The Dogs of War

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J C This is one of the best Mercenary Movies ever made, tight acting from Christopher and Tom. Great villians in "Kimba, and his nemesis "Bobbi". Well directed, this is a great movie for a Saturday night at home. Where can I get my President Kimba T-Shirt? Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/23/24 Full Review Carlos I Walken is great, and tries his damnedest to make it work, but it's too low budget and is far too self-serious with it's politics to make for a fun schlocky action flick, which is all something like this should be. It's ultimately boring and forgettable. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 09/12/24 Full Review Biker B One of the best movies on the subject ever made! Christopher Walken was superb! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/01/23 Full Review Stephen C Excellent boys own stuff adapted from the book by Frederick Forsyth. Walken is great as the leader of a gang of mercenaries assigned to overthrow a tinpot dictator. The film works because the build up to the action is well staged and the final attack is one of the best for an action film. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/06/23 Full Review dan b I didnt like it, moved slow, to fake and bad acting Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Having escaped from Central America with his comrades Drew (Tom Berenger), Derek (Paul Freeman), Michel (Jean-François Stévenin), Terry (Ed O'Neill) and Richard (Harlan Cary Poe), mercenary Jamie Shannon (Christopher Walken) gets an offer from Endean, a British businessman working for a major tycoon. Endean's company is interested in "certain resources" in the small African nation of Zangaro, which is run by the brutal dictator, President Kimba. Shannon goes on a reconnaissance mission to Zangaro's capital of Clarence and meets a British documentary filmmaker named North, who fills him in on the political situation in Zangaro. However, Shannon's activities arouse the suspicions of the police (especially a suspected dalliance with a woman who turns out to be one of Kimba's mistresses) and he is arrested, severely beaten and imprisoned. His wounds are treated by Dr. Okoye, a physician and prisoner who was formerly a moderate political leader. North agitates for Shannon's release, and two days later he is deported. When Shannon tells Endean that there is no chance of an internal coup, Endean offers him $100,000 to overthrow Kimba by invading Zangaro with a mercenary army. Endean's employer intends to install a puppet government led by Colonel Bobi, Kimba's greedy former ally, allowing Endean's employer to exploit the country's newly discovered platinum resources, an agreement guaranteed by Colonel Bobi. Shannon refuses the offer and instead proposes to his estranged girlfriend Jessie that they start a new life in the western U.S. When she refuses his proposal, he accepts Endean's contract on condition that he will have complete control of the military operation... This Frederick Forsyth novel from 1974 comes to life through a convincing Christopher Walken as the mercenary Jamie Shannon and what it means to be a mercenary. His struggle to maintain a normal life in between operations and the life he lives during the actual operations are portrayed in a convincing way. I think that John Irvin could´ve given us a bit more background on the group of mercenaries and the individuals too. This is not a glorifying war film, it rather shows the bleak and harsh reality of war. I like that a lot of the film takes up the planning, getting equipment etc and not just focusing on the action part. Thus making this something else than a standard action war movie. It´s hard to not mention the XM-18E1R gun (the correct name is the Manville Gun) used in the film. A memorable weapon that truly stands out. Trivia: The title is based on a phrase from William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar: "Cry, 'Havoc!', and let slip the dogs of war." African and Central America sequences were filmed in Belize City, Belize, in Central America. Christopher Walken was relatively unknown at the time and was not the producer's original choice for Jamie Shannon. United Artists wanted a known action star in the lead role and suggested Burt Reynolds, Sylvester Stallone or Sean Connery but director John Irvin thought that none of these would fit the low profile of the character and wanted someone who would be unassuming but full of surprises. As United Artists insisted on an American actor in the lead role, Walken was suggested to Irvin by Michael Cimino (who was doing an uncredited rewrite on the screenplay) who had previously been in Cimino's film The Deer Hunter (1978). Irvin thought Walken would be a good fit for the character and cast him much to the annoyance of United Artists who still wanted a big name to headline the film. However with the producers backing their director, United Artists finally gave in but cut the production budget by $4 million. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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