The Dogs of War
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Actor: Christopher Walken, Colin Blakely, Hugh Millais, Paul Freeman, Tom BerengerBrand: WALKEN,CHRISTOPHER
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 102 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-11-20
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
DVD Reviews of The Dogs of War
DVD Review: Violent, Cynical And Well Done
Summary: 4 Stars
"Cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war," wrote one of those old, white male Eurocentric writers a long time ago, and this movie shows how it can be done. I think it's a solid, fast-paced adventure story with a nice, jaundiced outlook and a first-rate performance by Christopher Walken.
Jamie Shannon (Walken) is a pay-for-play mercenary who has reached the point where he's just seen too much. His private life has disintegrated. His wife has divorced him, although he, in his own way, still loves her. He lives in a worn out New York apartment where he keeps a revolver in the refrigerator and the black and white TV on all the time. He's hired by a big, multinational company to check out Zangora, an African country rich in resources and ruled by a brutal but wily and slightly insane dictator. The question Jamie is asked to answer: Are the conditions ripe enough for a coup to succeed? Jamie goes there, but is caught and beaten within an inch of his life, then deported. On his return, his answer to the company is simple: A coup isn't possible; the army is corrupt and second rate, but they still are loyal to President Kimba. The company then asks Jamie: How about the chances of success for a well-financed, well supplied overthrow led by a first-class group of mercenaries, led by Jamie Shannon? After some angst involving an unsuccessful attempt to reconnect with his ex-wife, Jamie says it could work and he'll do it.
The middle of the movie shows us how to recruit our own group of mercenaries, get arms and money out of one country and into another, and then plan and carry out a meticulous and violent attack against a poorly led and larger army. And it does it with economy and a surprising amount of tension and interest. During recruitment and planning, Jamie finds himself beginning to question the motives of his employer and rediscovering some values of his own. Jamie Shannon is a ruthless and efficient hired gun, but he begins to see that what he has spent his life becoming may not be want he wants, after all. The movie ends with a nice, violent twist. Although satisfying, we're still left uncertain if Jamie will be able to break out of his way of life.
I thought this movie kept things moving very well, even during the obligatory development of Shannon's back story and the time spent establishing his relationship with his ex-wife. Christopher Walken, looking very young, carries off the role with style and feeling. He has already perfected that slightly off-kilter stare, plus he's a fine actor. Tom Berenger plays his buddy, Drew, whom Shannon recruits to be his second in command. Nice jobs are turned in by Hugh Millais, who plays the multi-national corporation's amoral, can-do representative, and by Winston Ntshona as Dr. Okoye, a prisoner Shannon encounters in the Zangora prison after he's caught during his first visit. It's a small part, but the role is a major pivot point for the movie.
On balance, I think this is a very good adventure movie with a cynical edge and a fine Walken performance. The DVD picture looks just fine.
Description of The Dogs of War
Academy AwardÂ(r) winner* Christopher Walken (Pulp Fiction) is a brutal mercenary who must fight the ultimate battleagainst his own consciencein this powerful action thriller with a "heart-thumping tempo" (The Hollywood Reporter). The Dogs Of War is a spectacular adventure that brilliantly captures the gloryand horrorof war. Jamie Shannon (Walken) is a cynical warrior-for-hire who feels truly alive only in the heat of battle, and now he's aboutto take on the most challenging assignment of his career: to invade a corrupt African dictatorship and shift control to the "puppet" of a powerful British corporation. To prepare, Shannon masterfullytrains and equips a squad of deadly mercenaries with the latest and most destructive tactics and military hardware. But as their explosive assault begins, Shannon finds himself embroiled in an internal conflict of his own: Will this be his greatest triumph or has he sold his soul along with his battle expertise?Back before Christopher Walken became a caricature of himself, when he was still considered a rising actor based on his Oscar® for The Deer Hunter, he made this graphic, exciting action film, about a group of professional mercenaries. Walken leads a band of soldiers of fortune, who are hired to overthrow a dictator in West Africa (think Idi Amin). But when their mission is compromised by political and monetary forces, Walken returns to the United States, disillusioned, battered, and not sure the high life of lawyers, guns, and money is really for him. Still, vengeance is sweet, as his partner, Tom Berenger, keeps whispering into his ear. A better film than it's generally given credit for, The Dogs of War features the kind of cool, detached performance Walken used to be capable of, before he began believing both the hype and ridicule about his over-the-top style. --Marshall Fine
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