The Dogs of War (1980)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

John Irvin

Writers:

Frederick Forsyth (novel)
Gary DeVore (writer) ...

Release Date:

13 February 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | War | Action

Tagline:

Cry 'Havoc!' And Let Slip The Dogs Of War

Plot:

Jamie Shannon is a soldier of fortune, a mercenary who will stage a coup or a revolution for the right price...

Plot Keywords:

Mercenary | Revolution | Soldier | Africa | Beret

Cast

Christopher Walken	...	Jamie Shannon
Tom Berenger	...	Drew
Colin Blakely	...	North
Hugh Millais	...	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
Ernest Graves	...	Warner
Kelvin Thomas	...	The Black Boy
Shane Rimmer	...	Dr. Oaks

Runtime:

UK:118 min | USA:102 min | USA:104 min (TCM print) | Finland:114 min (cut) (1988) (video release) | Finland:105 min (cut) (1981) (cinema release)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1988) | Finland:K-16 (heavily cut) (1981) | Finland:K-16 (heavily cut) (1980) | Brazil:16 | Sweden:15 | South Korea:18 | Australia:M | France:-12 | Norway:16 (1981) | Singapore:PG | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Belize City, Belize

Company:

Juniper Films

Trivia:

While researching the novel in the early 1970s, author Frederick Forsyth pretended he was actually financing a coup d'etat in Equatorial Guinea. The pretense allowed Forsyth access to a number of underworld figures, including mercenaries and arms dealers. Forsyth has since commented that the arms dealers were the most frightening people he has ever met.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Shannon meets with Endean and Bobi, in subsequent shots his necktie moves from the left to right side of his shirt.

Quotes:

Michel: [raising his glass in a toast] Vive la mort ! Vive la guerre ! Vive le sacré mercenaire !

Movie Connections:

Edited into Stealth Fighter (1999)

Quite interesting…

Shannon (Christopher Walken) is a mercenary war who accepted for the sum of 15,000 dollars to fly to a fictional country in West Africa on a survey mission to procure military information concerning the stability of a dictator's regime, his position strength, and if there is any chance for a coup?

Posing as an American naturalist—especially in native birds—Shannon landed in Zangaro and gathered all the facts he needed but after suffering a brutal beating from the guards for taking pictures of one of the mistresses of the dictator's in front of his compound…

When he's offered a large amount of money to gather a well-equipped mercenary force and go back to Zangaro and lead a military takeover, he reluctantly assents…

The assault has authority, power and unexpected... consequences. So don't miss it!