Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		2.0

Dog Eat Dog Blu-ray Movie Review

Dine Elsewhere

Reviewed by Michael Reuben December 30, 2016

Nicolas Cage and writer/director Paul Shrader were both unhappy with the result of their collaboration on 2014's Dying of the Light, which Schrader disowned after the studio took it from him during editing. When the pair reunited in 2015, Schrader made sure he had final cut, and he and Cage collaborated on reworking Matthew Wilder's script for Dog Eat Dog, loosely adapted from the novel by career-criminal-turned-author Edward Bunker (Straight Time). With no studio scapegoat, the actor and helmer have only themselves to blame for the dispirited mess they coughed up from a 25-day shoot with a crew composed of recent film school graduates.

Dog Eat Dog is nominally the story of three ex-cons trying to get by, but that premise is just an excuse for Schrader to stage the kind of episodic depravity for which he has always had an inordinate fondness. Troy (Cage) is what passes for the brains of the outfit; Diesel (Christopher Matthew Cook, 2 Guns) is the muscle; and Mad Dog (Willem Dafoe) is the group's raging id, who opens the film by committing two brutal murders on impulse. Troy gets criminal assignments from a fixer known as El Greco (Schrader), but the capers don't generate any drama or suspense, just as the relationships among the trio are never developed. Incidents of violent incompetence alternate with dalliances in strip clubs, bars and casinos, and Schrader stylizes everything with artificial tints, black-and-white inserts and similar visual tricks suggesting a cut-rate Natural Born Killers. He's so uninterested in narrative consistency that, when the trio kidnaps a baby for ransom and the scheme goes awry, the infant just disappears from the picture. In the extras, Cage and Schrader admit that they "forgot about the baby". They also forgot to create interesting characters or tell a coherent story, and the film's conclusion makes so little sense that Schrader can only explain it by suggesting that it may be set in some sort of blood-soaked afterlife.

Dog Eat Dog Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

According to the end credits, Dog Eat Dog was captured on Red. The cinematographer was Alexander Dynan, shooting his first feature. Image/RLJ's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray is a capable presentation of a digitally acquired feature, dutifully retaining Schrader's lurid colors and stylistic curlicues. Schrader has never been adept at visuals, and Dog Eat Dog is frequently an ugly movie, but that isn't the fault of the transfer. Detail, blacks and contrast are on a par with what one would expect from a digital feature shot on a tiny budget and a tight schedule.

Dog Eat Dog Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Dog Eat Dog's lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack is adequate but nothing special, delivering the requisite volume and dynamic range for weapons fire, the occasional explosion and the heavy beat of strip-club muzak. Surround effects are minimal. The driving electronic score is by Deantoni Parks, who contributed to the soundtracks of Sympathy for Delicious and Criminal Activities.

Dog Eat Dog Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Nicolas Cage Video Introduction (1080i; iPhone shape; 0:50): Recorded for the Toronto International Film Festival.



• Commentary with Director Paul Schrader.



• BeyondFest Q&A with Nicolas Cage and Paul Schrader (1080p; 1.78:1; 25:08): This is by far the most interesting of the extras, because the audience questions cover the entire careers of both panelists.



• Photo Gallery (1080p; 1.78:1): A dozen stills.



• Introductory Trailers: Rage, Criminal Activities, I.T.

Dog Eat Dog Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Parts of Dog Eat Dog suggest that Schrader was reaching for a comedic tone, but his reach far exceeds his grasp. The best one can say about the film is that it provided work experience for a group of young crew members just starting their careers. It's best left as a line on a résumé. Not recommended.