...
DAVID
EFRAIM! Humboldt? Guns? Cops?
SIRENS start up in the distance. Lookie-loos stop.
EFRAIM
Shit you’re right. We gotta go.
(to Ron)
OK you. Follow me.
RON
(confused)
What?
EFRAIM
Hey, you wanna get put on a plane
back to Haiti? Fucking follow me!
Ron’s half-crushed Honda SCRAPES along behind Efraim’s

Mercedes. As the lookie-loos watch in disbelief...
INT. EFRAIM’S FLAMINGO APARTMENT. LATER THAT DAY.
JULIE
Who the hell is this?
EFRAIM
This is our new accountant, Ron.
Ron, you got a last name?
RON
You can call me Ron uh...Didier.
(CONTINUED)
64.
CONTINUED:
EFRAIM
Don’t worry, we don’t need to see
your passport. I paying you in
cash: 500 a week--but I’m docking
ya $5000 for the damage to my car.
JULIE
You’re paying him?
EFRAIM
HEY--maybe if you did something
other than GIVE ME SHIT I’d pay
you too!
RON
So what am I supposed to do?
EFRAIM
OK first off, see these checks?
As Efraim launches into a an overview of Ron’s new job:
DAVID
Efraim. Efraim!
EFRAIM
Can’t you see I’m doing
orientation here?
DAVID
Efraim. They want us to confirm
our financial viability.
EFRAIM
Who? Who wants to....Show me.
INSERT: an email from HQ ARMY SUSTAINMENT COMMAND.

Holy shit. Ho-ly SHIT! Does this mean...

We got it! WE FUCKING GOT We got it?
IT!
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
A $298 million contract. We beat
you all, you fuckin BITCHES! Yes.
YES! Dude--do you have any idea
how fucking rich we’re about to
be?
65.
EXT. DELANO HOTEL LOBBY. NIGHT/LATER.
David PULLS Sarah out of his new Audi and into the Delano
lobby. Efraim and Jamie are just ahead of them. All of
them are dressed to the nines and looking great.
INT. BLUE DOOR FISH RESTAURANT/DELANO. NIGHT/LATER.
All eyes are on the two couples at the center of the

glittering Starck-designed restaurant. It’s packed with
Latin billionaires, trophy wives and movie stars. But
nobody’s having as much fun as they are.
DELANO WAITER
And for you sir?
DAVID
Just give me a glass of your
cheapest white wine.
EFRAIM
Fuck that. Cristal! I want 5
bottles of Cristal. Line’em up!
DELANO WAITER
Very good sir...
EFRAIM
Do you know how big we’re gonna
be? You and me dude. We’re gonna
take over this business. AEY is
gonna be a $10 billion company.
Those lazy fuckers at General
Dynamics and Halliburton have no
idea what’s about to hit’em...
Some guys handle poverty with grace. Some were born to

be rich. Tonight, Efraim shows everyone how to be rich.
Joking, laughing, sending free food everywhere. Flirting

with old ladies and tipping the busboys. Offering coke
to everyone yet somehow offending no one. Everyone in
the room feels the vast warm embrace of his charm.
INT. STUDIO KARAOKE BAR. LATER THAT NIGHT.
Efraim is still holding a half-finished magnum of

champagne as they stumble into a karaoke bar.
There’s a full drum set and dozens of guitars up on

stage. Once-impresario LOUIE ROSENTHAL, a bear of a man
with Mr. T gold chains, works the karaoke machine.
(CONTINUED)
66.
CONTINUED:
David nods to Louie. Picks up a guitar and launches into

QUEEN’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.” He’s scary
good. The place goes wild. Efraim turns to Sarah.
EFRAIM SARAH
He’s a great guy huh? Yeah. He is.
EFRAIM
And he’s about to be fucking rich.
SARAH
Congratulations. I know you guys
worked really hard for this.
EFRAIM
We worked our fucking ASSES OFF!
But it’s ALL paying off. Bump?
Sarah declines. Efraim and Jamie both do one as David

wraps up his song. Efraim JUMPS to his feet CLAPPING:
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
NOT BAD BITCH! But you know I can
do better! Here, watch this!
Efraim RUNS up on stage, GRABBING the mike.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
Louie. You know my song...
Efraim throws himself into BON JOVI’s “It’s My Life.” It

is beyond terrible. Totally tone deaf, Efraim butchers
the shit out of it. But he is so fearlessly committed:
shouting out the lyrics, pounding his chest, stalking the
stage like Freddie Mercury. Ripping off his shirt!
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
I ain’t gonna be just a face in
the crowd/You’re gonna hear my
voice/When I shout it out loud!
That the audience goes from stunned silence to laughter

to shouts of encouragement and screams of appreciation.
DAVID
I told you. He’s a maniac, right?
SARAH
Oh he’s a maniac all right. But I
have to work tomorrow morning...
DAVID
No, no--we can’t leave now...
(CONTINUED)
67.
CONTINUED: (2)
SARAH
It’s OK. Stay with your friend.
I’ll take a cab...
DAVID
Come on. Just a few more songs.
SARAH
I’ll see you later OK? And David--
I’m very very happy for you.
Sarah kisses him tenderly. Then gets up to go as Efraim

pounds out another brutal verse to wild applause.
EFRAIM
It’s my life/And it’s now or never
I ain’t gonna live forever
I just wanna live while I’m alive!
Like Frankie said I did it my way!
I just wanna live while I’m alive
Cause IT’S MY LIFE!
EXT. STUDIO KARAOKE BAR. EARLY MORNING.
Efraim, Jamie and David stumble out of the Studio.
EFRAIM
(very drunk)
Dude, let’s go shootin’.
DAVID
Efraim, it’s like 4 AM!
EFRAIM
Fine. Then let’s hit the Purdy!
DAVID
Dude, I’m going to bed.
EFRAIM
Fuck that. You’re fuckin’ going.
EXT. PURDY LOUNGE. EARLY MORNING/MINUTES LATER.
The tough LATINO BOUNCER (30’s, big, sharp) stops them.
LATINO BOUNCER
Sorry. We’re closing.
EFRAIM
Not for us you’re not.
Efraim shoves some bills in the guy’s pocket.

68.
INT. PURDY LOUNGE. NIGHT/MOMENTS LATER.
Efraim staggers around, really drunk now. Openly doing

bumps of coke from his bullet.
PURDY LOUNGE WAITER

You! I warned you before...
EFRAIM
Fuckin chill out man...
Efraim stuffs his pocket with money but the waiter heads
over to talk to the PURDY LOUNGE MANAGER.
David watches this warily but Efraim is distracted

(again) by the beauty of the passing Latin posterior:
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness!
Is that one beautiful ass...
JAMIE
I can’t believe you...
EFRAIM
I’m just lookin’. How can I not
look--at an ass like that?
At the neighboring booth, her big Latin boyfriend is

getting agitated. Efraim placates him with booze.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
It’s cool! It’s on me! It’s on
me. Lemme buy your drinks...
They wave him off as another harmless drunk.
Until he literally GRABS a girl’s ass as she passes.

Efraim leans down and starts CHEWING on it, like a dog.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
Arrr arrr arrr. Arrrr--so good.
HOT LATINA
What the fuck!?
Two BIG LATINOS JUMP UP.
EFRAIM DAVID
Oh shit! You fuckin’ did it now.
EFRAIM
I’m sorry. I’m sorry! I couldn’t
resist. It was calling to me...
(CONTINUED)
69.
CONTINUED:
The two Latinos go straight for Efraim. David tries to

jump in but they SHOVE him away. Efraim’s so drunk he
barely feels their PUNCHES. He PUMMELS them wildly.
CLOCKING one with a beer pitcher as David starts PUNCHING
them HARD. The bouncers move in, pulling everyone apart.
EXT. PURDY LOUNGE. NIGHT/MINUTES LATER.
PURDY LOUNGE MANAGER

You! You are banned forever.
Never, never come back here again.
EFRAIM
Fine. Who wants to go to your
shitty second-rate club anyway...
LATINO BOUNCER
Get the fuck outta here...
EFRAIM
Hey. Fuck you! Fuckin chongo.
JAMIE
You are such an asshole Efraim.
Why do you ruin everything?
Jamie storms off.
EFRAIM
GO! Go back to your studio
apartment. And your...cats!
We FADE OUT on Efraim YELLING at her as David tries to

hustle him away.
INT. EFRAIM’S FLAMINGO APARTMENT. NEXT DAY/AFTERNOON.
EFRAIM
Wake up bitch. Party’s over...
David groans and rolls over on Efraim’s couch.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
We just got our first Task Order.
$68 million. Due in one month.
DAVID
What? One month!
EFRAIM
Yep. We got the bitch’s panties
off but we haven’t fucked her yet.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
70.
CONTINUED:
EFRAIM (CONT'D)
Pack your bags. We’re going
shopping...
EXT. MIAMI INT’L AIRPORT. AFTERNOON.
Sarah drops them off at the airport in David’s Audi.

Both wearing dark suits. Both looking hung-over as shit.
SARAH
Have fun. But not too much fun.
EFRAIM
Don’t worry. He’s with me.
SARAH
That’s what I’m worried about.
DAVID
I’ll call you when I get there OK?
He kisses her, a little shy in front of Efraim.
INT. MIAMI INT’L AIRPORT. DAY/MOMENTS LATER.
Waiting in line to check in at American Airlines:
EFRAIM DAVID
It’s good you got a She’s cool, right?
girlfriend...
EFRAIM
We’re not gonna have time to chase
tail. We’re gonna be working our
asses off. And a girlfriend--is
pussy in the bag...
Jamie BURSTS into frame, JUMPING on Efraim.
JAMIE
Oh my god, oh my god, I love you
so much. I can’t believe you’re
taking me to Paris. Paris!
DAVID
(to Efraim)
Dude--seriously?
Efraim waves him off as Jamie gives him a little box.

Inside is a gold signet ring, but instead of a crest,
there’s an Uzi in the frame.
EFRAIM
Holy shit! David--it’s an Uzi.
(CONTINUED)
71.
CONTINUED:
JAMIE
I had it custom made. It was
gonna be for our anniversary
but...
Efraim puts it on. It fits perfectly.
EFRAIM
Oh man, that is so fucking cool!
LATER: as they wait to board, Efraim pulls David aside.
DAVID
Dude, what the hell?
EFRAIM
Forget about Jamie--listen, I had
to give 50% of the deal to Ralph.
DAVID
What?
EFRAIM
He’s putting up half the finance,
so I had to cut him in. Don’t
worry you’re still gonna get 25%.
DAVID
25%? Dude. Our deal was 50%.
EFRAIM
No--50% of what you bring in. You
didn’t bring this one in. I did.
DAVID
No Efraim, we did it together.
EFRAIM
Don’t be so fucking greedy OK?
25% of 30 million bucks is still a
hell of a lot of money.
A long beat. David thinks about it. Pissed.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
Hey--this is not that fucking
difficult. You wanna be rich? Or
you wanna go back to giving
handjobs for $100 a pop?
DAVID
Fuck you with the handjobs OK?
People turn around to look at them. Efraim whispers:
(CONTINUED)
72.
CONTINUED: (2)
EFRAIM
Listen! This is business. You
gotta spend money to make money.
Have you got $5m to put up? Huh?
(off David relenting)
No. So don’t be a fucking idiot.
This is the biggest opportunity of
your life. Get on the damn plane.
INT. AMERICAN AIRLINES 747. NIGHT/LATER.
David sits there, still upset as Efraim and Jamie sleep.
EXT. PARIS CHARLES DE GAULLE AIRPORT. LATER/TWILIGHT.
It’s grey, cold and sleeting as they exit the airport.

Couldn’t be more different than tropical Miami...
INT. SHITTY ONE STAR PARIS HOTEL. LATER/NIGHT.
They struggle trying to hump their bags up a narrow,

twisting dark stairwell in an ancient building.
DAVID
I thought you had to spend money
to make money.
EFRAIM
Hey--this was not that cheap OK?
INT. SHITTY PARIS HOTEL ROOM. LATER/NIGHT.
The three of them are jammed into one tiny room with two
twin beds. David faces the wall trying/ pretending to
sleep while Efraim and Jamie whisper like kids on
sleepaway in the other bed--mere inches away.
JAMIE EFRAIM
You think he’s asleep? Definitely.
Terror fills David’s eyes. He’s willing them not to.
JAMIE
I don’t know. I’m nervous.
EFRAIM
Don’t worry, he’s a super heavy
sleeper. Nothing wakes him up.
Terror turns to dread as the bed starts CREAKING behind

him. Faster and faster. Someone MOANS as David dies.
73.
INT. EUROSATORY ARMS SHOW, PARIS. NEXT MORNING.
EFRAIM
You sleep OK?
DAVID
You’re such an asshole...
EFRAIM
What. What?
They walk in to the Eurosatory show together. If the

SHOT show was like a redneck flea market, this is like
the Disney/EPCOT Center of arms shows.
There are no girls in bikinis, no beer. Elegant models

hand out champagne to Saudi Princes and third-world
Generals. Slick promo videos cheerfully depict horrific
scenes of death and dismemberment with cheerful animation
and movie trailer voice-over. It’s surreal.
Wandering around in their dark suits and new Halliburton

briefcases, Efraim and David try to engage all the
Eastern European factory reps, but they get nowhere:
RUSSIAN GENERAL
Sorry, we already have American
distributor.
DAVID
This is not a retail order. I’m
talking 90 million rounds here.
RUSSIAN GENERAL
Talk to distributor. He help you.
DAVID
I sent you a fax? Last week?
EASTERN EUROPEAN COLONEL

I’m sorry, who are you?
EFRAIM
We’re from AEY.
EASTERN EUROPEAN COLONEL

But you look very young, no?
EFRAIM
No, we’re serious. 60 million.
BULGARIAN OFFICIAL
Da da da, you buy, you buy. Sure.
And on it rolls. Nobody’ll give them the time of day.

(CONTINUED)
74.
CONTINUED:
DAVID
We have a problem.
EFRAIM
No shit we have a problem. We
have one month to find all this
stuff and deliver it to Afghani-
stan. And nobody’ll talk to us.
DAVID
You think we look too young?
EFRAIM
No. We need an introduction...
At the Vector Arms booth, Ralph is thrilled to see them:
MERRILL
Efraim my boy. Congratulations.
You landed the big one.
EFRAIM
Yeah but we got a problem. We
came here to buy and nobody will
give us the time of day...
LATER: in the Convention Center cafeteria:
MERRILL
You think you just walk up with a
check and say I’d like 90 million
rounds of 7.62? It’s not so easy.
You’ve never done business with
these guys. They don’t know you.
EFRAIM
Right. So introduce us.
MERRILL
I can’t. I’m not in that business.
(a beat)
You know who you need to talk to?
You need to talk to Henry.
EFRAIM
Henry who?
MERRILL
Henry who? Henry Thomet.
EFRAIM
Henry Thomet!
DAVID
What? Who’s Henry Thomet?
(CONTINUED)
75.
CONTINUED: (2)
They both look at him like he just farted loudly.
MERRILL (PRELAP)
Henry’s in town for the show.
Maybe I can arrange something....
EXT. PARIS STREET CORNER. NIGHT/LATER.
David and Efraim stand freezing their asses off in the

rain and sleet. Pulling their suit jackets around them.
DAVID
How was I supposed to know who
Henry Thomet was?
EFRAIM
Just let me do the talking OK?
DAVID
When do you not do the talking?
EFRAIM
I’m serious. This guy is the
godfather. The real Lord of War.
Just...just don’t say anything OK?
DAVID
Fine. I won’t say a word.
A YOUNG THUG with a shaved head and puffer jacket brushes

past them. Efraim looks down.
In his hand is a business card imprinted simply “HENRICH

THOMET”. No address, no phone number, no email. On the
reverse is written in fountain pen “Le Procope--now”.
INT. RESTAURANT LE PROCOPE. NIGHT/LATER.
Efraim and David walk into a restaurant that is straight

out of the 18th Century. Oval portraits of Rousseau,
Voltaire and Benjamin Franklin line the walls. The
waiters are dressed in period costume.
One of them looks at the card and directs them up the

back stairs to a private room. Guarded by a pair of very
tough looking Bosnian or Serbian MERCENARIES.
Inside a man awaits them. Obscured behind an enormous 3-

tiered mountain of raw seafood.
HENRY THOMET (O.C.)

Mr. Diveroli, Mr. Packouz. I hear
you’re supplying the Afghan war...
(CONTINUED)
76.
CONTINUED:
When he stands up, it’s like seeing Orson Welles for the
first time in THE THIRD MAN. Electric. A movie star.
Intensely charismatic beneath his elegant garb.
He shakes both Efraim and David’s hands. Quickly and

casually running his other hand over each of their
shirts, feeling for a wire. Almost like a buddy pat.
HENRY THOMET (CONT’D)

I know Ralph sent you but I have
to be careful these days. One
silly researcher at Amnesty
International gets a hold of your
name, and suddenly you’re on the
State Department watch list.
Please, sit down. Oysters?
Efraim and David sit down. Both star-struck.
EFRAIM
It’s a...it’s a great honor to
meet you sir.
HENRY THOMET
Please. We all stand on the
shoulders of those who went
before. Did you know: your own
Benjamin Franklin--when he came to
Paris to buy guns--he wrote his
proposal to Louis XVI in this very
cafe. Ironic no? A country that
puts an insurgent arms dealer on
it’s $100 bill, makes me an
outlaw. So. You have something
for me?
EFRAIM
I’m sorry?
HENRY THOMET
The list. The Purchase Order.
DAVID
Oh, I have it. Here. This is it.
HENRY THOMET
Let me see: 90,500,000 rounds of
7.62x39 Ball. 12 million rounds
of tracer. 16.2 million PKM
rounds, 2 million tracer. 1.1
million GP-30 grenades. 63,580
RPG-7’s--odd number--91,000 12
gauge slugs (misspelled). This is
quite a healthy order young man...
(CONTINUED)
77.
CONTINUED: (2)
EFRAIM
That’s just the first one. The
total contract is 298 million.
HENRY THOMET
And you are what, 24 years old?
EFRAIM
Didn’t you make your first hundred
million by the age of 25?
HENRY THOMET
Actually, 23. Now: I can help
you with almost all of this. 7.62
you’re selling for 10.44 cents a
round. I can provide it for 4
cents. PKM, 7. RPG’s, $30.
Those are unshipped prices.
EFRAIM
Wow. Those are great prices. So
where would these be coming from?
HENRY THOMET
We’d transship through one of my
companies. In Israel or Cyprus.
EFRAIM
I’m sorry, but I’d have to see the
merchandise myself--at the source.
HENRY THOMET
I’m afraid that’s not possible.
Efraim pauses. Thinks. Takes a deep breath:
EFRAIM
Look, I’m not trying to steal your
sources. How could I? I’m
nobody. You’re Henry Thomet.
But if the Army rejects your ammo,
I don’t get paid. And I’m out 300
million. So I gotta see it first.
I gotta know it’s good. I’m sorry-
-that’s the only way it works.
A long beat. Eyeball to eyeball. Measuring each other.

Finally, Thomet breaks into a thin smile:
HENRY THOMET
Very well, if you insist. I’ll
send my men to pick you up tomor-
row. We’ll take my jet shall we?
78.
INT. PARIS TAXI. LATER THAT NIGHT.
DAVID
Dude. You just went toe-to-toe
with the Godfather! And he
blinked!
EFRAIM
Yup. It’s all about knowing how
to handle people.
INT. SHITTY PARIS HOTEL HALLWAY. NEXT MORNING.
JAMIE (O.S.) EFRAIM (O.S.)

You’re a LIAR! A LIAR It’s BUSINESS! IT’S
Efraim. FUCKING BUSINESS!
David and one of the Bosnian bodyguards stand outside

Efraim’s door as the sounds of domestic discord seep out:
JAMIE (O.S.) EFRAIM (O.S.)

You promised to bring me to Where do you think you are,
Paris. you CRAZY BITCH?
David (embarrassed) says to the stone-silent bodyguard:
DAVID
It’s an...intense relationship.
INT. THOMET’S PRIVATE JET. LATER THAT DAY.
All is serene at 30,000 feet. Efraim and David look

around Thomet’s huge jet as a gorgeous ATTENDANT brings
them drinks. Jamie is notably absent.
EFRAIM
So what is this, a G4?
HENRY THOMET
G5 actually. So. I thought we
could have a little chat. Before
we reach our destination.
EFRAIM
Wherever that may be.
HENRY THOMET
You may not realize this, Mr.
Diveroli, but the arms trading
world is very small. At this
level, there are only a handful of
real players.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
79.
CONTINUED:
HENRY THOMET (CONT'D)
Over time, I find that those who
behave badly disappear. While
those who act responsibly--and
intelligently--survive. And
prosper. I hope you will be one
of those people.
EFRAIM
Absolutely.
HENRY THOMET
At the moment, as you may know, I
am barred from doing business with
the United States directly. You
of course are not. Now--you are
clearly a young man of ambition.
And enterprise. If you respect
me, and respect my relationships,
we can make a great deal of money
together. If you do not...
EFRAIM
Henry--Mr. Thomet--it is my honor
to work with you. If you help us
with this deal I promise you--you
will not regret it.
EXT. MILITARY AIRSTRIP. AFTERNOON/LATER THAT DAY.
A little entourage of high-ranking OFFICERS is waiting on

the bleak tarmac in front of a convoy of black Mercedes.
GENERAL
Welcome back Mr. Thomet.
HENRY THOMET
Wonderful to see you General.
This is Mr. Diveroli. And his
associate, Mr. Packouz.
GENERAL
Welcome. Welcome to Albania!
INT. ALBANIAN MERCEDES. AFTERNOON/LATER.
DAVID
Did you notice that nobody even
checked our passports?
Efraim and David are chauffeured in the back of a

different Mercedes than the General and Thomet.
(CONTINUED)
80.
CONTINUED:
DAVID (CONT’D)
I mean, where are we? Where is
Albania?
EFRAIM
I have no fucking idea dude.
The streets are filled with potholes, the buildings are

crumbling and the drivers are maniacs. People and
livestock constantly run across the road. Third world.
Yet every car seems to be a Mercedes. A new Mercedes.
DAVID
And what’s with all the Mercedes?
(pointing)
Look--Mercedes, Mercedes, Mercedes
Mercedes, Toyota, Mercedes...
EFRAIM
Check the plates. They all still
have German and British plates.
DAVID
What does that mean?
EFRAIM
It means they’re all stolen.
The convoy pulls up outside a neon-lit night club. More

Mercedes are parked outside, along with a Ferrari or two.
EXT. ALBANIAN NIGHTCLUB. TWILIGHT/LATER.
EFRAIM
Henry, tell’em they don’t have to
wine and dine us. We just want to
see the ammo. And get outta here.
HENRY THOMET
Hospitality is very important
here. Let’s not offend them...
INT. ALBANIAN NIGHTCLUB. SAME.
They all follow the Albanians into a PACKED night club.
As they walk in, the crowd parts for them. Everyone

stares but in that cautious, deferential way reserved for
gangsters, celebrities and billionaires.
The hostess leads them to a roped off private section. A

big table is heaped with food. And ringed with 20 or so
Albanian models/club girls.
(CONTINUED)
81.
CONTINUED:
All exotic-looking, with dark hair, high cheek-bones,

slanting blue or grey eyes. Gypsy/Eastern European
Angelina Jolie types.
DAVID
Dude. This is so shady.
EFRAIM
Now David, we’re guests here.
Let’s not offend anybody.
Efraim breaks into a big smile. And the boozing begins:
ALBANIAN GENERAL
This is boza. Like beer. Since
the Ottoman times, Albanians make
the best boza! Gezuar!
EVERYONE
GEZUAR!
Later, with shots of clear homemade moonshine brandy:
ALBANIAN GENERAL
This is raki! Made from plums.
Albanians make the best raki!
(GEZUAR!)
And this raki is from mulberries.
No one else in the world can make
this raki--no one but Albanians.
Because Albanians are the best!
GEZUAR! Everybody toasts the superiority of Albanians.

David is trying to decline but they force him to drink.
ALBANIAN GENERAL (CONT’D)

George W. Bush is a great man. A
very great President!
EFRAIM
He’s certainly my favorite.
ALBANIAN GENERAL
You know, in Albania, we have
built one monument to George W.
Bush. Very big. You want to see?
EFRAIM
It’s OK. I have my own monument
to President Bush. In my safe!
The General is puzzled. Then he starts to laugh.
(CONTINUED)
82.
CONTINUED: (2)
ALBANIAN GENERAL
I understand! To George Bush, the
great American President! May he
make us all filthy rich! Gezuar!
EVERYONE
GEZUAR!
We see them in TIME LAPSE knocking down bottle after

bottle. The General and Thomet bow out leaving Efraim
and David end up very drunk, surrounded by a half dozen
super hot super eager ALBANIAN CLUB GIRLS.
INT. ALBANIAN MERCEDES. NIGHT/LATER.
The Mercedes is packed with club girls. The front seat.

The back seat. Whispering. Giggling. Teasing.
EFRAIM
Oh my god. You’re all so fucking
hot. Dude. I can’t decide.
Which ones are you taking?
DAVID
No dude, it’s all you...
EFRAIM
Get the fuck outta here. Why?
Because of the black chick?
DAVID
She’s not black, she’s Spanish OK.
EFRAIM
Yeah, well don’t worry, it doesn’t
count if they’re hookers.
ALBANIAN CLUB GIRL

Hey! We’re not hookers.
EFRAIM
Of course not. I didn’t mean you.
INT. SHERATON TIRANA HOTEL. LATER/NIGHT.
The guys walk into the lobby of the brand spanking new
super-luxo Sheraton. Leading an entourage of club girls.
The SHERATON MANAGER has been waiting up for them.
SHERATON MANAGER
Mr. Diveroli. Mr. Packouz.
Welcome to the Tirana Sheraton.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
83.
CONTINUED:
SHERATON MANAGER (CONT'D)
I am the manager here. If you’ll
permit me to show you the way,
you’ll be staying in our
Presidential Suite...
As he leads them upstairs, the entire staff, from the

security to the desk clerks, smiles and bows at them like
they are visiting royalty. And the girls? What girls?
As they cram into the elevator, the girls start rubbing

David, playing with him. He politely but firmly resists.
INT. TIRANA SHERATON PRESIDENTIAL SUITE. NIGHT/LATER.
Efraim tucks some bucks into the managers pocket as he

sends him on his way. The suite is huge. Palatial.
EFRAIM
OK. I’ll take the tall one, the
gypsy and you, with the huge tits.
DAVID
Tak’em all man. I’m going to bed.
EFRAIM
No fuckin’ way, you fuckin’ pussy!
DAVID
Yeah. Good night Efraim...
INT. DAVID’S ROOM/TIRANA SHERATON. MOMENTS LATER.
David calls Sarah but gets her message. As the sounds of

Efraim’s loud, jubilant fucking start to filter through
the wall, he GROANS. And starts banging his head against
the wall in frustration.
EXT. ALBANIAN MILITARY BASE. NEXT MORNING.
EFRAIM
Dude you are such a fucking idiot.
Efraim and David stumble out of their Mercedes at a

military airstrip. Looking terrible. Very hung over.

When that gypsy chick I can’t deal with this
started sucking on those right now Efraim. I’m way
big titties, oh my god... too hung-over...
(CONTINUED)
84.
CONTINUED:
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
Just sayin’. Greatest night of my
life.
Thomet awaits them by a very old Huey chopper.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
What’s this?
HENRY THOMET
You wanted to test the
merchandise.
EFRAIM
Yeah but what do we need the
helicopter for?
INT. ALBANIAN MILITARY HELICOPTER. DAY/LATER.
Efraim and David look like they’re gonna puke, strapped

into the chopper, their legs hanging out the open side.
Beneath them are dense forests and steep mountain peaks.

The chopper swoops in and out with dizzying speed.
ALBANIAN GENERAL
This is the 7.62 you asked for.
Excellent quality--you see?
He opens an ammo tin packed with tarnished vintage ammo.

Efraim reaches in, picks one up. Examines it expertly.
Looking at the numbers on the bottom of the cartridge.
EFRAIM
I don’t recognize the factory.
ALBANIAN GENERAL
Don’t worry. It is old. But it
still goes, how you say: ‘Bang
and Out the Barrel.’
The Albanian General hands Efraim an AK magazine. He and

the other soldiers in the helicopter start loading mags.
They signal Efraim and David to do the same.
ALBANIAN GENERAL (CONT’D)

Come! You try! You try!
They seem to be flying round in circles. Efraim’s green.
EFRAIM
What are we doing up here?
(CONTINUED)
85.
CONTINUED:
ALBANIAN GENERAL
What?
EFRAIM
Let’s go down. And test these.
ALBANIAN GENERAL
Yes! Soon. You will see!
Suddenly, one of the soldiers SHOUTS OUT. And instantly,

all them are SHOOTING wildly out the side of the chopper.
Right past the heads of Efraim and David. It’s like

being in a duck blind with a bunch of drunken idiots.
EFRAIM
What the fuck! What’re you doing?
ALBANIAN GENERAL
LOOK! There, THERE!
DAVID
Holy shit!
ALBANIAN GENERAL
SHOOT! SHOOT!
It’s a bear. A wild bear. Running for it’s life through

the trees below. While a helicopter full of hung-over
Albanians and two Jews from Miami BLAZE away at it with
AK-47’s.
EXT. ALBANIAN MILITARY BASE. LATER THAT DAY.
Efraim and David jump out of the helicopter. The

soldiers haul the dead bear out behind them.
EFRAIM
Man, Ralph shoulda been here for
this. He woulda loved this!
DAVID
Dude, that was insane.
EFRAIM
Dude--we killed a fucking bear!
Man. We gotta get pictures.
INT. TIRANA SHERATON PRESIDENTIAL SUITE. DAY/LATER.
David scrolls through pictures of them holding up their

AK’s with one foot on the dead bear. Classic stuff.
(CONTINUED)
86.
CONTINUED:
DAVID
Dude. You think they’ll let us
post these on MySpace? Or is it
considered like, animal cruelty.
EFRAIM
Listen up. I need you to check
every box of ammo. Every box.
(packing his bag)
They have to be exactly the same
as what we shot. Same markings.
Same quality. That’s critical.
DAVID
Maybe you should check the ammo.
EFRAIM
I gotta go to Bulgaria and make
the grenade deal...
EXT. TIRANA SHERATON. AFTERNOON/LATER.
EFRAIM
I’ll be back in 4 days. Call me
if you have any problems.
David hands Efraim his bag as Efraim gets into his

(Mercedes) taxi in front of the hotel.
EXT. ALBANIAN AMMO DEPOT. DAY. LATER.
David waits outside a huge bunker. He’s accompanied by

some of the ALBANIAN SOLDIERS. The General is gone.
INT. ALBANIAN AMMO DEPOT. DAY. LATER.
Inside, they walk past vast piles of ammunition, mortar

shells, artillery rounds. Old ladies and young kids,
barely teenagers, are taking apart each round with old
pliers and hacksaws. Many of them are smoking.
DAVID
What are they doing?
ALBANIAN SOLDIER
NATO pays Albania to destroy old
ammunition. So it cannot be sell
to terrorist...
DAVID
Yeah, but...they’re smoking.
(CONTINUED)
87.
CONTINUED:
ALBANIAN SOLDIER
It is very popular to smoke in
Albania.
DAVID
Yeah but not around gunpowder.
You can’t smoke around gunpowder.
BOOM! You understand? KA-BOOM!
They’re gonna blow the whole place
up. You gotta stop them.
The soldier laughs. The other soldiers ask him to

explain. He does (in Albanian). They all laugh.
ALBANIAN SOLDIER
You Americans, you crazy. Don’t
worry. Albanian people know gun.
Is very safe! I promise you.
DAVID
Yeah right. I’m crazy...
Deeper inside, wooden crates are stacked to the ceiling.
ALBANIAN SOLDIER
That ammunition, no good. This
ammunition, much better. You see?
The soldiers pull down a wooden crate. But it crumbles

to dust when it hits the floor. They curse.
DAVID
Yeah. Much better.
As they kick away the wood to expose the sardine cans of

shells spilling out, David stops cold in his tracks.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Wait! Stop!
He pulls one of the ammo cans into the light. There,

stencilled on top, are big, bold CHINESE letters.
DAVID (CONT’D)
This is Chinese ammunition!
ALBANIAN SOLDIER
Of course. Albania was ally of
China since 1960. China gave many
ammunition to Albania...
DAVID
Wait, so all of this is Chinese?
88.
INT. BULGARIAN ARMS FACTORY. SAME/DAY.
Efraim is sitting in the office of an ARMS FACTORY BOSS.

He looks like a fat old former KGB officer.
EFRAIM
I don’t care what the list price
is. $10. That’s it. That’s all.
ARMS FACTORY BOSS

Is impossible, $10. Impossible!
EFRAIM
No, not impossible. Painful, but
not impossible. Do you understand
how big an order this is? This is
1.1 million grenades. You’re
gonna make plenty on this deal.
Efraim’s phone RINGS. He ignores it. It RINGS again.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
I’ll show you my purchase order
OK? Then you’ll know I’m not
making any money. Hang on. Would
you excuse me for a minute?
Efraim steps out onto the factory floor. Answers phone.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
Dude, I’m in the middle of closing
a deal. Why are you calling me?
EXT. ALBANIAN AMMO DEPOT. DAY/MINUTES LATER.
David is standing outside the ammo depot, watching the

kids smoking while they saw away at mortar shells.
DAVID
Efraim, we got a big problem here.
It’s Chinese. It’s all Chinese.
EFRAIM
What are you talking about?
DAVID (ON PHONE)

The ammo. Remember you said you
didn’t recognize the factory mark?
That’s because it’s Chinese. It’s
all ammo the Chinese gave the
Albanians fifty years ago!
(CONTINUED)
89.
CONTINUED:
Efraim looks like a locomotive just fell on him.
EFRAIM
No. That’s impossible. Henry
wouldn’t do that to us. He knows
we can’t deliver Chinese...
EXT. ALBANIAN AMMO DEPOT. DAY/SAME.
DAVID
I am holding a tin of shells, the
same ones we used on the bear.
It’s got Chinese writing on the
outside. And Chinese papers on
the inside. Trust me, it’s 100-
fucking-percent Chinese.
EFRAIM
(desperate)
And it’s all like that?
DAVID (ON PHONE)

Every fucking box.
EFRAIM
OK, don’t panic. Let me deal with
this. I’ll call you right back.
INT. PARIS HOTEL LOBBY. DAY/SAME.
Thomet is sitting with a well-dressed AFRICAN DICTATOR in

a dark corner of a hotel lobby. Their respective
bodyguards are sitting on the adjoining couches.
HENRY THOMET
...but if we shipped these through
my partners in Montenegro, we
could avoid that ban completely.
(looking at phone)
Would you excuse me a moment Mr.
President?
Thomet walks away and answers his phone:
HENRY THOMET(CONT’D)
Mr. Diveroli. Is everything
proceeding to your satisfaction?
(CONTINUED)
90.
CONTINUED:
EFRAIM (ON PHONE)

Actually Henry, I just got a call
from my partner. He tells me that
the 7.62 from Albania is Chinese.
Is that true?
HENRY THOMET
Of course it is. What else would
it be? Albania was a satellite
state of China for 40 years.
EFRAIM (ON PHONE)

But Henry--you know I can’t sell
Chinese to the US. It’s illegal.
HENRY THOMET
Mr. Diveroli, the Pentagon put out
a bid for ammunition without
specifying age, origin or quality.
What do you think that means? Do
you really think they care whose
bullets the Afghan Army uses to
kill the Taliban? Please...
HENRY THOMET (ON PHONE)

Why don’t you show me you’re a
real arms dealer. Not just some
kid who can work the internet.
EFRAIM
You’re talking about hiding the
origin of millions and millions of
rounds of ammunition here Henry.
HENRY THOMET (ON PHONE)

You’re a smart boy Efraim. I’m
sure you’ll figure it out.
He hangs up. Efraim POUNDS the phone against the wall.
INT. TIRANA SHERATON PRESIDENTIAL SUITE. NIGHT/LATER.
David is on the phone when Efraim rolls through the door.
EFRAIM
Fucking Henry. He knew. He knew
the whole time. He fucked us.
DAVID
I talked to the Czechs. They can
make new 7.62 for 8 cents a round.
(CONTINUED)
91.
CONTINUED:
EFRAIM
How quickly?
DAVID
Three months.
EFRAIM
David--we don’t have three months.
DAVID
I know.
They both look at each other. Efraim hardens.
EFRAIM
Show me the bullet case.
David pulls out the metal sardine can. Efraim looks at

the Chinese writing stencilled on top.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
But the bullets don’t have any
Chinese writing on them right?
DAVID
Efraim.
EFRAIM
Just the tins. And the crates.
Efraim opens the tin. Sees the Chinese writing on the

paper on top of the bullets. Pulls out a bullet.
DAVID
They have factory numbers on the
bottom of the cartridge casings.
EFRAIM
Yeah, but you gotta be looking for
that. Thing is? Maybe they don’t
wanna know. Maybe all they care
about is that it goes bang and out
the barrel. And that it’s cheap.
DAVID
And what happens if we get caught?
EFRAIM
We’re not gonna get caught.
Efraim’s cell phone rings. A 309 number.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
Efraim Diveroli, AEY.
92.
INT. ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, IL. MORNING/SAME.
ED FEIFFER
Mr. Diveroli. This is Ed Feiffer.
One of the specialists on your
Afghan ammunition contract?
EFRAIM (ON PHONE)

(in military voice)
Very pleased to meet you, sir. We
are looking forward to working
with you and all the fine men and
women of the Rock Island Arsenal.
ED FEIFFER
I appreciate that. But to be
honest, we do have some concerns.
INT. TIRANA SHERATON PRESIDENTIAL SUITE. DAY/SAME.
EFRAIM
Concerns? What kind of concerns?
ED FEIFFER (ON PHONE)

Well it’s quite a substantial
contract. And you are not one of
our regular suppliers.
EFRAIM
I assure you sir we have the
capability to fulfill this
contract. Completely.

Even at this price?
EFRAIM
What do you mean?

There were more than 10 bids on
this contract, and you came in
considerably lower than your next
closest competitor....
EFRAIM
(face falling)
Really. How much lower.

More than $50 million lower.
Ephraim covers the phone and GROANS in frustration.
(CONTINUED)
93.
CONTINUED:
ED FEIFFER (ON PHONE) (CONT’D)

Listen, son. If you can’t do
this, now is the time to speak up.
EFRAIM
No sir. There is no problem on
this end. I can assure you that
AEY thoroughly researched our bid
and we are actually overseas right
now inspecting the materiel. We
are rock solid and good to go...
David watches Efraim as he makes all his usual patriotic

references to the war on terrorism. Before hanging up.
DAVID
Why did you do that? He was
giving us a chance to pull out.
EFRAIM
Pull out! You think I’m gonna
hand this contract over to
Halliburton or General Dynamics?
Give those bastards $50 million?
Fuck them, we’re doing this. And
you better not pussy out on me.
DAVID
Dude...
EFRAIM
You wanna be my partner, start
acting like my partner. There are
plenty of guys who could do what
you’re doing for a hell of a lot
less money.
DAVID
Dude. Why would you go there?
EFRAIM
What’s it gonna be David? Right
now: in or out.
DAVID
I’m in. You know I’m in.
EFRAIM
Good. Now here’s what we gotta
do. I’ll deal with the paperwork
in Miami. You stay here and find
somebody to repackage the ammo OK?
MONTAGE: of David’s work in Albania over the next 3

weeks. Shot like a heist movie prep sequence under:
(CONTINUED)
94.
CONTINUED: (2)

It’s gotta be our own guy.
Someone we can trust. Maybe
there’s some Albanian-American,
check the American Chamber of
Commerce, ask the Embassy--use the
fucking phone book if you have to:
INSERT: QUICK CUTS of David meeting sketchy Albanian

businessmen and gangsters. Finally he meets a stocky,
bald, middle-aged guy with a big smile:
KOSTA
Hello! I am Kosta--Kosta Trebicka.
He pronounces it Kosta “Tre-beesh-ka.” At the ammo dump:
KOSTA (CONT’D)
Of course I can repack this. But
why? Packaging is good. Strong.
DAVID
It’s got termites. And we’re air
shipping, so we want to save the
weight. Make it lighter.
EFRAIM (V.O.)
We have to do the repackaging
someplace we control. Someplace
discreet. Maybe at the airport...
INSERT: David walks Kosta through an abandoned military

hangar at the Tirana airport. It’s huge.
DAVID
What do you think Kosta? Good?
KOSTA
Sure. Very good! Big. Close to
the planes. It is perfect for me.
INSERT: The hangar is now filled with stacks of the

Chinese ammo crates. More coming in by the pallet load.
KOSTA (CONT’D)
OK. So how do you want to pack?
Plastic? Cardboard? Wood box?
DAVID
Whatever’s cheapest. I just need
a number...
They’re sitting in the Sheraton lobby. David’s phone

buzzes. It’s Sarah. He hesitates, then hits IGNORE.
(CONTINUED)
95.
CONTINUED: (3)
DAVID (CONT’D)
Just give me the price Kosta.
KOSTA
$280,000 US. For everything.
INSERT: David supervising Kosta and his guys taking the

metal tins out of the wooden crates. Cracking open the
tins and dumping the bullets straight out into cardboard
boxes. As they do, David, fishes out a Chinese paper:
DAVID
You have to get rid of this Kosta.
Every one! Nothing with any
Chinese writing. Understand?
This is very, very important.
KOSTA
OK, OK. No Chinese. I got it.
EFRAIM (V.O.)
You have to be there, watching
everything. We can’t afford any
screw-ups. All it takes is one
tin, one piece of Chinese writing
to slip through, and we’re done.
INSERT: TIME-LAPSE of David supervising Kosta’s crew

working around the clock, reloading crate after crate of
ammo. More calls from Sarah, which David keeps ignoring.
Over the TIME LAPSE we SUPER emails as David (in Albania)

and Efraim (in Miami) type them to each other:
EFRAIM: Had Ralph email State Dept. to ask if we can

ship old Chinese from before the embargo. Everyone
confirms it is prohibited. Where are we on the repack?
DAVID: Kosta is good guy, going fast. On track. Can I

tell him Chinese is illegal?
EFRAIM: No. So SUPERVISE the shit out of him. Any

chinese markings on the crates or tins could fuck us.
Finally, everything is in cardboard boxes. Wrapped in

shrink wrap and stacked up on wooden shipping pallets.
The stacks reach up to the ceiling of the hangar.
David looks haggard, exhausted. But happy. Relieved, he

shakes Kosta’s hand.
DAVID
Thank you Kosta. Thank you.
(CONTINUED)
96.
CONTINUED: (4)
KOSTA
Welcome. But when do I get paid?
DAVID
I’m gonna call my partner right
now and tell him to wire you the
rest of the money, OK?
But as he goes to dial, his phone rings. Sarah again.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Sarah, can I call you back?
SARAH
Where are you? Are you back?
DAVID
No, I’m in Albania. Don’t ask.
I’m gonna be here a while...
SARAH (ON PHONE)

David I’m pregnant.
DAVID
(in shock)
What?
David is walking away from Kosta. He’s white.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Are you sure?
SARAH (ON PHONE)

I went to the doctor to check.
DAVID
This can’t be happening.
INT. SARAH’S APARTMENT. DAY/SAME.
SARAH
I’m not asking you to marry me
I’m not asking you for anything...
DAVID
Sarah, this is crazy. You can’t
have a baby right now.
SARAH (ON PHONE)

I’m having the baby David...
97.
INT. SARAH’S APARTMENT. DAY/SAME.
SARAH
That’s my decision. If you want
to be the father--if you want to
support us--great. If not, I’m
going to do this on my own...
David sits alone in the Presidential Suite. Crushed.
INT. EFRAIM’S FLAMINGO APARTMENT. NIGHT/LATER.
Efraim is hoovering up a fat line off his desk when the

phone RINGS. It’s messier than ever.
EFRAIM
JULIE! Pick up the PHONE! JULIE!
(no answer)
AEY. Diveroli here.
DAVID (ON PHONE)

Efraim. It’s David.
EFRAIM
Tell me you’re finished repacking
motherfucker.
DAVID (ON PHONE)

We just finished. Listen Efraim.
I gotta come back to Miami.
EFRAIM
No no no. You can’t come back.
You gotta make sure those boxes
get on the planes.
DAVID (ON PHONE)

Efraim. Sarah’s pregnant.
EFRAIM (ON PHONE)

Then tell her to get a fuckin’
abortion.
DAVID
She’s Catholic Efraim.
(CONTINUED)
98.
CONTINUED:
EFRAIM (ON PHONE)

Are you fucking kidding me? You
fucked a Catholic girl without
protection? You fucking idiot.
DAVID
Thanks. That’s very helpful.
EFRAIM (ON PHONE)

Listen to me David. This is the
most important moment of your
life. Don’t be a fucking idiot.
Nothing matters but this deal.
Everything else is irrelevant.
DAVID
I’m coming back Efraim. Kosta can
supervise the loading.
EFRAIM (ON PHONE)

Kosta?! No. Kosta cannot super-
vise the loading. You need to
supervise the loading. Listen...
But David hangs up on him. He packs his bag. Ignoring

the buzzing, persistent call-backs from Efraim.
INT. EFRAIM’S FLAMINGO APARTMENT. NIGHT/SAME.
Efraim’s on the cell phone. Dialling a long number.
KOSTA (ON PHONE)

Alo--Kosta Trebicka.
EFRAIM
Kosta, Efraim Diveroli, AEY.
EXT. TIRANA SHERATON. DAY/MINUTES LATER.
David gets in a cab (also a Mercedes) outside the hotel.
DAVID
Take me to the airport.
INT. EFRAIM’S FLAMINGO APARTMENT. NIGHT/SAME.
KOSTA (ON PHONE)

No problem. I can load. But I
need you to pay a little bit more.
(CONTINUED)
99.
CONTINUED:
EFRAIM
Kosta, please, you know I’m losing
money on this deal. Wait!
(lightbulb)
Kosta--do you have any friends in
the Ministry of Defence? Or the
Arms Export Company?
KOSTA (ON PHONE)

Yeah. Maybe. Why?
EFRAIM
You know Kosta, if you could find
out how much money the Albanian
government is selling this
ammunition for...
KOSTA (ON PHONE)

What do you mean? You don’t know?
EFRAIM
No. I’m buying it from a middle-
man: someone who’s buying it from
your government. You understand?
And if I can buy it directly from
your government, maybe I can save
a lot of money. And if I can save
a lot of money, I can pay you more
money. Maybe a lot more money...
KOSTA
OK, I understand. I will ask for
you. Give me a few days OK?
INT. SARAH’S APARTMENT. DAY/LATER.
Sarah’s cooking in the kitchen when the doorbell rings.
She goes to the door. It’s David. With his bags.
SARAH
David. What are you doing here?
I thought you were in Albania.
DAVID
I want to be with you. I want to
do the right thing. That’s my
decision.
We CUT AWAY on their kiss TO:

100.
INT. SARAH’S APARTMENT. NEXT MORNING.
David and Sarah lie entwined in her sheets.
DAVID
If I’m gonna be a father, I guess
I better sell a shitload of guns.
SARAH
Money’s good. But it’s not the
most important thing. I’d rather
have you here with me.
DAVID
It’s gonna be a few more months.
With this Afghan contract.
Getting everything set up...
SARAH
Just be careful OK?
DAVID
What do you mean?
SARAH
I know he’s your friend, but I
don’t trust Efraim. He doesn’t
care about anybody but himself.
DAVID
That’s not true. You don’t know
him.
EXT. FLAMINGO CONDO SOUTH BEACH. DAY/LATER.
David types in AEY on the computer key pad in the lobby.
LATINA (ON INTERCOM)

AEY, can I help you?
DAVID
Tell Efraim it’s David.
INT. EFRAIM’S FLAMINGO APARTMENT. DAY/MOMENTS LATER.
DAVID
So what happened to Julie?
EFRAIM
I fired her fat ass--like I should
fire yours.
(CONTINUED)
101.
CONTINUED:
Efraim is sitting behind an enormous new marble desk. In

a big leather executive chair under a poster of LORD OF
WAR. A LATINA in jeans and tube top answers the phone.
Ron the Haitian is working the paperwork in the b.g.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
I’m very mad at you David. But
right now I’m even more mad at
that slimy fucker Henry Thomet.
DAVID
What? What happened now?
EFRAIM
You know what your buddy Kosta
told me? You know what Thomet is
paying the Albanians? 2 cents a
round. TWO CENTS A ROUND! You
believe that! He was charging us
double. Double! Just to middle
it. That fucking piece of shit.
That fucking hypocrite.
DAVID
Yeah but he brought us the deal.
EFRAIM
Yeah, well now I’m cutting him out
of the deal. I’m going directly
to the Albanians. We’re making a
deal for 2 and half cents a round.
DAVID
What?
EFRAIM
Yep. I called Ylli Pinari...
FLASHBACK: of Efraim talking on the phone to a shady

military/gangster. They speak each other’s language.

...the guy who runs the Albanian
Arms Export Corporation.
DAVID
No no NO! Efraim--are you crazy?
EFRAIM
Fuck Thomet. He stuck us with all
this illegal ammo. And on top of
that, he’s doubling the price?
Fuck. Him. Fuck’em.
(CONTINUED)
102.
CONTINUED: (2)
DAVID
Efraim, that’s the godfather
you’re talking about. You don’t
fuck the godfather.
EFRAIM
Yeah, well--like the godfather, he
got old. With the internet, with
our know-how--with our balls...
Efraim leans down and snorts another massive line.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
...we’re gonna rule this business.
You think he’s the godfather?
Watch this. Watch the godfather.
Efraim gets up and dials a long number on his cell phone.

As he paces around, we MATCH CUT to the opening book-end:
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
Pinari? Pinari? It’s Efraim. In
Miami. No no, everything is good.
I know the plane took off. Thank
you. But I gotta tell ya, these
new oil prices are killing me....
We FAST-FORWARD through the opening sequence with Efraim

pacing and dealing in his apartment. Sharing the Volcano
with David in his new black AMG (still on the phone).
Walking into Sushi Samba, the kings of Miami. Impersonat-
ing a Brigadier General on the phone. But now we see it
through David’s more knowing, more worried eyes.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
You see that! You see that bitch!
BAM! That’s how you make THIRTY
MILLION DOLLARS motherfucker!
Efraim takes another hit off his bullet. Offers it to

David. Who declines. Efraim grabs him in a headlock.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
You. You! Anybody else David...
(releasing his head)
Anybody else. After I told you
not to come back. It’s a good
thing I love you so much man...
INT. EFRAIM’S NEW S-CLASS. NIGHT/MOMENTS LATER.
EFRAIM
Look, there’s something else I
need you to take care of for me...
(CONTINUED)
103.
CONTINUED:
Efraim’s hitting the Volcano again. On a roll.
DAVID
What is it?
EFRAIM
Part of the deal I made with
Pinari was to fire Kosta.
DAVID
What? Why?
EFRAIM
They figured out it was Kosta who
got us the inside dirt on their
pricing. So he’s gotta go. They
won’t work with him.
DAVID
So you want me to pay off Kosta.
EFRAIM
Pay him off? No. Just fire him.
DAVID
Efraim. He already did all the
work.
EFRAIM
Yeah, well, he should’ve thought
about that before he fucked with
the Albanian mafia.
DAVID
But you asked him to do it.
EFRAIM
Hey--he didn’t do it cos I asked
him to. He did it cos he wanted
to make money. He fucked himself.
DAVID
Efraim, that makes no sense.
EFRAIM
Just fucking fire him OK?
DAVID
Efraim, we can’t afford to piss
this guy off. He knows we’re
shipping Chinese.
(CONTINUED)
104.
CONTINUED: (2)
EFRAIM
Come on. What’s he gonna do?
Who’s he gonna talk to? He’s a
fucking packing guy from Albania.
DAVID
Efraim, we’re making so much
money. Let’s just pay him.
EFRAIM
You pay him. I’m not paying him.
Look, Kosta is not the problem.
It’s Pinari and all those other
gangsters we gotta worry about
now. That’s why I need you there.
EXT. PURDY LOUNGE. NIGHT/MINUTES LATER.
They pull up to the valet stand in front of the Purdy.
DAVID
Dude--we’re banned here, remember?
EFRAIM
Don’t worry. It’s OK.
It’s a weeknight. There’s nobody waiting on line. But

when they get to the door, it’s the same big LATINO
BOUNCER who kicked them out before. And he remembers.
LATINO BOUNCER
What the fuck are you doing here?
You know you’re not allowed to be
here.
EFRAIM
Hey look. You and I, we haven’t
always gotten along. But I wanna
compensate you for your trouble.
LATINO BOUNCER
What are you talking about?
EFRAIM
(taking out wallet)
I’ll tell you what. I’m gonna
give you two hundred bucks. But I
want you to kiss my ring.
Efraim holds up his big gold Uzi crest ring.
LATINO BOUNCER
What?! Fuck you!
(CONTINUED)
105.
CONTINUED:
EFRAIM
C’mon, c’mon. Just a little kiss,
that’s all. And you make $200.
LATINO BOUNCER DAVID

No way. FUCK you. Efraim, what’re you doing?
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
Look at you, standing out here all
night. Bored off your ass. What
are they paying you, 20 bucks an
hour? 10?
(holding up money)
This is what, 4 days work for you?
And all ya gotta do--it’ll take ya
10 seconds--is kiss the ring.
LATINO BOUNCER
Fuck you. I’m not doing that.
EFRAIM
OK. Tell you what. 300 bucks.
LATINO BOUNCER EFRAIM

Just to kiss the ring. Just to kiss the ring.
LATINO BOUNCER
(weakening)
Ah, man. Nah, nah, I can’t do it.
DAVID
Efraim, come on.
EFRAIM
OK, OK. Four hundred bucks. $400
to kiss the ring.
LATINO BOUNCER
Four hundred bucks?! Lemme see
the money, lemme see the money.
Efraim pulls out four $100 bills.
LATINO BOUNCER (CONT’D)

You’re a real piece of shit you
know that?
EFRAIM
Hey! You want the money or not?
You don’t talk to me like that!
LATINO BOUNCER
Alright alright. Just give me the
fucking money.
(CONTINUED)
106.
CONTINUED: (2)
He SNATCHES the money from Efraim’s hand.
EFRAIM
OK but you gotta get down on your
knees. And David, take a picture.
The bouncer jumps back and hands him back the money.
LATINO BOUNCER
Fuck you! Take your money back.
EFRAIM
Fine. I’ll give you 500 bucks
then. But you gotta get on your
knees and let my friend take a
picture.
LATINO BOUNCER
Fuck you. No fucking way. Get
the hell outta here before I smash
your fucking face in, you asshole.
DAVID
(pulling Efraim away)
OK Efraim, it’s time to go.
EFRAIM
Eight hundred bucks. My last and
final offer. $800. Take it or
leave it. I’m done.
LATINO BOUNCER
(in agony)
A thousand. I’ll do it for 1000.
EFRAIM
No. No way. 850. And that’s the
most I’ll go.
Efraim gets out his wallet and counts out the bills.
David looks on in disbelief. Disgusted. But fascinated.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
$850. You want it or not?
LATINO BOUNCER
Fine. Give me the fucking money.
The bouncer takes the money. He gets down on his knees

and Efraim makes him kiss the ring for a good 5 seconds.
EFRAIM
Come on David, take the picture.
(CONTINUED)
107.
CONTINUED: (3)
David takes the picture. But he’s deeply uncomfortable.

As they walk away, he looks back. The bouncer looks
absolutely crushed. Destroyed. A shell. But Efraim is
ecstatic. Almost giddy. Floating on air...
EFRAIM (PRELAP) (CONT’D)

Did you see the look on his face?
Was that beautiful or what?
INT. EFRAIM’S NEW BLACK MERCEDES. NIGHT/LATER.
David stares at him in disbelief. Shaking his head.
DAVID
It’s not about the money is it?
You just love obliterating people.
Feeling your power over them...
Efraim turns to him. With a little laugh:
EFRAIM
You! You think you’re so smart.
You think I don’t realize that?
DAVID (V.O.)
As it turned out, I guess I wasn’t
so smart after all...
INT. EFRAIM’S FLAMINGO APARTMENT. SEVERAL DAYS LATER.
Efraim is in full form. Working two deals simultaneously

on two different phones. In two different personalities.
EFRAIM
Andrius, Andrius, if it was worth
that you’d have sold it by now...
David is on the computer, running numbers with Ron the

Haitian. While several YOUNG LATINAS man the phones.
YOUNG LATINA
Efraim! It’s Ed...Feffer? From
the Rock Island Arsenal.
EFRAIM
Oh shit! Hold him, hold him.
Listen, Andrius, I’ll call you
back. 5 minutes. I promise.
(switching phones)
Sarge, sorry, gotta take this.
(switching again)
AEY, this is Efraim.
108.
INT. ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, IL. AFTERNOON/SAME.
ED FEIFFER
Well I have to hand it to you Mr.
Diveroli. We were all pretty
skeptical here. But we just got
the quality control results back
from Afghanistan. And your
ammunition is A-1. Excellent job!
INT. FLAMINGO CONDO SOUTH BEACH. DAY/SAME.
Efraim DANCES around the condo, air-punching his best

imitation of an end-zone dance. YES! YES! YES!
EFRAIM
Yes sir. Our mission at AEY is to
provide a great product at an
unbeatable price. For our fine
men and women in the field.

Well what we want to know now is
can you speed up delivery?
Efraim fists the air again. YES!
EFRAIM
Yes sir. I believe that is
totally doable. Of course, there
may be some additional charges...
David watches in amazement as Efraim squeezes even more

money out of the deal. As he hangs up the phone:
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
You see that? You see me squeeze
another $200 grand a week outta
this? Oh, man I love my job!
DAVID
So they signed off on the ammo?
EFRAIM
Of course they signed off. They
inspected it. They tested it.
And they loved it. Didn’t I tell
you not to worry? You little
pussy. You little fucking wimp.
Am I a fucking genius or what?
109.
EXT. BISCAYNE BAY/POWERBOAT. LATER THAT DAY.
Efraim is at the helm of a ridiculous Miami Vice

cigarette boat racing across the Bay. David sits beside
him. The two hot office girls sit in back--in bikinis.
EFRAIM
Now’s the time to go after the big
contracts. We gotta hit it while
we’re hot. While we’re still the
ones everybody’s talking about...
Efraim’s phone RINGS. He looks at the number. It’s

long, foreign, but he doesn’t recognize it. He answers:
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
AEY, Efraim Diveroli.
HENRY THOMET
Efraim, Henry Thomet here.
EFRAIM
Henry. What can I do for you?
HENRY THOMET
I had an interesting conversation
with our friends in Albania...
EFRAIM
Sorry Henry what was that?
HENRY THOMET
They tell me you have decided to
buy directly from them now.
EFRAIM
I’m having a hard time hearing you
Henry. I’m out on my new boat.
Efraim winks at David.
HENRY THOMET
I’m sure there must be some
mistake. I can’t imagine why
someone would do something
so...short-sighted.
EFRAIM
You’re a smart boy Henry. I’m
sure you’ll figure it out.
And he hangs up on him. With a big evil grin.

110.
EXT. BISCAYNE BAY/POWERBOAT. LATER THAT DAY.
Efraim pulls the boat into the dock. The girls pick up
their stuff and climb out. But Efraim stops David.
EFRAIM
Hang back. Let’s smoke a bowl.
They pass the volcano back and forth as the sun sets.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
Y’know David, things have changed.
Our deal has to change too.
DAVID
(stunned disbelief)
What?
EFRAIM
Look, nobody’s denying the
contributions you’ve made. You
really worked your ass off for a
couple of months there...
DAVID
Efraim it’s been more than a year.
EFRAIM
But let’s be honest, lately you’re
not making the same contribution.
You didn’t stay in Albania. And
now, you come into the office
late. You leave early. Sometimes
you don’t come in at all...
DAVID
Efraim, my girlfriend’s pregnant.
EFRAIM
Yeah, and who’s fault is that?
DAVID
What? Fuck you.
EFRAIM
You see. That’s what I’m talking
about. Not professional.
DAVID
You greedy fuck. You couldn’t
resist, could you? Now that the
money’s rolling in--you just had
to have it all, didn’t you Efraim.
(CONTINUED)
111.
CONTINUED:
EFRAIM
Don’t be so dramatic OK? You
haven’t even heard my offer. I am
prepared to give you, and I don’t
have to do this: $100,000...
DAVID
100 grand? 100 fucking grand?!
EFRAIM
...and 1% of the stock of AEY.
DAVID
Fuck you Efraim. Fuck. You. You
owe me 25% of the Afghan contract.
That’s 25% of what, $50, 60
million? So you can take your 1%
and shove it up your ass.
EFRAIM
Hey--don’t be stupid. AEY is
going to be a billion dollar
company. This is the biggest
opportunity of your life.
DAVID
Save the bullshit. You think you
can sleaze me like you sleaze
everybody else? I’m your partner.
And you’re gonna pay me. You’re
gonna pay me. Or I’m gonna fuck
you.
EFRAIM
Oh you’re gonna fuck me?
DAVID
I know everything--everything--
about your dirty little business
Efraim. I know where all the
bodies are buried. I know where
your offshore bank accounts are, I
know how much money you report to
the IRS...
EFRAIM
Whoa whoa, take it easy...
DAVID
I can burn you with every one of
your suppliers. And...
EFRAIM
David hang on...
(CONTINUED)
112.
CONTINUED: (2)
DAVID
I can tell the Justice Department:
you’re delivering Chinese.
EFRAIM
Now stop right there. Don’t even
joke about something like that.
DAVID
You think I’m joking? You think
I’m fucking joking? You better
pay me what you owe me mother-
fucker. Or I will punish your
ass.
EFRAIM
Look, calm down. Just think about
it OK? Sleep on it.
DAVID
No. Fuck you--pay me. Pay me, or
I will fucking destroy you Efraim.
David gets out of the boat and storms off.
INT. SARAH’S APARTMENT. NIGHT/LATER.
Listening to their answering machine together:
EFRAIM (ON ANSWERING MACHINE)

...200,000 dollars cash. And you
sign a confidentiality agreement.
That’s what I’m offering. And I
won’t be bullied by anybody. If
you feel like you can get a better
deal by filing suit against me and
my company and my people, then you
get your lawyers and I’ll get mine
and we’ll have that fight...
DAVID
What do think I should do?
SARAH
I always say, if you treat me
good, I’m gonna be your friend.
If you treat me bad, I’ll walk
away. But if you come after me,
and try to take away what’s mine,
I’m gonna arm up and fight you.
113.
INT. GREENBURG TRAURIG MEDIATION ROOM. LATER/DAY.
Efraim sits on one side of a conference room table,

flanked by his LAWYERS. David sits on the other.
Flanked by his LAWYER. A MEDIATOR sits in the middle.
David looks intimidated. Efraim looks haggard, stressed.
EFRAIM
Look, before we get started, I
just want to say, people have been
throwing around a lot of three
letter words and it’s making me
very nervous. I’m sure we can
negotiate this in a gentlemanly
and civilized manner. After all,
we’re all friends here.
MEDIATOR
All right then. Let’s begin the
mediation...
LATER: after a time-lapse MONTAGE of endless lawyer

haggling and arguing, things wind down.
MEDIATOR (CONT’D)
I think that’s it then. $280,000
to be paid over 1 year. The first
$100,000 to be paid upon execution
of a confidentiality and non-
disclosure agreement to be drafted
by Mr. Diveroli’s attorneys and
approved by Mr. Packouz. To be
signed at the AEY offices two
weeks from today, August 12, 2007.
DAVID (V.O.)
I know I got screwed. But what
could I do? Everything was in his
name. I didn’t even have a con-
tract. And to tell you the truth,
I was sick of the whole thing. I
had a kid on the way and I just
wanted to get on with my life. Of
course, little did I know...
INT. RUN-DOWN OFFICE/ALBANIA. DAY/LATER.
Kosta Trebicka sits waiting on the phone. Sweating.
KOSTA
Mr. Chivers? Mr. Chivers of the
New York Times?...Yes. A mutual
friend suggested that I contact
you about a story.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
114.
CONTINUED:
KOSTA (CONT'D)
About $300 million of illegal
Chinese ammunition that a company
AEY is selling to your US
government...
We PULL BACK to reveal, sitting directly behind Kosta:

Henry Thomet. And his scary Bosnian bodyguards.
Kosta looks nervously to Thomet, who nods for him to

continue.
KOSTA (CONT’D)
That is correct Mr. Chivers. I am
the one who packed the ammunition.
Yes I have photographs. I also
have secret tapes of my telephone
calls with the President of AEY,
Mr. Efraim Diveroli...
INT. SARAH’S APARTMENT. DAY/TWO WEEKS LATER.
DAVID
I really don’t want to see him.
David is putting on his good suit. Sarah helps him tie

his tie. Kisses him on the cheek. She’s showing now.
SARAH
Just go over, sign the papers and
leave. Don’t even speak to him...
INT. DAVID’S BLACK AUDI. DAY/MINUTES LATER.
David is driving down a busy South Beach avenue.
As he turns off onto the side street, two blocks up from

the Flamingo, he suddenly hits a traffic jam. He slows.
There’s a POLICEMAN directing traffic away.
DAVID
I just need to get to the
Flamingo. It’s right there.
POLICEMAN
Sorry sir. Police activity.
You’ll have to drive around.
David looks ahead. The street is jammed with police cars

and unmarked cruisers, lights flashing. Dozens of
heavily armed federal agents in tactical vests marked
FBI, ICE and DOJ swarm around the Flamingo entrance.
(CONTINUED)
115.
CONTINUED:
Even when some of them start bringing out computers, he

still doesn’t make the connection. As he inches forward,
he finally sees, through the yellow police tape, the
tactical team bringing Efraim out.
Efraim looks defiant--cocky even. Almost smirking.
David sits there stunned. In total disbelief.
POLICEMAN (O.C.) (CONT’D)

Sir! Sir! I need you to move
this car. You can’t stay here.
DAVID
I’m sorry. I’ll move. Sorry.
David slowly drives away. In a daze.
A few blocks later, he pulls over. He just sits there.

Dumb. Mute. Like he’s been shot.
INT. FEDERAL BUILDING INTERROGATION ROOM. DAYS LATER.
FBI AGENT #1
You did the right thing by coming
in David.
DAVID
Yeah, well, I sure hope you guys
can do something for me here.
David is flanked by the same lawyer we saw in the

mediation. He’s sitting across from two FBI AGENTS.
There’s a video camera rolling on him, and we realize now

that all of David’s voice-over was taped FBI
interrogation of him at this moment, weeks later.
FBI AGENT #2
Like we said up front, we’re not
authorized to offer you any deal
at this time.
DAVID
Yeah. After I read all those
emails from Albania, I guess you
guys didn’t need my help anyway.
The two agents laugh with David. His lawyer does not.
(CONTINUED)
116.
CONTINUED:
FBI AGENT #1
Look, I don’t know where this is
going, but if you do get indicted,
the judge will take this into
consideration at your sentencing.
FBI AGENT #2
Absolutely. So...for the record,
since that day--the day of the
raid--have you had any contact at
all with Mr. Diveroli?
DAVID
No. None. Actually, wait--yes.
I did see Efraim one more time...
INT. THE STUDIO KARAOKE LOUNGE. MONTHS LATER.
DAVID (V.O.)
...at karaoke. He was out on
bail. And he saw me:
Efraim is up on stage, very drunk. Haggard. Singing:
EFRAIM
Like Frankie said I did it my way!
I just wanna live while I’m alive
Cause IT’S MY LIFE!
The HOT CHICK at his table CLAPS politely. Like she’s

getting paid for it.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
That song goes out to my best
friend David Packouz. We’ve been
through some rough times together
but I know things are gonna get
better. And I look forward to
working with him again.
David and Sarah try to leave but Efraim cuts them off.
Drunkenly trying to bear-hug David.
EFRAIM (CONT’D)
I love you man...
David pushes him off.
DAVID
What the fuck do you think you’re
doing? Fuck you. We’re not
friends. Get offa me...
(CONTINUED)
117.
CONTINUED:
Efraim’s face falls. Even in his drunken stupor we can

see how much this hurts him.
David pushes past him and leaves. As we hear the real

voice of David Packouz on scratchy interview tape saying:

It was tragic. We came so close
to having it all. $300 million.
And we almost pulled it off...
As we FADE TO BLACK AND SUPER:
On March 27, 2008 the New York Times wrote an explosive

expose on AEY. It was based in large part on information
and secret tape-recordings provided by Kosta Trebicka.
INSERT: NYT’s story: “SUPPLIER UNDER SCRUTINY ON ARMS

FOR AFGHANS” with photos of Efraim and David (”David M.
Packouz, 25, was AEY’s VP. He is a licensed masseur”).
3 months later the Federal Government indicted AEY,

Efraim, David and Ralph on 71 counts of fraud.
OVER: the explosive Congressional Oversight Committee

Hearings on the AEY scandal. Chairman Waxman YELLING at
top Pentagon brass to explain how a 19-year old and a 24-
year old could land a $300 million arms contract.
Kosta Trebicka had agreed to testify at the Congressional

Hearings but backed out at the last minute. In
September, he was killed in a mysterious car accident.
INSERT: Albanian and European news footage of Trebicka’s

body lying beside a flipped SUV on a totally flat road.
The first official on the scene was the President of

Albania’s personal bodyguard. No one was surprised.
Henry Thomet was never apprehended. He is rumored to be

somewhere in Bosnia.
INSERT: Blurry surveillance footage of Thomet. It’s so

indistinct we might as well be looking at Bigfoot.
Efraim and David both pled guilty to fraud.
OVER: Recreation of the sentencing where Efraim’s mother

looks at him and says: “I know you hate me for saying
this Efraim, but you need to go to jail.” Aunt Julie is
standing beside her, shaking her head. Crash and burn.
The judge says “If it wasn’t so amazing you would laugh”.
Efraim was sentenced to four years and a fine of

$250,000. David was sentenced to 14 months probation.
(CONTINUED)
118.
CONTINUED: (2)
INSERT: prison photo of Efraim in his orange jumpsuit.
David Packouz now lives in Miami with his wife Sarah and
their daughter. He still practices massage and hopes to
have a career as a singer and musician.
INSERT: photo of the real David with his wife Sarah and
his daughter. Smiling. His music playing in the b.g.
It’s oddly happy, upbeat and optimistic.
In 2010, while awaiting sentencing, Efraim Diveroli

violated the terms of his bail by travelling to Orlando.
EXT. ORLANDO WALMART PARKING LOT. DAY/LATER.
Efraim is standing beside an SUV as a bald, middle-aged

GUN DEALER tries to get him to pick up an MP-5.
GUN-DEALER
Let’s go try this at the range.
EFRAIM
Nah, I can’t do that.
GUN-DEALER
Why not?
EFRAIM
I told you on the phone. I had a
little problem. I’m a felon. I
can’t touch guns any more. That’s
why I’m just selling mags now.
GUN-DEALER
Come on, man. Who’s gonna know?
EFRAIM
No, no. I can’t. I’m just here
on business. Can you guys brand
these magazines for me or not.
GUN-DEALER
Definitely. The quality is great.
EFRAIM
I can bring in 50,000 a month.
All this quality. Guaranteed.
GUN-DEALER
What about ammo? I hear you have
some really cheap .308.
EFRAIM
Look, I can’t sell ammo any more.
(CONTINUED)
119.
CONTINUED:
GUN-DEALER
Yeah, but you do have .308 right?
EFRAIM
(laughing)
Come on, don’t ask too many
questions I can’t answer OK?
GUN-DEALER
Are you a player or not?
EFRAIM
Look, what can I say. Once a gun
runner, always a gun runner right?
GUN-DEALER
OK. So take my Glock and put in
the mag.
Efraim hesitates. But the look of love still burns in

his eyes. He picks up the Glock. Works the slide.
Suddenly, a dozen police cars come SCREAMING IN. Agents

in vests marked ATF surround him. Pointing guns at his
head. The gun dealer/undercover agent draws his own.
GUN-DEALER (CONT’D)
ATF OFFICER! You are under arrest.
EFRAIM
You gotta be kidding me. For
what? Picking up a Glock? For
picking up your Glock? Come on.
GUN-DEALER
Drop the gun and get on your
knees.
As the agents cuff him, Efraim is laughing:
EFRAIM
Is this the best you could do?
Seriously? Touching a gun? I
hope you all feel famous. Cos you
got me. The great gun-runner.
Efraim Diveroli. In the Orlando
Walmart. For touching a gun.
CUE Johnny and the Sensations’ “THE WARRIOR” as we SUPER:
On September 1, 2011, Efraim was sentenced to an

additional 2 years in prison for “possessing” a handgun
as a felon. He was 25 years old.
(CONTINUED)
120.
CONTINUED: (2)
The presiding judge said “I don’t really know who the

real Mr. Diveroli is. I doubt Mr. Diveroli knows.”
Efraim is scheduled to be released in 2016. He will be

30 years old. His company, AEY, will be eligible to bid
for federal contracts again in 2022.
We ROLL END CREDITS over real photos of Efraim and David

in happier days. Hanging out as kids. Going to the
EUROSATORY show, posing with machine guns and tanks. At
the Purdy Lounge with Sarah and Jamie. Singing at The
Studio. Arm in arm. Happy and young. Just two kids.
Carefree and having fun.
THE END.

War Dogs (Aka Arms & The Dudes, by Stephen C. Chin, 2nd Draft, 1-27-12)

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War Dogs (Aka Arms & The Dudes, by Stephen C. Chin, 2nd Draft, 1-27-12)

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ARMS & THE DUDES

Based on the Rolling Stone Article

Green Hat Films/Mark Gordon Co./Warner Brothers Pictures

CREDITS ROLL as we TRACK through a penthouse apartment

While he talks, his partner DAVID PACKOUZ (20’s, skinny,

David nods as he turns on the Volcano. They start to

CUE 50 CENT’s ‘I Get Money’ as CREDITS continue OVER:

EXT. THE FLAMINGO SOUTH BEACH. SUNSET.

Efraim and David stride out like young gods through a

EFRAIM (ON PHONE)

There are acres of beach front: hot tubs; volleyball

INT. EFRAIM’S NEW BLACK AMG. TWILIGHT/MOMENTS LATER.

Efraim’s still working as they roll through South Beach:

David refreshes his G-Mail. Yes! Fists in the air!

Efraim wraps an arm around David in a huge bear hug.

INT. SUSHISAMBA RESTAURANT. NIGHT/LATER.

CREDITS CONTINUE over RIHANNA’s ‘SOS’ as we follow Efraim

It looks like a nightclub. It’s dark like a nightclub.

And everybody’s working that hot/sexy/sleazy/cheesy

We watch in quick-cut time lapse as Efraim and David buy

All the while sneaking bumps of coke off Efraim’s bullet

David’s phone RINGS. He cups his hand over it to try to

Efraim is standing up now. Bellowing into the phone.

CREDITS WRAP as we FREEZE-FRAME on Efraim going full

CUE: THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G. ‘Juicy’ as we FLASHBACK TO:

EXT. BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE MIAMI BEACH. 15 YEARS AGO.

Outside a nondescript building, a bunch of boys huddle

Efraim (pudgy, 8 years old) is running a mean game of 3-

EFRAIM (V.O.) (CONT’D)

FLASHBACK/MONTAGE: of Efraim teaching himself to deal 3-

EFRAIM (V.O.) (CONT’D)

We MATCH-CUT back to Efraim’s hands, working the cards in

IRATE OBESE MAN

Efraim SCOOPS up the cards and the money like a practiced

INT. MIAMI BEACH HARDWARE STORE. A YEAR LATER.

Efraim (13) gets the CLERK to climb up the ladder for

EXT. MIAMI BEACH HARDWARE STORE. DAY/SAME.

Efraim and his little crew of delinquents (David, AVY

DAVID (V.O.) (CONT’D)

INT. EFRAIM’S HOUSE. DAY/EARLIER.

Efraim’s parents are fighting about money. It’s nasty,

Down the hall in the family room, in earshot of the

EFRAIM (V.O.) (CONT’D)

TONY MONTANA (ON SCREEN)

EXT. FONTAINEBLEAU HOTEL POOL. DAY/LATER.

The little crew follows a labyrinthine route through back

They sneak onto the back patio. Trying to look

Everyone cracks up. Bullshit!

Their laughter is cut short when a security guard spots

EXT. MIAMI BEACH FRONT. LATER THAT NIGHT.

At night, David plays the guitar as the other kids smoke

INSERT: Ephraim buying a bag of weed from some rastas.

DAVID (V.O.) (CONT’D)

INSERT: Ephraim buying a bigger bag of weed. Shopping

DAVID (V.O.) (CONT’D)

INSERT: Ephraim dealing at school. On the beach. A

DAVID (V.O.) (CONT’D)

INSERT: teenage Ephraim approaching some homeless guys.

DAVID (V.O.) (CONT’D)

INSERT: Efraim pitching the homeless guys. Instructing

DAVID (V.O.) (CONT’D)

INSERT: homeless guys smoking Ephraim’s weed. Happy and

DAVID (V.O.) (CONT’D)