Writings On Film

 Dog Soldiers (dir. Neil Marshall, 2002)

Neil Marshal’s 2002 werewolf film Dog Soldiers is quite a lot of fun. The film was Marshal’s directorial debut, and while it certainly feels like it, Marshal manages to deliver a fresh, smart take on the werewolf myth. His decision to structure the story as a fast-paced siege film, rather than the brooding gothic slow-burner that we usually get from the werewolf category, really makes the film shine. Rather than slowly mulling over the establishment of the monster and its world, Marshal throws his audience head-first into action almost as if he’s saying: “look we all know what werewolves are, there is in fact a werewolf in this movie, lets move on to the rest of it.” While I thought the editing style was clunky in parts, the acting and tight script made for an entertaining, engaging film.

In terms of the editing I’m primarily thinking of the platoons introduction (i.e. the banter scene). The dialogue is quick and energetic while the scene continuously cuts from one soldier to the next as they exchange their quips in rapid succession. It’s an interesting technique, one I found rather intriguing and oddly enjoyable. Yet, it does nothing for this particular scene as part of the story. True it enforces the mens’ sort of vibrant, testosterone-fueled energy. But it’s a composition that would have served better somewhere else in the film. I think had this quick-cut-only composition technique been applied later in the film, or if Marshal had simply repeated this composition once or twice more throughout the film, it would have been more organic to the film’s flow. Personally I would have reserved this style of composition for the beginning of the film’s second half when they first enter the cottage. Had this composition been used to enforce the confusion of the soldiers as they begin to realize they’re trapped in this strange house, rather than their characters’ introduction, It would have really heightened the horror of their situation.

Theme-wise I particularly liked the contrast between the central protagonist Cooper’s love of dogs and the squad’s fight for survival against the a pack of werewolves. Werewolves are of course the cursed men and women of lore who once a month become bi-pedal wolf-like creatures of the night. Dogs of course evolved from wolves, their role as predator gradually domesticated and genetically eradicated from their species over the course of thousands of years. We’re introduced to the character of Cooper as he completes a training operation for the United Kingdom Special Forces, attempting to join them. This introduction culminates in Cooper refusing to execute one of the guard dogs deployed to find him. Cooper is berated by the head of the operation Captain Richard Ryan (played by the ever-engrossing Liam Cunningham), Ryan shoots the dog, and Cooper fails his audition. We next see Cooper involved in a training exercise with his platoon in the Scottish highlands.

There’s many surface-level analysis’ one could explore when viewing Dog Soldiers but this is the one that stood out to me first and foremost. Scotland was conquered by the English and brought under their control by King James VI in 1603, Conjoined with England and Wales as The United Kingdom in 1707. Scotland today has its own regional government but still adhere’s to the dominant law of Great Britain. Today the nation still resides in symbiosis with England and many times in the news or elsewhere one might hear the Scottish peoples referred to as Brits, unless of course the subject of discussion is a topic relating solely to Scotland or something happening specifically within the nation. Of course Scotland isn’t entirely settled in this symbiosis. In 2014 the country voted on a referendum with the hopes of securing independence from The United Kingdom. With the final vote to be cast on the anniversary of The Battle Of Bannockburn wherein Robert The Bruce’s vastly outnumbered forces defeated those of King Edward II during The First War Of Scottish Independence (a big day of national pride and sentiment for the people of Scotland), many thought modern independence was secured. This referendum failed but with Brexit’s passing in 2016 there has been, or at least there was at the time of Brexit’s passing, talks of a possible second referendum.

Our main protagonist Cooper is a Scotsman serving in the British Army in a predominantly English platoon. His identity as a Scott takes a backseat to his role as a British Soldier as he tries to make his place in the very machine that historically subdued and erased so many/much of his people and culture. His attempt to join the English Special Forces in the films beginning reinforces this. Cooper serves as a British Soldier to defend, even fight for, King And Country- English King And Country, alongside his rabble-rousing, almost nationalistic compatriots. His zealous platoon-mates display an affinity for everything British. From football to the darker, imperialist past of their Great Britain. They have a deep pride for their nation and culture, even the bad parts, as most openly displayed during the character Spoon’s enthusiastic expression of English patriotism whereupon he affectionately compares their situation in the cottage, their Alamo-esk final stand. to the events of the Battle Of Rorke’s Drift which saw a couple hundred British solders defending a trading post against roughly four thousand warriors of the Zulu Nation.

Following this train of thought, one should see Cooper (representing The Scott of today) as allegorically juxtaposed to The Dog, both of which have had their place in this world re-textualized and refined to fit into the confines of the modern day United Kingdom. The Wolf (or Werewolf) then represents the Scott of old, before its conquering and colonization. The ghost of the ancestor come to haunt the ascendent (Cooper) for his peoples, albeit gradual, assimilation to the British way of things; For joining the British war machine, and for giving up his national identity to fight for his ancestors’ conquerer.

Through this lens one can see Dog Soldiers as a subtle meditation on Scottishness, masculinity, and nationality, and subsequently where all that fits in with the modern-day United Kingdom. A rumination on the displacement-of-self of the modern-day Scott. Of course, it’s not a perfect analysis. Were Cooper’s entire platoon comprised of Scotsmen, the ideas I put forth above would seem more ingrained. The speech by Spoon regarding Rorke’s Drift would be far more interesting and layered. A Scott proudly and enthusiastically recounting tales of old battles from England’s imperialist apartheid past. Not to mention the family of werewolves in the film are British. Perhaps its the Brits being haunted by their ancestors and not The Scott (Cooper).

This is all very surface-level analysis and I’m sure someone with more motivation or a better facet for critical thinking could write something lengthier or more in depth. This is just what came to mind while viewing the film. After-all, I don’t think Marshal set-out to make a particularly deep film. I think he was simply trying to provide some fun thrills and chills. I certainly doubt he was trying to make some PETA wet dream about a group of soldiers who meet their demise because someone was mean to a dog once (another surface-level analysis that came to mind while writing this, albeit a dumb one). Overall I think it’s a great film and any critiques I have of Dog Soldiers are pretty inconsequential, not to mention the practical effects are great. While the film has plenty of blood and gore, it does itself a service by not relying on this component to sell the film. It’s quite gory in places but it’s only as gory as the story demands, tasteful even (no pun intended). For a directorial debut it’s pretty impressive has a lot of re-watch potential.

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (dir. David Dobkins, 2020)

Written by Will Ferrell and Andrew Steele, David Dobkin’s 2020 film Eurovision offers an engaging, witty, and surprisingly fun look into the world of Eurovision and those who seek their place in music history via the famed contest. I say ‘surprisingly’ because I was not expecting it to be good, initially having watched it with friends with the shared intention of watching a bad movie. What I got instead was a smart, zany, outlandish, and intriguingly humble look into the drive behind the types of people who throw themselves into the world of major international song contests. I am of course biased because I always view Will Ferrel as one of those tragically lazy comics like Adam Sandler or Eddie Murphy. Like them, Will Ferrel is an immensely talented actor, but because he tends to make easy films that draw in the big bucks, I usually forget how talented they are (generally because the films are such garbage); perhaps it’s some sort of Saturday Night Live curse.

Dobkin brings out some truly great performances from his cast. Pierce Brosnan is especially memorable as Ferrel’s dissapointed Icelandic father Erik as is Dan Stevens as the flamboyant, overly self-obsessed Eurovision darling Lemtov. Will Ferrel is already such a larger-than-life persona in everything he takes part in, and Dobkin’s does an excellent job of elevating the other cast members performances to match and even surpass Ferrel’s energy. I only wish that the character Mita Xenakis, the Greek contestant, was given a little more presence. Mita has the least depth of any of the characters in the film and really only serves the story so far as making Lars (Will Ferrel) realize his love for Sigrit (Rachel McAdams) and hers for him. Had Melissanthi Mahut (Mita) been given a little more material to work with I believe her character might have been one of the more memorable of the film. Perhaps Dobkin could have instructed Mahut to model her character after the famed Greek singer Demis Roussos for an added level of outlandishness and Eurovision trivia (Roussos co-hosted the Eurovision finale alongside Enrico Msias and Evelyn Leclercq in 1976, though maybe this is more me divulging my more niche interests).

With cameos from a gaggle of past Eurovision contestants and the many references to Eurovision hall-of-famers (Gotta love some ABBA references) Dobkin’s film retains an ingrained sense of love for the contest and it’s vast history which lends an air of honesty and respect to the film. It’s a vital element which the film wouldn’t work without. Without this love-letter-admiration for the subject-matter, everything about Eurovision would just seem hollow and empty, quite possibly even mean-spirited. Of course there’s still room to take this further. While the fictional band performances throughout are hilarious and entertaining, they could have really added a whole new element had they enlisted current big talents such as Tommy Cash or Lil Big to portray these fictional performers and create a who’s-who of the current European music scene. All-in-all any criticisms I have of Dobkin’s Eurovision are minute, trivial. The film overall is quite charming and a pleasure to watch if you’re looking for a couple laughs to distract you from the brutal mundanety of everyday life.