Review of The Dogs of War (1980) by Tim S — 07 Mar 2015

Based upon the novel by Frederick Forsyth, The Dogs of War was released in 1980 and was directed by John Irvin, who is better known as the director of films like Next of Kin, Raw Deal, and Hamburger Hill.

The film stars Christopher Walken as a former mercenary for hire who is coaxed into going on a reconnaissance mission to the fictional African nation of the Republic of Zangaro in order to get information about a violent leader there named President Zimba for a wealthy bureaucrat.

After acquiring and delivering the information, he and his cohorts are paid to go back into Zangaro and take Kimba out of power by any means necessary. On the surface, The Dogs of War functions as a sort of Rambo-type action movie in the third act, leaving the first two acts feeling like pointless setup.

We're under the impression at first that the film is going to be a character study of some kind, or perhaps even a revenge story. We learn a great deal about Walken's character, especially as it pertains to his relationship with his ex-wife.

The focus is so strongly planted on Walken's character that the other members of his company, who come into play much later in the story, have little to no build up. We virtually know nothing about them other than their abilities in combat.

It's not that the film is tonally all over the place, it's that the story never finds two feet to stand on by sticking to one idea. There are some strong points though, such as Jack Cardiff's cinematography and Walken's performance.

Both are quite strong, but there's nothing overly memorable about the story itself. The mission to go after President Kimba in the third act is also handled quite well. It's actually the most engaging portion of the entire film.

Unfortunately, it's followed up with an ending that comes directly out of left field without any proper setup for it. It seems as if the film wants to make a statement, but forgot to organize itself enough to make it properly.

It's simply a confused movie with little to nothing to invest in, as if the important pieces to make it work were chopped out. It's watchable at certain times, but it feels incomplete.