Christopher Walken

Tom Berenger

Winston Ntshona

Hugh Millais

JoBeth Williams

Paul Freeman

Colin Blakely

Jean-François Stévenin

Pedro Armendáriz Jr.

Ed O'Neill

Jean-Pierre Kalfon

Alan Beckwith

Gyearbuor Asante

Frederick Forsyth

Jack Cardiff

John Irvin

Gary DeVore

George Malko

Antony Gibbs

Emma Porteous

Larry DeWaay

Patrick J. Palmer

Peter Mullins

John Siddall

Norman Jewison

Bert Davey

Geoffrey Burgon

Gerry Gavigan

John Downes

Chic Waterson

Robin Vidgeon

Fred Carter

Harry Cordwell

Terry Needham

David James

Ramon Gow

Eddie Stacey

Richard Mills

Susie Figgis

Terry Madden

Danny Shelmerdine

Tony Graysmark

Cassian Elwes

Peter Honess

Ken Weston

Terry Busby

Keith Denny

Jane Feinberg

Anthony Waye

Frank Heeney

Lawrence J. Cavanaugh

Mike Fenton

Neville Smallwood

Marvin Walters

Nicolas Le Messurier

Les Wiggins

Archie Ludski

Ivan Sharrock

Joe Lombardi

Yvonne Axeworthy

Graham V. Hartstone

Dave Jordan

Steve Lombardi

Ted Lloyd

Barbara Allen

Thriller

Action

Adventure

The Dogs of War

Juniper Films

United Artists

United Kingdom

Zangaro, the fictional African country in The Dogs of War, is something like Zamunda's poor, small neighbor – especially small. North (Colin Blakely), a British documentarian, informs James Shannon (the invaluable Christopher Walken) that a week after taking office, President Kimba sent his opponents, Colonel Bobi (George Harris) and Dr. Okoye (Winston Ntshona), into exile and jail, respectively.

When Shannon, a mercenary on a reconnaissance mission to determine the feasibility of a coup d'état, is arrested, what are the odds that he'll briefly find himself in the same cell as the good doctor? Apparently, as good as befriending one of Kimba's mistresses.

Contrived coincidences aside, director John Irvin wisely favors, like the Frederick Forsyth novel upon which it is based, an 'ask questions first, shoot later' philosophy; as a result, a large portion of the 100-minute running time is devoted to the preparations and logistics of the coup — which itself is left for the film's climax (an approach reminiscent of that of The Dirty Dozen), and it's over before soon-to-be-ex-president Kimba knows what hit him.

Shannon's personal life, or lack thereof, also receives a lot of attention, which helps explain his willing willingness to pursue this line of work in general, and to return to Zangaro following his traumatic first experience in the country.

The reasons behind the coup, in contrast, are not explored as thoroughly; in a nutshell, Roy Endean (Hugh Millais), an English businessman, is interested in a recently discovered platinum deposit on Zangaro.

Basically, the only difference between Kimba and Bobi is that, as the latter puts it, “He wants to be God, I want to be rich”; meanwhile, Endean explains that "The people I represent will not do business with a madman." Ergo, out with Kimba and in with Bobi — these plans, though, are subject to change, considering that Shannon may or may not have his own agenda.

Ed O'Neill, in just his second film credit, has a pre-Married with Children cameo, and the ever-reliable Tom Berenger is Shannon's lieutenant, but The Dogs of War is, as it should be, Walken’s film through and through.