Movie review of Dog Soldiers

Horrorphile

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Horrorphile - April 2007

Dog Soldiers

April 16th 2007 06:10

Neil Marshall’s Dog Soliders (2002) is one of the better movies dealing with lycanthropes. It does more than simply snarl and growl; it howls long and hard, bites and tears and rips off large chunks of flesh. This is one bitchin’ werewolf flick!

A British squad of soldiers is on a routine military exercise in the Scottish highlands when they come across a scene of carnage: a Special Operations team have been literally torn apart and eaten by beasts. Captain Ryan (Liam Cunningham) is the sole survivor. Private Cooper (Kevin McKidd) is familiar with Ryan, knows he’s a sly fox. But foxes are not what he should be concerned about, think lupus, not vulpes.

The lads have a breather ... they'll need it!

Ryan has been badly mauled, but he’ll live. The men are attacked by huge werewolves and Sergeant Wells (Sean Pertwee) is badly injured, almost completely disemboweled in fact. The men make an escape and encounter Megan (Emma Cleasby), a local zoologist who just happens to be very savvy to their predicament (while Ryan is even more privy). They all seek protection from the hirsute menace in a nearby farmhouse. All hairy hell continues to break loose.

It’s an unlikely combination; stoic British soliders vs. smart and vicious werewolves, an action-horror in the wilderness, all male bravado, guts and glory. Dog Soldiers is surprisingly effective. An American version would’ve been clunkered with stupid dialogue and bollocks behaviour. Neil Marshall’s screenplay gives his top-notch cast some cracking lines with big ballsy scenes of confrontation, both with each other and against their humanoid-lupine adversaries. At times the movie is perhaps a little too chatty in places, but the pace never falters for too long.

And it’s got some pretty decent gore too. And you need that in a werewolf movie of this full-metal jacketed calibre. Director Marshall went on to direct the very intense and blood-soaked horror The Descent (2003, and one of the best horrors of recent years). This filmmaker knows how to inject life into a much maligned genre.

Private Cooper (Kevin McKidd) has a moment

Big props have to go to director Marshall and his producers for the economic use of special effects. Dog Soldiers isn’t a big budget film, in fact it was shot on Super 16mm and blown up to 35mm. It uses spare exterior location shooting (the atmospheric mountainous highlands) and a central set of interiors (a large, but claustrophobic farmhouse), and cleverly films the werewolves with only fleeting glimpses. This is partially due to the brave use of the men-in-suits approach for the werewolves themselves. You run the risk of the menace looking damn silly, but the three actors who play the werewolf family are all on stilts in convincing lycanthrope costume, including superb full head mask.

Director Marshall has also opted (probably due to budget constraints more than anything) not to show any transformation sequences (the only complete change happens out of shot). But that doesn’t matter, with the shadowy lighting these are very mean lookin’ and imposing werewolves alright. You don’t need to see the change to be fearful.

Quick, get this man a nail file and Visine on the double!

I’ve always held affection for werewolf flicks. There’s something wild, hot-blooded and untamed about them. But the memorable wolf movies are a rare breed. Dog Soldiers savages its way into that small league of champion werewolf movies, up there with cult classics An American Werewolf in London (1981) and The Howling (1981), and even the unusual, but spunky Ginger Snaps (2000), all of which have a black comic streak along their bristled spines, adding a fine talon of irony and toothy sardonic humour.

Here's a teaser trailer on the comic edge ...

Owwwwwwww!!!!

And for those not held down by worksafe restrictions, try this on for size:

* images on this page are courtesy of www.beyondhollywood.com

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: No Category

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Comments

10 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Damo

April 16th 2007 06:38

For the Sake of Argument
My Apologetics

Looks delightful

Comment by KylieW

April 16th 2007 07:13

Celebrity Obsession

I haven't seen this flick before. I'll check it out. The fact that it doesn't use excessive special effects makes me all the more interested to see it.

Comment by JohnDoe

April 16th 2007 08:11

Film & TV on DVD

Love the review Bryn,

Im sure you know that Im a massive fan of this balls to the wall action/comedy.

Dog Soldiers was actually one of the first films I ever reviewed on my site.

Great film that grips from start to finish and features some brilliant dialogue that I often recycle in real life.

Good work my man.

Comment by Bryn

April 16th 2007 08:13

Horrorphile

Damo, oh, and it is ... it will kiss and caress and love you the best .... then rip yer bloody heart out!

Comment by Bryn

April 16th 2007 08:23

Horrorphile

Kylie ... if you dig big-eared werewolves and men with big guns ... but not American big-eared werewolves and not American men with guns ... then this is the flick for you!

JD, my apologies ... I was meant to put a link through to your review ... feel free to post a hyperlink via a comment!

Comment by Cibbuano

April 17th 2007 00:20

20/20 Filmsight
Science News
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak

If done well, the suits come off so much better than bad CGI...

Comment by Bryn

April 17th 2007 04:52

Horrorphile

Cibby, most definitely ... the werewolves in this look great in medium closeup, but a little sillier when filmed in long shot (odd, but true), the head masks are great!

Comment by Anonymous

March 18th 2008 16:03

Brill film, amazing! A proper British film, scary and funny at the same time!

Comment by Kael

May 2nd 2008 08:38

Yes, brilliant film indeed! An almost perfect representation of the intelligence werewolves would naturally, and logically possess. I should've thought to use this as an example in my argument on your other blog, hah. One of my favorite werewolf movies of all time, to be sure.

Comment by adramyttium

May 2nd 2008 08:42

The Shadow of Death's Hand
Black Metal Archive

To be honest, the only thing i disliked about the film was the fact that these were Anthro-werewolves, meaning they stood on two legs the whole time... I rather prefer a more feral representation, Lycanthropes who move on all fours, as well as the occasional bipedal movement.

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