The Dogs of War (film)
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- This article is about the 1981 film. For other meanings, see Dogs of War.
| The Dogs of War | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | John Irvin |
| Produced by | Larry DeWaay Norman Jewison Patrick J. Palmer |
| Written by | Frederick Forsyth (Novel) Gary DeVore George Malko |
| Starring | Christopher Walken Tom Berenger Colin Blakely |
| Music by | Geoffrey Burgon |
| Cinematography | Jack Cardiff |
| Editing by | Antony Gibbs |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
| Release date(s) | 13 February 1981 |
| Running time | 102 min. |
| Country | UK |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Dogs Of War is a 1981 war film based upon the novel The Dogs of War by Frederick Forsyth, with Christopher Walken and Tom Berenger as part of a small, international unit of mercenary soldiers privately hired to depose President Kimba of the Republic of Zangaro, in Africa, so that a British tycoon can gain mining access to a mountain of platinum.
The Dogs of War title is a phrase from William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar (1599), which uses the line Cry, 'Havoc!', and let slip the dogs of war (line 270, scene 1, Act III).
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[edit] Plot
As the film opens, mercenary James Shannon and several other soldiers of fortune make a hasty exit from a chaotic battle in a war-torn Central American country by hijacking a civilian plane. After Shannon returns to his dingy New York City apartment, he soon gets an offer from a British mining tycoon, James Manson, who is interested in the mineral wealth of a small African nation named Zangaro. Manson hires Shannon to go on a reconnaissance mission in Zangaro to learn about the military defenses that have been put in place by the country's brutal dictator, General Kimba.
Shannon arrives in Zangaro's capital of Clarencetown, and scouts out the defences of the military garrison. However, his activities arouse the suspicions of Zangaro's police, and he is arrested, beaten up and thrown in jail where he meets a doctor, formerly a political leader arrested by General Kimba. He is then deported back to the US. After Shannon tells Manson about the country's military defences, Manson offers Shannon a substantial sum to overthrow Kimba by leading a military coup and attacking Zangaro. Manson intends to install a puppet government led by Kimba's estranged brother, which would allow Manson to exploit the country's platinum resources.
Shannon angrily refuses, and decides to leave his mercenary life behind. He telephones his estraged wife, and proposes that they move back together, and settle down and start a new life in Colorado. His wife turns down his offer, arguing that she does not think that he can leave his mercenary life of killing behind him, and that she does not think that he has changed. After Shannon realizes that his dream of living a normal life is not going to happen, he decides to accept Manson's offer and organize an attack on Zangaro.
After Manson gives a large sum of money to Shannon for the expenses, Shannon contacts his mercenary cohorts (seen in the beginning of the film in Central America) and illegally procures Uzi submachine guns, ammunition, rocket launchers, mines, and other weapons. As well, he hires a small freighter and its crew to transport the team to the coast of Zangaro, and purchases a variety of other equipment that will be used in the attack, such as Zodiac-style motorboats. Once at sea, the team is joined by a group of black mercenary soldiers who will act as infantry. Once ashore in Zangaro, the mercenaries attack the military garrison where Kimba lives with belt-fed machine guns, incendiary grenades, and rocket propelled-grenades.
After the mercenaries storm the burning, bullet-pockmarked ruins of the garrison, Shannon makes his way inside Kimba's mansion, where he kills many of the occupants, including the dictator. When Manson arrives in a helicopter with Colonel Bobi (Kimba's former ally), Shannon shoots and kills the new dictator-to-be, and tells Manson that a democratic leader, rather than another dictator, will rule the country. This turns out to be the jailed political leader he met previously in prison, who is sitting at the table.
[edit] Differences
There are many differences between the novel (described as a manual for revolution in small African countries) and the cinematic version; the former's focus is the planning and logistics of the coup d'état, while the latter's focus is the initial reconnaissance and the attack upon the presidential garrison in Zangaro's capital city, Clarence. The film is a fairly realistic portrayal of mercenaries in the 1980s.
[edit] Filming
The African country scenes were actually filmed in Belize City, Belize (Central America), and the surrounding area. The manually-turned swinging bridge, central to the end plot, is actually one of the largest of its kind in the world. Though some of of the British colonial landmarks have been renovated or replaced, many prominent landmarks still exist almost unchanged, including the hotel that the protagonist stays in. The bar area of the hotel, while not active (as of 2006), is largely unchanged, and a great photo opportunity for fans of the movie.
