Tags
2000's, Action, Dog Soldiers, Horror, Kevin McKidd, Neil Marshall, Scotland, Sean Pertwee, Werewolves
Film Title
Dog Soldiers
Director
Neil Marshall
Cast
- Kevin McKidd as Private Cooper
- Sean Pertwee as Sergeant Harry Wells
- Emma Cleasby as Megan
- Liam Cunningham as Captain Ryan
- Darren Morfitt as Private Spoon
- Chris Robson as Private Joe Kirkley
- Leslie Simpson as Private Terry Milburn
- Thomas Lockyer as Corporal Bruce Campbell
Dog Soldiers marked the debut of Neil Marshall, who would later go on to direct the claustrophobic The Descent. And what a debut it is. Brutal, darkly funny and all out action, Dog Soldiers is a werewolf horror film with a lot of bite(pardon the pun).
A group of British Army soldiers are dropped in the Scottish Highlands for a routine training mission. The group is led by the wise-cracking sergeant and the no-nonsense Private Cooper. Some of the group, most notably the football loving Terry are bored and wanting to find out the result of the England v.s Germany game, but soon the ordinary training mission changes into something very unexpected. They come across the bloody remains of their opponents and the only survivor is Captain Ryan, who has history with Cooper. The Captain enigmatically hints at what caused the carnage but doesn’t reveal it. Not long after, the soldiers are attacked by unseen assailants, and begin a desperate defence in order to stay alive. They are picked up by Megan, a zoologist working in the area and taken to a nearby house that acts as a shelter against the attackers. Once inside, Megan reveals what they are fighting is much more dangerous than the soldiers imagined, they are werewolves. So begins a bloody, action-packed and bullet laden horror as the soldiers try to fight the lycanthropic threat and make it till the morning sun rises.
Like with The Descent, Marshall creates believable characters whose relationships with each other seem genuine within the context of a horror film. The film could easily function just as well as an action film, but the presence of the werewolves adds another dimension to the film and creates a darkly comic undercurrent as the soldiers try to outwit the bloodthirsty enemy. Nowhere is this more apparent than when the group realises their shortage of ammunition and resort to using old weapons in order to protect themselves. The character of Spoon who loves violence and is skilled with weapons, is also used to great effect when grappling with the lupine enemy. His line as the creature grabs him around the neck is humorous and sums up his character’s personality and never give up attitude. Because of things like this, the film succeeds with combining shocking amounts of gore and comedy horror whilst retaining an action packed atmosphere that barely pauses for breath once the first attack starts.
If by chance, Dog Soldiers has evaded your attention or you’re a fan of The Descent, then this film is advisable to you. If you love gory horror films sprinkled with dark humour and copious amounts of blood, this film is crucial.
bronsonfive said:
One of the interesting things about this film is how Jason Statham turned it down to work on John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars. What a mistake…
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for the interesting bit of trivia.
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Tim The Film Guy said:
Oh god I love this film 😀
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for the comment, it’s one of the best horror films I’ve seen in a while.
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Tim The Film Guy said:
Neil Marshall is fantastic!
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vinnieh said:
Yeah, I loved both Dog Soldiers and The Descent.
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Terry Malloy's Pigeon Coop said:
Nice review Vinnie. Not seen this but sounds pretty fun!
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, Yeah it is pretty fun. Hope you get time to see it.
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filmhipster said:
I enjoyed this film as well. It’s a lot of fun.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, glad you agree with me.
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georginaguthrie said:
This sounds like something i’d love. Will seek out asap! Nice review 🙂
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for the comment, hope you enjoy it.
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Popcorn Nights said:
I liked this one, a decent low budget werewolf film!
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for the comment, yeah it was very decent.
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TBM said:
Haven’t heard of this one but will add it for my October viewing when I usually only watch scary flicks.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, hope you enjoy this flick.
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Morally Oblogatory said:
I’ll have to check this out.
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Morally Oblogatory said:
I loved the descent.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, hope you get round to seeing this, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.
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monster1711 said:
Great movie, Neil Marshall is a champ. The Descent is one of my favourites. Awesome site by the way, I am now following. I started my own film blog recently and would love for you to check it out. Hope you like what you see.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for the comment, will certainly check out your blog.
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Victor De Leon said:
One of my favorite werewolf films! Just picked it up on blu ray from Shout Factory. You are so right that Marshall successfully blends the action, ww lore and characters with such energy, talent and effectiveness. The interaction between them all even echoes the way the band of space marines acted in Aliens. With the werewolves being the “aliens” The film works on so many levels. This movie still deserves, after all these years, a much larger audience. Kudos on the review, man!
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vinnieh said:
You’re spot on with the Aliens comparison Vic.
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Victor De Leon said:
🙂
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jeffgoulding said:
Yes completely agree with your review. I loved this film and the mix of humour and horror was executed to perfection. For me British Horror had been in the doldrums for a while and this was part of its rebirth. A truly stunning film.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks mate, this really did balance the humour and horror very well and was a film that really got me hooked.
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