The Dogs of War Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

The Dogs of War Blu-ray Movie Review

Soldier of misfortune.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 3, 2014

Hire one paid killer and you have yourself a hitman. Up that to a whole gaggle of paid killers, and suddenly you have a mercenary army. Author Frederick Forsyth, who had experience both in journalism and the military (he served in the Royal Air Force as a fighter jet pilot), may have been a paid killer of another sort due to his stint in the armed forces, but he seems to have a special fascination for the more surreptitious kind as well. It’s a lone gunman who advances much of the story in Forsyth’s first big international bestseller, The Day of the Jackal. And it’s a group of hired guns which plays into at least the second half of The Dogs of War, though the story remains more or less centered on lead mercenary Jamie Shannon (Christopher Walken). For whatever reason, Forsyth’s novels haven’t always had that easy of a transition to the screen. Things started out well enough with 1973’s The Day of the Jackal, perhaps because it was directed by the somewhat unlikely Fred Zinnemann. Despite having another iconic director in Ronald Neame, 1974’s The Odessa File was a considerably more lumbering affair, one lacking the visceral briskness and intensity of The Day of the Jackal despite a compelling story concerning a secret cabal protecting ex-Nazis. The Fourth Protocol, the only other Forsyth property (other than The Dogs of War) to see the arc light of cinema, once again featured a ruthless professional killer (this time a KGB agent played by Pierce Brosnan) but almost played like a self-parody at times, an aspect that seriously undercut any real tension or suspense. There are different problems afflicting The Dogs of War, a film that probably spends too much time setting up the prelude to a mercenary led invasion of sorts of a fictional West African nation called Zangora. Part of what ails The Dogs of War is that scenarists Gary DeVore and George Malko seem intent to provide Shannon with an inner life, something that’s perfectly understandable but slightly at odds with Forsyth’s more descriptive style that tends to focus on events rather than personalities. Interestingly, that focus on Shannon comes at a price—there’s virtually no information about any of Shannon’s cohorts, not to mention any of the other supporting characters hanging around the fringes of the story, leading to a lack of emotional involvement. That leaves the action elements, which are typically well staged and perhaps enough to make the film palatable to undemanding adrenaline junkies.

The Dogs of War starts out viscerally enough, however, with an exciting albeit pretty brief sequence detailing Shannon and his buddies desperately trying to get out of an unnamed Central American country where it seems that their mercenary efforts have come to naught. They manically drive a jeep through a battlefield with all sorts of explosions occurring around them, and then push their way onto some sort of transport plane, which is full of refugees. While it’s unclear exactly what’s going on (especially with regard to who’s in charge), the camaraderie between the men is firmly established, and director John Irvin keeps the gunfire and flack exploding at a breakneck pace as Shannon and his team segue to safety.

But it’s here that The Dogs of War takes the first of several “character beat” detours, detailing Shannon’s Spartan home existence and his strained relationship with his ex-wife Jessie (a criminally underused JoBeth Williams). When an imperious (and no doubt devious) British guy named Endean (Hugh Millais) manages to get by the doorman at Shannon’s building and up to Shannon’s apartment, Shannon is offered $15,000 to scout the country of Zangaro, ostensibly to get information on its reclusive and supposedly lunatic dictator, General Kimba (Ilarrio Bisi Pedro). Since it’s already obvious by Endean’s own confession that there are valuable natural resources in the country that have sparked considerable interest in certain circles, there’s not much suspense that Endean’s motives may not have been fully disclosed to Shannon.

Shannon decides to accept the offer, traveling to the country undercover as a photographer for a nature magazine. (That’s Modern Family’s Ed O’Neill as the guy “training” Shannon on the use of the camera.) When Shannon arrives in Zangaro, he’s almost instantly introduced to the rampant corruption in the little nation, courtesy of an airport policeman who routs through Shannon’s personal effects, pocketing piles of cash the supposed “nature photographer” has brought with him. Later, Shannon meets and becomes friendly with a British expat named North (Colin Blakely), a documentary filmmaker who helps Shannon ferret out some information. However, Shannon’s activities rouse the suspicions of Kimba’s henchmen, and he’s renditioned for some extremely “enhanced interrogation”.

North’s efforts get a badly injured Shannon sprung from a squalid prison, and he’s returned home, much the worse for wear. When a doctor tells him his injuries have shaved years off of his lifespan, Shannon seems to realize he needs to find a new line of work, and makes a halting effort to reunite with his wife. When that doesn’t gel, a “new, improved” offer from Endean to lead a mercenary army back into Zangaro to engineer a coup seems more enticing, and the film is finally off on its main thrust, the extended planning and execution of the operation. While it’s obvious the really long and probably over labored set up was felt necessary to give Shannon motivation to go back into Zangaro and kick major butt, this approach keeps The Dogs of War from building any appreciable momentum until well past the hour mark, by which point some viewers may have well lost interest.

Things finally kick into relatively high gear once the mission is underway, with Shannon and his right hand man Drew Blakeley (Tom Berenger) leading a ragtag group of mercenaries in an overthrow of Zimba’s sadistic government. Irvin stages the final assault with a nonstop battery of explosions and gunfire, finally adding some real punch to the proceedings. Shannon’s no nonsense demeanor is revealed in one final act of (understandable) brutality, making it clear that he may in fact be a paid hitman, but at least he gets to choose whom to hit.

The Dogs of War Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Dogs of War is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Lensed (perhaps a bit improbably) by legendary cinematographer Jack Cardiff, the preferred cameraman for many of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's most notable Technicolor achievements (The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus), but who at this point in his career was trafficking in decidedly less heady fare like Conan the Destroyer and Rambo: First Blood Part II. This may not be Cardiff's most notable achievement, but there's great attention to detail paid in the lighting and framing, with the bookending action sequences both extremely well filmed (note how brilliantly the timing of the flak around the plane in the opening scenes is choreographed and shot). Colors are just a bit on the drab side throughout this presentation, and the elements have perhaps a bit more dirt and dust than might be expected of a circa 1980 film. Detail is very good to excellent, popping quite well in close-ups. Contrast is generally stable, and while the film grain is natural looking for the most part, it spikes rather dramatically in many of the darker sequences.

The Dogs of War Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Dogs of War's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 audio provides ample support both for the many dialogue sequences as well as the fiery action elements, sequences that typically feature a lot of foley effects including gunshots and bombastic explosions. Fidelity is fine and dynamic range is extremely wide. There are no issues with problems like dropouts, hiss or damage.

The Dogs of War Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• International Version (1080p; 1:58:46) and U.S. Theatrical Version (1080p; 1:44:00) are both presented. While the U.S. Theatrical Version does include chapter stops, only the International Version's chapter stops are accessible via the Main Menu's Scene Selection option.


• Isolated Score Track is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and is available on only the International Version.


• Theatrical Trailer (480i; 2:37)


• MGM 90th Anniversary Trailer (1080p; 2:06)

The Dogs of War Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Much like Shannon's relationship with his ex-wife, things never really gel comfortably in The Dogs of War. The film might have been better served with a shorter first and second act, and with more emphasis on what really does work here, the huge effort to unseat a brutal dictator. Walken is suitably tough and hardscrabble here, but a lot of the color comes courtesy of the supporting players, especially a very enjoyable Blakely as North. Technical merits here are generally strong. Though the overall tenor of the film leaves something to be desired, action lovers should get enough out of at least the first few minutes and the final act of The Dogs of War to make this a worthwhile viewing experience. Recommended.