United Artists
Not part of a collection.
The Dogs of War
Cry 'Havoc!' and let slip...
Mercenary soldiers Jamie and Drew are hired by a large corporation to liberate Zangaro, a small African nation, from an despot. Havoc ensues.
- Original title
- The Dogs of War
- Language
- EN
- Country
- GB
- Budget
- $8,000,000
- Revenue
- $5,484,132
tmdb28039023
Sep 8, 2022 · via TMDB
Zangaro, the fictional African country in The Dogs of War, is something like Zamunda's poor, small neighbor – especially small. North (Colin Blakely), a British documentarian, informs James Shannon (the invaluable Christopher Walken) that a week after taking office, President Kimba sent his opponents, Colonel Bobi (George Harris) and Dr. Okoye (Winston Ntshona), into exile and jail, respectively. When Shannon, a mercenary on a reconnaissance mission to determine the feasibility of a coup d'état, is arrested, what are the odds that he'll briefly find himself in the same cell as the good doctor? Apparently, as good as befriending one of Kimba's mistresses. Contrived coincidences aside, director John Irvin wisely favors, like the Frederick Forsyth novel upon which it is based, an 'ask questions first, shoot later' philosophy; as a result, a large portion of the 100-minute running time is devoted to the preparations and logistics of the coup — which itself is left for the film's climax (an approach reminiscent of that of The Dirty Dozen), and it's over before soon-to-be-ex-president Kimba knows what hit him. Shannon's personal life, or lack thereof, also receives a lot of attention, which helps explain his willing willingness to pursue this line of work in general, and to return to Zangaro following his traumatic first experience in the country. The reasons behind the coup, in contrast, are not explored as thoroughly; in a nutshell, Roy Endean (Hugh Millais), an English businessman, is interested in a recently discovered platinum deposit on Zangaro. Basically, the only difference between Kimba and Bobi is that, as the latter puts it, “He wants to be God, I want to be rich”; meanwhile, Endean explains that "The people I represent will not do business with a madman." Ergo, out with Kimba and in with Bobi — these plans, though, are subject to change, considering that Shannon may or may not have his own agenda. Ed O'Neill, in just his second film credit, has a pre-Married with Children cameo, and the ever-reliable Tom Berenger is Shannon's lieutenant, but The Dogs of War is, as it should be, Walken’s film through and through.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Christopher Walken
Jamie Shannon
Tom Berenger
Drew
Colin Blakely
North
Hugh Millais
Roy Endean
Paul Freeman
Derek
Jean-François Stévenin
Michel
JoBeth Williams
Jessie
Robert Urquhart
Capt. Lockhart
Winston Ntshona
Dr. Okoye
Pedro Armendáriz Jr.
The Captain
Harlan Cary Poe
Richard
Ed O'Neill
Terry
Shane Rimmer
Dr. Oaks
George Harris
Col. Bobi
David Schofield
Endean's Man
Terence Rigby
Hackett
Jean-Pierre Kalfon
Benny
John Quentin
Party Guest
Jean-Pierre Kalfon
Benny Lambert
Christopher Malcolm
Baker
André Penvern
Policeman
Martin LaSalle
Customs Officer
Hugh Quarshie
Zangaron Officer
Olu Jacobs
Customs Officer
Thomas Baptiste
Dexter
Eddie Tagoe
Jinja
Kenny Ireland
Film Crew
Jim Broadbent
Film Crew
Diana Bracho
Nun
Ilario Bisi-Pedro
Kimba
William Cain
Poker Player
Victoria Tennant
Dinner Party Guest
Sheila Ruskin
Dinner Party Guest
Dermot Crowley
Chauffeur (uncredited)
Jack Cardiff
Director of Photography
Alex Brown
Stunts
Eddie Smith
Stunts
Jay Amor
Stunts
Marc Mercury
Stunts
Roy Scammell
Stunts
John Irvin
Director
Anthony Waye
First Assistant Director
Mike Fenton
Casting
Susie Figgis
Casting
Norman Jewison
Executive Producer
Geoffrey Burgon
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Frederick Forsyth
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Feb 13, 1981
