Shooting Dogs (2005)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Michael Caton-Jones

Writers:

David Wolstencroft (screenplay)
Richard Alwyn (story) ...

Release Date:

8 December 2005 (Portugal)

Genre:

Drama | History

Tagline:

1994, 800,000 killed in 100 days. Would you risk your life to make a difference?

Plot:

In April 1994, after the airplane of the Hutu President of Rwanda is shot down, the Hutu militias slaughter the Tutsi population...

Plot Keywords:

Militia | Priest | Refugee | Teacher | Catholic Priest

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

John Hurt	...	Christopher
Hugh Dancy	...	Joe Connor
Dominique Horwitz	...	Capitaine Charles Delon
Louis Mahoney	...	Sibomana
Nicola Walker	...	Rachel
Steve Toussaint	...	Roland
David Gyasi	...	François
Susan Nalwoga	...	Edda
Victor Power	...	Julius
Jack Pierce	...	Mark
Musa Kasonka Jr.	...	Boniface
Kizito Ssentamu Kayiira	...	Pierre
Clare-Hope Ashitey	...	Marie

Also Known As:

Beyond the Gates (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, disturbing images and language.

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

UK | Germany

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:18 | Ireland:15A | Netherlands:16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Singapore:PG | Finland:K-15 | Portugal:M/12 | USA:R | Germany:12 | USA:Unrated (DVD) | Australia:MA | Argentina:16 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Charterhouse School, Godalming, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

CrossDay Productions Ltd.

Trivia:

The characters are fictional but the events are not. Parts of the film were shot at Ecole Technique Officielle (ETO), a high school in Kigali, where the actual events took place. The title of the film comes from the fact that UN peacekeepers used to shoot local dogs that fed on the decomposing bodies of the genocide victims.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Throughout the movie, the Belgian Captain wears the insignia of a Sergeant (three white lines).

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2007-03-10)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Dufite imana ikomeye cyana

Deeply moving

It is rare to see a film that has as great an impact as Shooting Dogs. The shocking story of the massacres in Rwanda is told in a setting that is both personal and global.

Great acting, a fine script and good pace... a level of craftsmanship worthy of the magnitude of the subject of this film.

On rare occasions, a story is so shattering it needs only to be toned down for audiences to take it all in. This true story needed to be told, and for us to hear it. Hopefully, after seeing this movie, you will not be as pessimistic about the future of Central Africa as I've become.

The closing credits are well worth sticking around for.