Rating of
3/4
"Dog Soldiers" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 12/20/11
A Squad of British soldiers on manoeuvres in the Scottish Highlands are ambushed by a pack of werewolves. Neil Marshall's knowing homage to the werewolf movie cleverly combines the myth with other horror formulae to create what is essentially An American Werewolf In London crossed with Predator. Thanks to some naturalistic dialogue, funny banter and believable performances by the no-name cast, the soldiers feel like real squaddies and Marshall's efficient direction cranks up the suspense to just the right level despite some obvious budget limitations. The photography is rather TV standard and the effects hardly cutting edge, but it's a case of lack of money being the mother of invention and thanks to a knowing script, what emerges is a hugely entertaining horror with a wide streak of very British humour. The formula of isolated cabin in the woods under siege from monsters has been done to death, but rarely with this level of wit. If you need fancy CGI to enjoy a horror film I'd look elsewhere, but if you want thrills and spills and plenty of genuinely funny moments, this is well worth a look.
