I had high expectations for this film, having read the novel it is based on by Edward Bunker years ago. He also wrote the novel which the film "Animal Factory" was based on, also starring Willem Dafoe. The opening fifteen minutes of "Dog Eat Dog" set this up for a wild ride. It was brutal, nasty and showcased the best of Willem Dafoe going crazy. But the film really peaks there and then. It was nothing but downhill from that point.
Three criminals, Troy, Mad Dog and Diesel, have been close friends and associates for years. Having all finished serving their latest sentences in the penitentiary, the trio are back together and looking to pull off one final score that might set them up for life. But the stakes could not be any higher - the three men all have two strikes, and one more felony will send them away for the rest of their lives. Getting apprehended will not be an option.
I like Nicholas Cage, and I love Willem Dafoe, so I was looking forward to this even more seeing the pair of them work together. It was flat, dull, and they did not have the chemistry I believed they would. Dafoe is still brilliant, but what ultimately sinks the film is its meandering, senseless trudge through random scenes of disorganised crime. One scene after another fails to add anything to the characters, or the story. It drags along, and I found myself distracted and close to turning the it off multiple times. Schrader directs it like a series of short films. There is no life in it at all, and the charisma and power so evident in the novel is absent. That was all clearly lost in the transition from novel to screenplay. I had some interest in the film from reading the novel, but for anyone else watching, I can imagine their frustration and boredom.
Three criminals, Troy, Mad Dog and Diesel, have been close friends and associates for years. Having all finished serving their latest sentences in the penitentiary, the trio are back together and looking to pull off one final score that might set them up for life. But the stakes could not be any higher - the three men all have two strikes, and one more felony will send them away for the rest of their lives. Getting apprehended will not be an option.
I like Nicholas Cage, and I love Willem Dafoe, so I was looking forward to this even more seeing the pair of them work together. It was flat, dull, and they did not have the chemistry I believed they would. Dafoe is still brilliant, but what ultimately sinks the film is its meandering, senseless trudge through random scenes of disorganised crime. One scene after another fails to add anything to the characters, or the story. It drags along, and I found myself distracted and close to turning the it off multiple times. Schrader directs it like a series of short films. There is no life in it at all, and the charisma and power so evident in the novel is absent. That was all clearly lost in the transition from novel to screenplay. I had some interest in the film from reading the novel, but for anyone else watching, I can imagine their frustration and boredom.