Today’s quick review: Savage Dog. In 1959, in the former French colony of Indochina, Irish ex-con Martin Tillman (Scott Adkins) puts his violent past behind him and tries to start a new life. He strikes up a relationship with Isabelle (Juju Chan), and Valentine (Keith David), her adopted father, offers Martin a job at his bar. But Martin’s newfound peace is threatened when he agrees to box for Colonel Steiner (Vladimir Kulich), a Nazi fugitive.
Savage Dog is a budget action movie about a fighter with a checkered past. Martin Tillman has been a boxer, a terrorist, a soldier, and a prisoner, but now he’s finally found a reason to settle down. Savage Dog gets most of its drama from the conflict between the peaceful life Martin wants and the violent one he’s made for. But the movie has neither the script nor the acting talent to work as a drama, while its action is only mediocre.
Savage Dog has two aspects that set it apart from other budget action films. The first is its historical setting: the former colony of Indochina in the lawless years after the French withdrawal. The film goes out of its way to show the misfits, criminals, and fugitives who have watched up there, each one with his own shady past. The trouble is that the film never does much with its setting, either in terms of atmosphere or plot.
Savage Dog’s other distinguishing feature is Keith David’s narration. His skillful delivery of some of the script’s best lines goes a long way towards selling Martin’s story and making it seem more significant than it actually is. David’s narration has the intended effect in small doses, but the film overplays its hand and gives him too many lines. Another issue is that his character, Valentine, has only a small role when he finally appears in person.
Beyond these two distinctive traits, Savage Dog is a typical budget pick that’s unfortunately lacking when it comes to action. The action scenes are split between Martin’s hand-to-hand fights in the ring and later gunfights as events spiral out of control. The boxing matches are dominated by Martin dodging his enemy’s blows, resulting in bland, easy wins. The gunfights are noisy and bloody without being precise, exciting, or creative.
The end result is a lackluster watch that dabbles with some interesting ideas but ultimately fails to deliver. Artificial drama, mediocre action, and generally flawed execution kill the momentum of what could have been a relatively fresh take on the genre. Watch Savage Dog only if you’re interested in budget movies for their own sake. For a movie with a similar premise and better action, try Kickboxer.
4.9 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 5.0 for some of the right ideas, let down by its execution.