Product Details

• Actors: Christopher Walken, Tom Berenger, Colin Blakely, Hugh Millais, Paul Freeman
• Directors: John Irvin
• Writers: Frederick Forsyth, Gary DeVore, George Malko
• Producers: Larry DeWaay, Norman Jewison, Patrick J. Palmer
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• VHS Release Date: April 14, 1998
• Run Time: 102 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0792838351
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #306,914 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Back before Christopher Walken became a caricature of himself, when he was still considered a rising actor based on his Oscar® for The Deer Hunter, he made this graphic, exciting action film, about a group of professional mercenaries. Walken leads a band of soldiers of fortune, who are hired to overthrow a dictator in West Africa (think Idi Amin). But when their mission is compromised by political and monetary forces, Walken returns to the United States, disillusioned, battered, and not sure the high life of lawyers, guns, and money is really for him. Still, vengeance is sweet, as his partner, Tom Berenger, keeps whispering into his ear. A better film than it's generally given credit for, The Dogs of War features the kind of cool, detached performance Walken used to be capable of, before he began believing both the hype and ridicule about his over-the-top style. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who's the villain, October 5, 2005

By 

sand-da-man (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dogs of War (DVD)

This film stands out because, unlike most action movies, the plot drives it. It's a portrayal of the life of mercenaries, pawns in the larger global game of power and profits, seen through the experiences of the character played by Christopher Walken. Its specific focus is a coup d'etat in Africa that must be executed by a clandestine force, necessarily commissioned outside the official channels of government. From its earliest stages, all aspects of the mission are rife with mortal danger, a typical reflection of the political forces vying to maintain their own interests. A veteran of several similar assaults, Walken's character is contacted to organize and implement the project. For him, it should be just another assignment, but this one is different. We see a grizzled, jaded soldier of fortune who is well-trained and honed for the task, but who is nonetheless hoping that this particular job may be his last, providing just enough of a pay-off to enable him to leave the life and pursue a more normal existence. Through the course of events, we therefore get not only a story of conflict but one that is personal as well.
The other film's strengths are its aversion to stereotypes and straw men. This is not the stuff of Chuck Norris or Sylvester Stallone. We are not subjected to distorted combat scenes where the hero wins the battle with one hand and the enemy is a stupid, sub-human dreg. Rather, we get a sense of the uncertainty of survival, of the brutal reality of life and death under unusual and exceptional circumstances. Within that context, the lines between good and evil, hero and villain, are blurred. Questions concerning loyalty and principle are posed. Who, in fact, is right? Who should win- and does it matter? Can the employer be trusted or even the other men in the unit?
This is as good a movie as there is in this genre. Walken's performance is compelling, bolstered by an excellent supporting cast(including an unexpectedly good showing from Tom Berenger). Fine direction of vivid action scenes ensures that the tempo does not drag, but balanced against that is suprisingly cutting, insightful and sensitive dialogue. This film thus succeeds at several levels and, while disturbing in tone, still makes for great entertainment.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A war-movie without heroism or melodrama., February 18, 2000

By 

AJ "AJ" (Delaware, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dogs of War (Widescreen Edition) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This must be one of the most unique movies ever made. Nearly every movie portraying war ends up as being either too melodramatic, using metaphores all over the place ( like Full Metal Jacket ) Or it becomes a hero piece. Dogs of War does neither. Forsyth's rather slow-moving story about a group of mercenaries fighting a private war on behalve of a mining company has been juiced up and stripped of the unnecessary parts. This has resulted in a suspenceful story, that keeps the audience in its grip from beginning to end. With good acting from Christopher Walken and Tom Berenger and excellent directing by John Irving Dogs of War gives an unglamorous and realistic image of war.

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well Crafted Mercenary Tale, October 15, 2004

By 

David Baldwin (Philadelphia,PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Dogs of War (DVD)

This is a well crafted story about the otherthrowing of a brutal West African dictatorship through a mercenary run coup d'tat. The film meticulously follows the plot from the reconesance operation to the planning stages through the actual coup. Christopher Walken plays Shannon, the leader of the mercenaries. Walken does solid, but not remarkable work here but he cannot be faulted for that. The film is more concerned with the nuts and bolts of the story and not so with characterization. Shannon's personal life is dealt with perfunctorily, such as his failed marriage, but is quickly dropped. A major character dies in battle but the audience can't really feel for him because we never really got to know him. Covert ops and military hardware take precedence. Gotta love them Uzis and Gats. If you are looking for good storytelling with little or no emotional attachment to the characters this is the film for you.