Twilight Time Goes to War: The Dogs of War + Resurrected

Twilight Time’s released several war films, and in the first of several two-film review sets we have John Irvin’s surprisingly excellent 1980 film version of John Forsyth’s novel The Dogs of War.

I say surprisingly because after the mercenary war film sub-genre was beaten to death in the 1980s, it is refreshing to see a solid, classy, well-acted drama that has great action and a very strong performance by Christopher Walken, fresh with an Oscar statue from The Deer Hunter (1978).

John Irvin also exploits the resources of this solid budgeted film – the opening sequence ends with one amazing shot involving a plane taking off during a swirl of civil war action, and plumes of bombs exploding ground-level and in the sky. Amazingly choreographed in a pre-CGI era, and shot by the great Jack Cardiff.

Also a surprise is Twilight Time’s release of Paul Greengrass’ first film, Resurrected (1989), a drama about a returning Falklands War soldier written off as dead but returning home to a less than friendly embrace.

David Thewlis is excellent in his film debut, and Greengrass directed some stellar scenes in this relatively unknown drama. Maybe it’s Nick Redman’s hand, but I like the way the label, co-founded with Brian Jamieson, is dipping into British films that may not have gotten released here or have received their proper due on this side of the pond.

Coming next: Post #2 in my post-Video Store Day series, featuring snapshots of assorted ephemera.

Cheers,

 

 

Mark R. Hasan, Editor
KQEK.com

Tags: David Thewlis, Dogs of War (1980), Falklands War, featured, Frederick Forsyth, full-image, Paul Greengrass, Resurrected (1989)

Category: EDITOR'S BLOG