The Dogs of War

R

1980

1 hr. 45 min.

Action

Drama

List

70%

20 Reviews

Tomatometer

53%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Mercenary soldiers Jamie (Christopher Walken) and Drew (Tom Berenger) are hired by a large corporation to liberate Zangaro, a small African nation, from an iron-fisted despot. Once there, Jamie ends up in jail. After being brutally tortured, he is helped by Dr. Okoye (Winston Ntshona), a political prisoner, and learns more about the plight of the country's people. After Jamie is freed, he becomes disillusioned with his wealthy employers and joins the Zangaro people on the revolutionary front.

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Biker B

One of the best movies on the subject ever made! Christopher Walken was superb!

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 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 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 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

delysid d

cool gun, cool movie

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/17/21

Full Review

tony h

With some limitations due to its era or its budget, this film has nevertheless done very well for itself in terms of its output. It illustrates beautifully the logistics of the Dogs of war in fine detail, lending some understanding indeed to the audience about the bigger picture here. Then it lifts the lid on the human side of it all. The stupidity and the agony, the necessity and the futility are all so bittersweet. C'est la vie! C'est la guerre.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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John Irvin

Director

Christopher Walken

Jamie Shannon

Tom Berenger

Drew

Colin Blakely

North

Jean-François Stévenin

Michel

JoBeth Williams

Jesse

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Pauline Kael

New Yorker

A crisp, toughminded action film... The casting of Christopher Walken as Shannon, the leader of the group, gives the film the fuse it needs.

Sep 18, 2023

Full Review

Gary Arnold

Washington Post

The Dogs of War can be recommended only as a desperate snack for rabid tastes.

Dec 18, 2015

Full Review

Time Out

This is just another weary hack job from a rootless British film industry in decline.

Jan 26, 2006

Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…gritty expose of corruption…with a non-nonsense, weather-beaten attitude to geo-politics…

Rated: 4/5

Mar 17, 2024

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Walken has rarely delivered such an earthy, physical performance.

Rated: 3/4

Feb 26, 2021

Full Review

Rob Aldam

Backseat Mafia

The end is pure '80s action entertainment.

Oct 14, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

Mercenary soldiers Jamie (Christopher Walken) and Drew (Tom Berenger) are hired by a large corporation to liberate Zangaro, a small African nation, from an iron-fisted despot. Once there, Jamie ends up in jail. After being brutally tortured, he is helped by Dr. Okoye (Winston Ntshona), a political prisoner, and learns more about the plight of the country's people. After Jamie is freed, he becomes disillusioned with his wealthy employers and joins the Zangaro people on the revolutionary front.

Director: John Irvin
Executive Producer: Norman Jewison, Patrick J. Palmer
Screenwriter: Gary DeVore, George Malko
Production Co: Juniper Films
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 16, 2008
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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