Werewolf Winter: Dog Soldiers (2002)

"We in it shall be remembered, we few, we happy few, we band of brothers - for he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother." - Shakespeare, Henry V

While it is usually a good idea not to judge a book by its cover or title, the same is not often said of movies. However, if I had followed that rule, I would likely not have watched the deceptively titled and cheesily packaged 2002 Scottish movie Dog Soldiers. And that would have been quite a loss indeed.

When I first heard the title Dog Soldiers, I thought "Oh no, this sounds like another movie like Full Eclipse and its werewolf cops." However, the film is not about soldiers who are or transform into anything at all, but instead it is more accurately Werewolves vs. Soldiers. And the result works incredibly well.

The film begins with a standard horror-movie trope of two campers being attacked by unseen wild animals, followed  immediately by a quick scene of a soldier named Cooper failing his special-ops training after refusing to kill a dog on command. These two scenes set the stage and give us our background information, but after this the movie takes place entirely over one night.

The night begins when Cooper and his original army team are sent for a "routine training mission" to the same woods where the campers were attacked. It doesn't take long for the "routine" to become anything but, and the soldiers are attacked by the same mysterious "wild animals" in the woods. A traveling zoologist saves them, but only after the head sergeant (who is also Cooper's best friend) is wounded severely. The zoologist takes the soldiers to "the only house within 50 miles" where she says they can receive medical attention, but when they get there they find the house abandoned.

"Yeeeeah, that's probably not good..."

As the wild animals surround the house, the film follows the formula of a classic zombie movie, like Night of the Living Dead, with the soldiers trying to stay alive and keep the werewolves out, and the wolves trying to get in. However, the stakes are a bit different than a standard zombie film. First of all, the movie makes it clear that the wolf-creatures can strategize and communicate with each other, therefore allowing them to use feints and distractions in their attempt to get in the house. While there are fewer werewolves in this film than there are zombies in a typical zombie movie, the fact that the wolf-creatures are so much smarter (and the fact that they heal quickly and don't die after being shot multiple times) makes them actually a more threatening opponent.

However, it's also refreshing to see protagonists so up to the task of holding off supernatural hordes. Usually, in zombie movies or films with similar horror formulas, the protagonists are "regular joes" who we expect to be killed off because they don't stand a chance. These men, however, are all trained to work as a team in order to defeat the enemy. They are resourceful and use not only their guns but, as ammo starts to wain, found objects around the house that can be repurposed and made deadly. It's fascinating and fun to watch, and as a viewer you honestly are not sure which side is going to win the night. It is also a different dynamic between the men. While most horror movie protagonists are friends, the bond between these soldiers runs a lot deeper. Therefore, each loss is more deeply felt, but at the same time they are all willing to die and sacrifice for one another. As the sergeant explains to Cooper: "When I signed my life away on that dotted line, I fucking meant it. I am a professional soldier!"

When it comes to the werewolves, the director does an amazing job of keeping them in mostly shadow for the film, as well as using "jumpy" camera work during action scenes to allow the audience to just catch glimpses of the beasts rather than their full figures. When we do get an occasional glimpse, though, the costume work is actually fairly well done. The fur looks realistic and the claws are menacing. It's still obviously a suit and make-up, but it works well and allows a certain suspension of disbelief.

 The tension in this movie is just perfect - from the concern over "infection" from a werewolf wound, to the unsettling realization that the squad was sent on their "routine training" in this area for a reason, to the question of who can really be trusted as they fight off the beasts - the movie kept and held my attention in an iron grip for the whole hour and forty minute run-time.

My only big complaint about the film is its abrupt ending, as well as the final action scene. After such a tense movie, the obviousness of the end and the speed of it felt like a real let down. I actually checked the credits as well, just to make sure there weren't any after-credit-easter-eggs to make the ending more satisfying. No such luck. The movie, from a film-making perspective, also isn't perfect. There were a couple production errors I spotted, and the set lights reflecting off of the "mist" outside actually made it unclear what time of night each scene was supposed to take place, thus occasionally making scenes unbelievable or confusing. But those moments are few and far between, and ultimately not as important as the cleverness of the movie as a whole.

This is definitely a great film to watch and highly recommended if you're looking for a horror movie formula with a different tone and a clever twist.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 bites