Today’s quick review: Dog Eat Dog. Shortly after his release from prison, Troy (Nicolas Cage) rounds up his partners Mad Dog (Willem Dafoe), a violent drug addict, and Diesel (Christopher Matthew Cook), a deceptively smart bruiser, to resume their criminal activities. Not content with their usual small jobs, the three men accept a lucrative offer: $750,000 to kidnap a small child for a loan shark to use as collateral.
Dog Eat Dog is a stylized crime movie with a touch of black comedy. Dog Eat Dog takes a close look at the lives of three remorseless criminals. Troy, Mad Dog, and Diesel are dangerous men, but their poor impusle control keeps them from finding any lasting success. Their escapades are punctuated by surreal, drug-induced moments and bursts of graphic violence.
Dog Eat Dog’s distinguishing feature is its mature content. The movie is packed with drugs, sex, and spontaneous violence. These elements do a good job of showing the warped hollowness of the characters’ lives, but they make the movie an unappealing watch for any sensitive viewers. The plot is likewise meaningless; the individual scenes of the movie are interesting enough, but there is little in the way of overarching direction or payoff.
Watch Dog Eat Dog only if you are in the mood for a twisted take on the crime genre. Its subpar execution, grimy subject matter, and lack of a substantive plot make it a poor fit for most viewers. For a comparable movie that does more right, check out Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. For a stylized crime movie with better writing and presentation, check out Pulp Fiction.
4.6 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 5.5 for quirky characters, modest amounts of style, and low overall quality.