THE DOGS OF WAR (1980) / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: JOHN IRVIN / SCREENPLAY: GARY DEVORE, GEORGE MALKO / STARRING: CHRISTOPHER WALKEN, TOM BERENGER, COLIN BLAKELY / RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 14TH
The trailer included on this Eureka release would have you believe that The Dogs of War, an adaptation of Frederick Forsyth’s novel of the same name, is an epic and action-packed war film. The reality is that director John Irvin’s film is more of a character study with the trappings of a soldier-of-fortune tale.
Narrowly escaping from somewhere in Central America with his mercenary team, it’s not long before James Shannon (Walken) accepts a reconnaissance mission to a small African nation called Zangaro to assess whether its brutal dictator, General Kimba, can be removed in a coup. There are business interests that will pay handsomely for the information as the country is a mine of precious metals. When Shannon nearly dies on his visit to Zangaro it sends him into a tailspin before the opportunity comes along to get revenge.
The film is almost three separate parts. Shannon’s mission to the country is war-torn travelogue, after which he drifts through the wreckage of his life back in America before the opportunity to demolish Kimba’s regime comes his way. It’s proper old-school filmmaking, and in the longer international version (the shorter US original release is also included) in no hurry to get to its destination. Walken’s comrades and almost every other character is thinly drawn because no matter the location or the amount of action on screen (there is a lot in the film’s final third) it’s really all about Shannon. As played by Walken, he’s fascinating, almost like a ghost haunting his own life. There’s fragility there too and he plays it all to the hilt. The Dogs of War is a handsomely mounted film, slow, and deliberate and with beautiful cinematography from Jack Cardiff. It’s not for everyone and arguably doesn’t have enough story to fill its time, but these are minor concerns for a captivating, compelling study of a man who is only truly alive surrounded by death.
It’s not a completely damage-free print but the bright daytime of Zangaro and the nighttime of American and European locations both come out well, detailed, and sharp and clear. There’s nothing else on the disc, no commentary or featurette of any kind, but the first-run limited edition comes with a booklet reprinting Pauline Kael’s original review of the film. If you only want this film in the best shape it’s available in at this time, this is easy to recommend on quality alone but sadly there’s nothing else to make it an essential purchase.
