Dog Soldiers

Neil Marshall, UK / Luxemborg, 2002, 105 minutes

Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present to you the best Sean Pertwee movie ever made! No, really, it’s good! Come back! Keep reading!

Dog Soldiers is something of a recent gem, a home-grown horror film that pushes all the right buttons, unloading a plethora of great set-pieces as a group of testosterone-charged Geordie troopers battle for survival against a pack of ravenous werewolves in the scenic Scottish woodlands. First-time director Neil Marshall handles the chaos with a remarkably assured and steady hand, and there are some quite impressive monster make-up effects considering the low budget of the enterprise. Kevin McKidd (Trainspotting) is suitably heroic as Private Cooper, and Pertwee eclipses the bitter memory of such dire performances in Shopping and The 51st State with a wonderfully frenetic turn as Sergeant Wells. A testament to the actors’ great interplay is a scene in which the drunken Wells attempts to get Cooper to knock him out; while filming McKidd accidentally misjudged the distance and clocked Pertwee, who didn’t feel a thing as he was actually sozzled. Now that’s method acting.

It’s not all grunting machismo though; Emma Cleasby is nicely enigmatic as Megan, the obligatory young female presence. There is also a steady stream of pop-culture references for a knowing audience to pick up on, from The Matrix to The Evil Dead to, most obviously, Star Trek. A more obscure movie nod comes from the use of “Clair de Lune” on the soundtrack, possibly referring to An American Werewolf in London’s soundtrack which is comprised totally of songs with the word moon in the title.

In any event Dog Soldiers is a thrill packed ride, a gut-drenched explosion of visceral entertainment. If you’re not squeamish you’ll love it; if you are squeamish come anyway, you’ll soon become desensitized!

Review by Ben Wilkinson
Taken from EUFS Programme Spring 2004