The Dogs of War

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Irvin directs. Jack Cardiff behind the camera. Geoffrey Burgon scores. Antony Gibbs cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in French, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 1Earned back only 69% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
• 246 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
• 3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.
• 4International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
• 5Directed by John Irvin, shot by Jack Cardiff. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 6Original score by Geoffrey Burgon. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 7Editor Antony Gibbs shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 8Christopher Walken and Tom Berenger and Colin Blakely carry the top of the cast.
• 9Marketing tagline: "Cry 'Havoc!' and let slip...".
• 10IMDB entry: tt0080641 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 11Classified under 10 themes, including "guerrilla warfare", "africa", "revolution", "mercenary".

The technical file

Cinematography

Jack Cardiff

Original score

Geoffrey Burgon

Editing

Antony Gibbs

Production design

Peter Mullins

Costume design

Emma Porteous

Makeup / hair

Ramon Gow

Sound

Nicolas Le Messurier

Stunt coordinator

Eddie Stacey

Runtime

118 min · 1h 58m

Aspect ratio (typical)

1.37:1 (Academy)

Status

Released

Budget

$8,000,000

Box office

$5,484,132

Return

69% of budget

Original language

EN

Certification (US)

R

IMDB

The Dogs of War (1980) ↗

Rotten Tomatoes

70% 🍅 Fresh

Metacritic

56/100

IMDB rating

6.3/10 · 9,888 votes

MPAA

R

Also by

John Irvin

• 
  Bedtime

  1967 · ★ 9.0
• 
  Crazy Horse

  1996 · ★ 8.7
• 
  Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

  1979 · ★ 7.6
• 
  Haunted: The Ferryman

  1974 · ★ 7.2
• 
  One Pair of Eyes

  1967 · ★ 7.0
• 
  ITV Playhouse

  1967 · ★ 7.0

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  Shannon Gets Questioned By President Kimba's Men

  Clip · Official
• 

  ▶
  Security Check Scene

  Clip · Official
• 

  ▶
  James Gets Offered A Job

  Clip · Official
• 

  ▶
  Classic Trailer

  Trailer · Official
• 

  ▶
  Eureka Classics Trailer

  Trailer · Official

Community reviews

What people are saying

• tmdb280390232022-09-08
  ★ 6/10

  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.

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• JU

  Juniper Films

  GB

• 

  United Artists

  US

Key crew

• NovelFrederick Forsyth
• EditorAntony Gibbs
• Costume DesignEmma Porteous
• ProducerLarry DeWaay
• Executive ProducerPatrick J. Palmer
• Production DesignPeter Mullins
• Art DirectionJohn Siddall
• Executive ProducerNorman Jewison
• Art DirectionBert Davey
• Second Assistant DirectorGerry Gavigan
• Location ManagerJohn Downes
• Camera OperatorChic Waterson
• First Assistant CameraRobin Vidgeon
• Set DresserFred Carter
• Set DresserHarry Cordwell
• Location ManagerTerry Needham
• Still PhotographerDavid James
• HairstylistRamon Gow
• Stunt CoordinatorEddie Stacey
• Makeup ArtistRichard Mills
• CastingSusie Figgis
• Second Assistant DirectorTerry Madden
• Second Assistant CameraDanny Shelmerdine
• Construction ManagerTony Graysmark

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• guerrilla warfare
• africa
• revolution
• mercenary
• covert operation
• battlefield
• torture
• combat
• soldier of fortune
• fictitious country

Release history · US

When it landed

• Theatrical1981-02-13R

Also known as

International titles

• The Dogs of War (1980)SE
• The Dogs of WarSE
• KrigshundarnaSE
• 戦争の犬たちJP