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 Director
: Neil Marshall
Starring
: Sean Pertwee, Kevin McKidd, Emma Cleasby, Liam Cunningham,
Thomas Lockyer, Darren Morfitt.
Picture
1.85:1 Anamorphic, DD 5.1, Single-Side, Dual-Layer, Keep
Case
Running
Time : 101 mins
The
story:
Six
Soldiers. Full Moon. No chance.
A
squad of British soldiers are on a routine training exercise
in the Scotland Highlands but as the night wears on it becomes
anything but routine. A distress flare is spotted from the
Special Ops team operating nearby, but when they go to investigate
they find the team has been torn to pieces and eaten, bar
one sole survivor. They
soon find themselves next on the menu for a pack of hungry
werewolf's, but luckily for them, local girl Megan leads
them to a deserted farmhouse deep in the forest. The occupants
are nowhere to be found and they are now trapped inside
the farmhouse with the werewolf's desperately trying to
break in. Their limited supply of ammunition may keep them
at bay for a while but they must decide whether to make
a run or stay for a fight to the death...
The
summary:
You
could count the number of good werewolf films on one hand,
but here's another for your list. This British, low-budget
horror movie somewhat uniquely mixes soldiers and werewolf's
to create one of the most outstanding horror's we've seen
for years. Dog Soldiers was a success during it's UK cinema
run, but now on DVD it will hopefully find world-wide success
and eventually become a classic it deserves to be. The story
starts by introducing us to the colourful characters on
their training exercise. Each squaddie has their own charming
personality and each reacts differently when put in a difficult
situation and this becomes a big part of Dog Soldiers charm.
The script is wonderfully written and there's some brilliant
quotes in the dialogue which is littered with humour throughout.
Even when faced with certain death, one squaddie spits in
the face of a werewolf and mutters "I hope I give you
the shits!".
After
their first encounter with the werewolf's, they escape from
the Highlands to the farmhouse. You'll spot similarities
with 'Night Of The Living Dead' as they battle to keep the
werewolf's at bay in the farmhouse. Dog Soldiers frequently
takes elements from some classic horrors and reworks them
into it's own style. The old camera-trick where the camera
takes the place of the werewolf creeping up on it's prey
works very well and the camerawork in general is fantastic.
I mentioned that this was filmed on a limited budget and
this is most obvious when someone goes through 'the werewolf
change' and they duck behind a table, re-emerging as a werewolf.
Although there's no money for special effects, the werewolf's
don't shy away from the camera and are actually in view
during many scenes and look very frightening and effective.
There's many a time when a werewolf will jump out and frighten
the life out of you and with the help of an eerie score
by Mark Thomas you spend most of the film on the edge of
your seat. I wont give any spoilers by revealing the ending,
but it's certainly not a disappointment and rounds the film
off superbly. There's been nothing quite like it since American
Werewolf In London!
After
last years region one release, jealous horror fans world-wide
eagerly awaited Pathe's feature-rich UK release. The transfer
is typical of a low-budget film and despite some obvious
grain during the daytime scenes is absolutely fine for a
low-budget horror. The real gem is the additional supplementary
material, which includes a brand new commentary from cast
and crew, storyboards and deleted scenes and gag reel. The
audio commentary makes this a worthwhile purchase on it's
own, so this beats the region one release hands-down. Overall,
an excellent package and a real gem of a film which will
hopefully herald the return of the werewolf genre.
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Extras:
*
Audio Commentary #1 - This
first commentary with Producers David E. Allen and Brian
O' Toole is taken from the region one release. It's a very
insightful commentary but if you're after something lighter
then go for the next one.
*
Audio Commentary #2 - Featuring
Director Neil Marshall, Producer Keith Bell, Cameraman Sam
McCurdy and actors Sean Pertwee and Liam Cunningham. This
is a brilliant commentary that's very easy to get into and
difficult not to like, especially as they laugh at the cheapness
of the film and the set (the farmhouse is really just 2
walls and a roof and the actors couldn't find anywhere to
hide when they ran inside!). All the cast & crew give
you many stories and anecdotes and all with a great deal
of humour throughout the commentary. If you love the film
then you must listen to this commentary!
*
Making-Of Dog Soldiers - An
exceptionally well-made documentary running for 20 minutes.
This is more than just promotional material with lots of
behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the cast and
crew. Very watchable.
*
Combat - A short film made
by Neil Marshall back in 1999. It's a night out at the local
for the lads, but the dialogue is replaced by military sound
effects. Fairly amusing, this short runs for 7 mins 30 secs.
*
Deleted Scenes & Gag Reel
- Eight minutes of deleted footage followed by a minute-long
'gag' reel. Both a fairly entertaining and can be watched
with or without a Neil Marshall audio commentary.
*
Storyboards - Two scenes, "Fetch"
and "The Barn" are featured and you can watch
both in storyboard format and then again as the finished
film.
*
Trailers - Four 'Dog Soldiers'
trailers.
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