Eddie (Byron Mabe, "The Defilers") is a career criminal who's frustrated because he knows that human error can always derail otherwise well-planned heists. Then one night he witnesses some guard dogs in action, and is impressed by their intelligence and intimidation factor. Now he's got an ingenious plan: stage a bank robbery using Dobermans as the participants! He enlists the services of a veteran animal handler (Hal Reed, "The Zodiac Killer") soon to muster out of military service. Of course, the handler has more scruples than anybody else in the gang.
At first, this viewer thought that this might make for pretty good, agreeably ridiculous family fare, but that's hampered somewhat by some violence and gore (and unpleasantness) near the end, not to mention the disagreeable attitude of Eddie, who's really a major league prick. The human cast deliver good performances; Julie Parrish ('Good Morning, World'), Simmy Bow ("Beetlejuice"), and JoJo D'Amore ("Alligator") round out the main cast. But it's the four legged cast members - given names like Pretty Boy Floyd, Dillinger, and Bonnie & Clyde - that win your hearts as they steal the loot.
As with any heist movie, the story (concocted by Frank Ray Perilli ("Dracula's Dog") and Louis Garfinkle ("The Deer Hunter")) devotes much time to the intense preparation, and the viewer will marvel at the first-rate animal action, supervised by Karl Lewis Miller and Lou Schumacher, old hands at that sort of thing for many years. It's also noteworthy for being the earliest screen credit for the great film composer Alan Silvestri, who wrote the score (and songs) with Bradford Craig. Yes, this being a 70s flick, there is the standard inclusion of theme songs. But that ditty "Dog Honest Gang" is pretty catchy.
Followed by three sequels.
Seven out of 10.
At first, this viewer thought that this might make for pretty good, agreeably ridiculous family fare, but that's hampered somewhat by some violence and gore (and unpleasantness) near the end, not to mention the disagreeable attitude of Eddie, who's really a major league prick. The human cast deliver good performances; Julie Parrish ('Good Morning, World'), Simmy Bow ("Beetlejuice"), and JoJo D'Amore ("Alligator") round out the main cast. But it's the four legged cast members - given names like Pretty Boy Floyd, Dillinger, and Bonnie & Clyde - that win your hearts as they steal the loot.
As with any heist movie, the story (concocted by Frank Ray Perilli ("Dracula's Dog") and Louis Garfinkle ("The Deer Hunter")) devotes much time to the intense preparation, and the viewer will marvel at the first-rate animal action, supervised by Karl Lewis Miller and Lou Schumacher, old hands at that sort of thing for many years. It's also noteworthy for being the earliest screen credit for the great film composer Alan Silvestri, who wrote the score (and songs) with Bradford Craig. Yes, this being a 70s flick, there is the standard inclusion of theme songs. But that ditty "Dog Honest Gang" is pretty catchy.
Followed by three sequels.
Seven out of 10.