I sat down to watch Dog Soldiers with relatively low expectations, but was very pleasantly surprised. It's rare to find a film which knows its audience so well and which hits its targets to squarely. Unlike its contemporary 28 Days Later, Dog Soldiers has no pretensions to make statements about human nature or to capture impressive money shots of deserted London landmarks. Instead, we have an all-out, action-packed, if jokey, horror film based around that reliable old standby of a disparate group of characters thrown together in exceptional circumstances. The characters here are a group of British soldiers on exercise in the Scottish highlands, who end up barricading themselves into a deserted farmhouse under siege from an army of werewolves. Although ostensibly a horror film, Dog Soldiers has much in common with films like Aliens and Zulu, and even references the latter film at least once. Unlike 28 Days Later, the portrayal of British soldiers is also surprisingly believable; their banter, the way they react under pressure, even their language and army slang all seem just about right. Among the cast the stand out is Sean Pertwee, as the foul-mouthed but sympathetic sergeant in charge of the motley group. Writer/director/editor Neil Marshall has produced an enjoyable, funny and fairly gripping film on a relatively limited budget, and Dog Soldiers must rank as one of the most solidly entertaining B-movies of recent years.
Review of Dog Soldiers
