I hate the term “guilty pleasure”, but Dog Soldiers might be mine. It combines a lot of tropes and genre standards I love with great werewolf designs, and plenty of gore and action. It’s not “elevated horror”, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun. There are also a few surprises to keep the standard “elite soldiers battle werewolves in a training exercise gone wrong” story interesting, as if that wasn’t interesting enough.
- Directed By: Neil Marshall
- Written By: Neil Marshall
- Starring: Sean Pertwee. Kevin McKidd. Liam Cunningham
Dog Soldiers was Neil Marshall’s first film. His next is the claustrophobic, cave monster movie The Descent. As popular as The Descent is, Dog Soldiers is by far my favorite movie of the two.
First, I love a good werewolf movie. Then, add in the disciplined soldiers deteriorating mentally as the violent humanoid monsters whittle away at their numbers. It’s a clever take on the werewolf subgenre, and it works because of the capacity for violence and need for structure tied to the soldier’s profession.
Recap And Review Mild Spoilers Ahead
After a short scene establishes the threat of the werewolves, the movie focuses on Cooper, a soldier attempting to join a special forces squad. He fails out when he refuses to shoot a dog. A month later, he’s back with his old unit, training in the Scottish Highlands, when they come across what’s left of the special forces unit. The leader, Captain Bryan, is the same one that failed out Cooper and he’s the only survivor, although he’s got serious injuries.
The soldiers are hunted by the pack of werewolves until they are rescued by a local woman, Meghan. She takes them to hole up in a farmhouse owned by the Uath family, who she says have lived there for generations. It isn’t long before the pack finds them, and the movie becomes a fantastic combination of horror and military action.
The wolves are smart, strategic, and they know the land. They have every obvious advantage here, not to mention a couple that will be revealed as their siege on the house continues. It’s almost a miracle that there isn’t a larger body count when Dog Soldiers hits the midpoint.
A Different Werewolf Movie
While the fun part of the movie is watching the soldiers fight the werewolves, the dramatic dilemma is much more intense. Cooper wants to keep to his moral code, save the wounded, and give hope to the civilian. That’s his job as a solider. It’s not a question of if he will physically survive the night, it’s his mental state that is most at risk. Even more so when the institutions he believes in, let him down the most. It makes him dangerous and willing to take unreasonable risks to regain control.
Marshall has said in interviews that he didn’t want to make a movie about how terrible turning into werewolf would be, that there were enough of those already. He’s not wrong, and what he made instead is far more interesting although along similar lines. Werewolves are terrible, but in Dog Soldiers, turning into one seems like a better option than the alternative. It’s what you’re willing to sacrifice to survive that could make you the monster.
Cinematography
Filmed in 2001, there is a grit to the look and feel of the movie, one that’s aided by the 23 years that have passed since its release. It adds a level of authenticity that slick productions can’t match. There are so many smart decisions in the filming, starting with the locations. The woods and farmhouse give ample opportunity to shoot the werewolves surrounded in mist or lit from behind. Long and lean, the wolves are gorgeous. Marshall rarely shows them in full body shots, highlighting their size and power.
It’s Not a Perfect Movie
There are some not-so-even moments of characterization. I don’t love the dialogue around one of the big reveals. It’s less of a conversation and more of a series of static one-liners. Ultimately, the visuals surrounding that scene are so cool that I overlook it every time I watch. The final confrontation is also a little rushed, although the way everything comes full circle works out nicely. Maybe too nicely, considering everything. There is one character I wish would have suffered a bit more. The photos that end up highlighting the credits do wrap up the story nicely, and end on a darkly humorous final note.
About the Humor
I wouldn’t call Dog Soldiers a funny movie, but it is witty. The soldiers banter and snark at each other in a way that demonstrates how tight their bond really is. There are some great insults, and more than one character has a great final line. Besides the smart dialogue, there are moments of dark physical comedy as well. At least I hope there are. One is when a friendly dog plays tug of war with one of the wounded soldier’s innards during an attack. That one is much funnier than it sounds, trust me. Another example: a tense standoff about to turn violent is broken up by some well-timed vomit. That one really couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy too. These scenes happen around some of the early werewolf attacks on the house, giving a nice break from the tension.
Simple Story Done Well
Ultimately there’s not a lot to unpack here, and there doesn’t need to be. It’s a simple story of survival, done well, with interesting characters and locations. It also helps that it has a fantastic cast. Kevin McKidd, Sean Pertwee, and Liam Cunningham are fantastic, as are the rest of the soldiers. The physical acting from the werewolves, played by stunt actors and dancers Ben Wright, Bryn Walters, and Brian Claxton Payne, sells their malice.
Final Thoughts:
The military elements elevate the werewolf story, and the werewolves push the military theme beyond the expected. Both halves of the movie are better off for it. There are a lot of technical reasons I enjoy Dog Soldiers. It’s a well-made, thrilling movie. But my love for this one is almost a gut reaction. I saw it when it first came out, and I’ve been a fan ever since, not solely because the direction or acting, but because it’s just that cool.
I said earlier, I don’t believe in guilty pleasures; by that, I mean that no one should feel bad or make excuses for what they enjoy. Not everything you watch must be “Oscar worthy” or fit anyone else’s definitions of “good” other than yours. Unless your favorite movie is Independence Day 2; then we need to talk.
Dog Soldiers is available on streaming.
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