IMDb > Dog Soldiers (2002)
Dog Soldiers
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Dog Soldiers (2002) More at IMDbPro »

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Dog Soldiers (2002) -- Vampires may be all the rage these days, but in THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON it's werewolves that take center stage. Hollywood 411 takes a look at the special effects that go into creating these spectacular beasts!
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Dog Soldiers (2002) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)
Dog Soldiers (2002) -- MyMovies.Net - Trailer (WM9 - 56kbps)

Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   19,671 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 7% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Neil Marshall
Writer:
Neil Marshall (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Dog Soldiers on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
10 May 2002 (UK) more
Genre:
Action | Horror more
Tagline:
Six soldiers. Full moon. No chance.
Plot:
A routine military exercise turns into a nightmare in the Scotland wilderness. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
4 wins & 4 nominations more
User Comments:
Basic, flawed but fun and does much better than the budget would have suggested was possible more (508 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Night of the Werewolves (UK) (working title)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for strong violence/gore and language.
Runtime:
105 min | Japan:104 min
Country:
UK | Luxembourg | USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital
Filming Locations:
Luxembourg more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The film makes several references to Zulu (1964). There's the choral music featured in Zulu when Spoon is talking about Rorkes drift, and "Dog Soldiers'" Sgt. Well's paraphrases "Zulu's" Colour Sgt. Bourne's "be quiet now will you, there's a good gentleman, you'll upset the lads" when talking to Ryan. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: Scotland is not so empty as to have nowhere within a "four hour drive". more
Quotes:
[a la Aliens]
Cooper: Remember - short, controlled bursts.
more
Movie Connections:
References Zabriskie Point (1970) more
Soundtrack:
Lyke Wake Dirge more

FAQ

What was the significance of Megan cutting her hand?
What Happened to the sequel?
What did the sarge give Cooper?
more
16 out of 18 people found the following comment useful.
Basic, flawed but fun and does much better than the budget would have suggested was possible, 17 July 2005
Author: bob the moo from Birmingham, UK

A group of squaddies are sent out into woods in the Scottish highlands to take part in a small practice operation against a group of special force soldiers. However when Sgt Wells' men locate the other unit they find that Captain Ryan is the only survivor and, appears to be mad, gibbering about "things". When the group are attacked by something else, they take Ryan and his array of weapons and flee. They find local girl Megan in a landrover and she takes them to the nearest shelter to attend to the wounded – an empty farmhouse. As Megan tells them of werewolves in the woods, and Ryan sits silent as to what his team were actually up to, the "things" start to gather and strike the house.

With comparatively no budget to speak of, it is no surprise that among the references, this film pays homage to the Evil Dead by calling one of its characters Corporal Bruce Campbell. Certainly with a group of people in farmhouse (cabin) in the woods fighting off an unstoppable supernatural evil is almost homage enough in itself although, for me, this didn't get anywhere near to the horror of that film. However it does still manage to produce quite an enjoyable film even if it isn't really scary in a true sense. The plot is simple and it is a good thing because the action bits are best, while the dialogue bits are less so. The film does pretty well to keep the tension up but I did think it could have been tighter and more suspenseful than it was at times. That said, the attacks are good and, as long as you aren't too demanding, it will do enough to keep you entertained. I must admit that the "Britishness" of it and the fact that it was such a low-budget affair may me more willing to forgive it such things – although some of the dialogue was so clunky and unconvincing that it was occasionally hard to get past – although I did get a big laugh out of the Matrix reference "there is no spoon".

The cast do pretty well, shouting and running around convincingly enough. I would have liked a bit liked a bit more humanity but in fairness the characters were pretty accurate for many squaddy types I know. Pertwee is fun and for probably the first and last time is the big name of the film. McKidd is OK but he has to carry a lot of the talking and it means his limits show up more than the others. Cleasby is pretty poor and she is lumbered with a poor character to boot. Cunningham was fairly obvious but I was constantly distracted by just how much he came across like George Galloway (minus the moustache of course). Lockyer, Robson, Simpson and others are pretty one dimensional but Morfitt had energy and manage to stand out with a bit of character. The direction is good and wisely keeps the camera fluid and the monsters hidden – although I personally though the costumes were good for the money they cost.

Overall this is an enjoyable film. It appears to homage other films as much as it borrows from them, but it does it well enough. It could have been tenser, more exciting and it certainly could have been scarier but it still works as an action/horror of sorts. Apparently a sequel is planned and I hope the bigger budget can improve it a bit but for now this is an enjoyable low-budget horror that is basic but fun and worth seeing.

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What Branch were these blokes? jastanga
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