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I came across DOG SOLDIERS earlier this year and I have been looking forward to it ever since. Would it bite back to a werewolf movie that seems that it hasn’t had any bite for quite a while? Can it inject some life into the now long extinct British Horror? In so many ways, DOG SOLDIERS is so unmistakably British. It resembles more to British television than a big-budget movie. So, if you like your movies DOG SOLDIERS is not likely to impress you.
Neil Marshall who is a director and writer for DOG SOLDIERS, it seems, is less a new piece and more an assortment of more familiar separate pieces. Take the angle of “Werewolves alive in north Britain” (American Werewolf in London), for concept. Start with a group of soldiers being hunted in the woods (Predator) and finish off with them barricading themselves up in a house so that they can fight to survive until dawn (Night of the living dead). So, ok, it might not be very creative at first glance, but the thought of capturing half a dozen soldiers and putting them in a forest full of werewolves is, well, cooooool.
Following an initial introductory sketch about the werewolf, we get to meet the cast. They are a disparate group of British soldiers on an excursion somewhere in the Scottish Highlands. The British dialogue is very humorous and creative from the outset. In this case, there are no Dick Van Dyke accents or lines, as the language is nuanced in a way that is fully English.
Fortunately, the cast is also (thank god!) British, and is spearheaded by an irritable Scotsman (McKidd) and a couple of wiseass Geordies. So that stereotype is out of the window! Thomas has a couple of observations which are totally valid. First, the cast is comprised of newcomers, with the exception of Sean Pertwee (the son of DOCTOR WHO’s John). Second, some of the younger actors tend to overact at times and one can just about hear them scream ‘How do I do this acting, then?’ They are indeed that raw. However, the actors are at their best when the dialogue is at its funniest, satirical moments when the soldiers are having fun with each other. Particular highlight of the film is Darren Morfitt as the always comically dramatic Spoon. This man is truly funny.
As the clock strikes precisely 12:30, the werewolf comes out for the very first time. At first, it was only faintly visible as a dark outline that was pursuing the soldiers through the dark forest. This serves as the ideal prologue for the lycanthropes. After a couple of seconds when the Solider’s commence a game of patty cake with a werewolf’s arm that sticks out of a landrover, having already torn the roof off, I was on the verge of blaspheming, “For heaven’s sake, just pull out your gun and shoot.”Then again, after all the antics with the werewolf I am now left with the image of soldiers sequestered in a derelict house and keeping the furry bastards at bay.
Now, one of the things that troubled me before watching the film was “Are the werewolves not scary enough to make DOG SOLDIERS a full fledged horror film?”
I suppose that concern is answered when you get the first decent look at them and I must say (considering this is not a Hollywood blockbuster) they look REALLY good. There is no CGI crap here, just large men in large furry costumes but the wolves have a certain quality that is hard to define. They (mostly) don’t look (or feel) like men in suits. Okay, at times it looks as if they are pretending to make the movements, but that is just in the long shots.
Rather, they resemble a human form more akin to wolves, resembling The Howling more than American Werewolf. To their credit, they appear rather good. ‘Dog Soldiers’ is also the time when you understand the true perspective of the film. Like most people, I thought, or rather wanted, ‘Dog Soldiers’ to be a pure horror film. None of the Scream self-mocking nonsense, let alone Evil Dead type ‘comedy.’ It was supposed to be about soldiers exposing the numbing fear of facing true destruction. A Private Ryan trauma scenario, but instead of an unconquerable enemy…
However, as the movie progresses, the reality of the conflict and its foes becomes less grave. There was no need for the soldiers to be afraid, so they were not crying, “What the hell are these things?!” They take it in stride, engaging the impending action nonchalantly, preparing themselves with playful banter against the enemy. These guys are British Northern tough guys. Forget about John Wayne; he now looks like Shirley Temple. If these guys were deployed to Iraq, Saddam wouldn’t stand a chance.
Remarkably, Pertwee, who the critics believe is the best in this bunch, gets very limited screentime in the middle parts of the film. I suppose the absence of ‘real acting’ is permissible due to the film’s lighthearted nature. Still, a pity to squander those skills.
When Dog Soldiers had the chance to score some points, their diamond quipping in the face of death managed to steal the limelight. While this isn’t Evil Dead laughter, some of the absolutely bonkers one-liners delivered at the end of the movie are tough to watch without cringing. Sorry, Arnold, but the bar has been set high.
This goes without saying that Dog Soldiers is a good film. Actually, it is for sure an enjoyable movie. There are so many positives to it that it is sure to be commended. It just so happens that Dog Soldiers, like fur, is not the movie I was anticipating. Still, I have a nagging feeling that despite everything, Dog Soldiers will, like fur, grow on me…
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