The Dogs of War Blu-ray - Christopher Walken

We have started a Patreon page with the hopes that some of our followers would be willing to donate a small amount to keep DVDBeaver alive. We are a tiny niche, so your generosity is vital to our existence.

We are talking about a minimum of $0.10 - $0.15 a day, perhaps a quarter (or more) to those who won't miss it from their budget. It equates to buying DVDBeaver a coffee once, twice or a few times a month. You can then participate in our monthly Silent auctions, and have exclusive access to many 'bonus' High Resolution screen captures - both 4K UHD and Blu-ray (see HERE).

To those that are unfamiliar, Patreon is a secure/verified third-party service where users can agree to a monthly donation via credit card or PayPal by clicking the button below.

Search DVDBeaver

S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

Directed by John Irvin
USA 1980

Jamie Shannon (Walken) is a cynical warrior-for-hire who only ever feels truly alive in the heat of battle, and now he s about to take on the most challenging assignment of his career: to invade a corrupt African dictatorship and shift control to the "puppet" of a powerful British corporation. To prepare, Shannon masterfully trains and equips a squad of deadly mercenaries with the latest and most destructive tactics and military hardware. But as their explosive assault begins, Shannon finds himself embroiled in an internal conflict of his own. Will this be his greatest triumph, or has he sold his soul along with his battle expertise?

***

Mercenary soldiers Jamie (Christopher Walken) and Drew (Tom Berenger) are hired by a large corporation to liberate Zangaro, a small African nation, from an iron-fisted despot. Once there, Jamie ends up in jail. After being brutally tortured, he is helped by Dr. Okoye (Winston Ntshona), a political prisoner, and learns more about the plight of the country's people. After Jamie is freed, he becomes disillusioned with his wealthy employers and joins the Zangaro people on the revolutionary front.

Posters

Theatrical Release: December 17th, 1980

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

Review: Eureka Entertainment - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

Box Cover		CLICK to order from: Also coming to Blu-ray from Ronin Flix in November 2021:
Distribution	Eureka Entertainment - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:58:47.662 / US version: 1:44:01.818
Video	1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 48,621,079,061 bytes International: 35,563,608,576 bytes US Version: 12,079,193,472 bytes Video Bitrate: 35.80 Mbps / 13.00 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate International version Blu-ray:
Bitrate US version Blu-ray:
Audio	LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit US version: LPCM Audio English 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit
Subtitles	English (only on International version), None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Eureka Entertainment 1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 48,621,079,061 bytes International: 35,563,608,576 bytes US Version: 12,079,193,472 bytes Video Bitrate: 35.80 Mbps / 13.00 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Two versions of the film, the International Cut (118 mins) and the American Cut (104 mins) both presented in 1080p Original Theatrical Trailer (2:32) Limited Edition Collector's booklet featuring a reprint of Pauline Kael's original review of the film [First print run only] Blu-ray Release Date: October 14th, 2019 Standard Transparent Blu-ray Case Chapters 12 / 9

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Eureka Entertainment Blu-ray (September 2019): Eureka Entertainment have transferred the 1980 Christopher Walken 'actioner' The Dogs of War to Blu-ray. There are two versions of the film, the International Cut (118 minutes) and the American Cut (104 minutes) both presented in 1080p in separate transfers on a dual-layered disc. The International has a max'ed out bitrate where the shorter US version is only almost 1/3rd of that bitrate. The quality differences are more noticeable in-motion but, obviously, the International version looks much better - smoother and no compression artifacts. The 'International Cut' image is tight with depth and solid detail. It looks very impressive at times.

On their Blu-ray, Eureka Entertainment use linear PCM 2.0 channel tracks (24-bit for the 'International' and 16-bit for the 'US version') in the original English language. The 'fighting' sequences export depth and the frequent aggressive effects are impactful via the uncompressed transfer. The score is by Geoffrey Burgon (Brideshead Revisited), sounding supportive, and occasionally uplifting, as it runs beside the film. Eureka Entertainment offer optional English subtitles, for the International version only, on their Region 'B' Blu-ray.

The Eureka Entertainment Blu-ray aside from the two versions, only offers a trailer and limited edition collector's booklet featuring a reprint of Pauline Kael's original review of the film (first run only).

A perfect role for Walken - a sullen, impenetrable mercenary... on a mission that includes a subtext of personal revenge. Oorah. The Dogs of War is quite a good adventure with some intense action sequences. I admit I enjoyed it - mostly because of the lead performance. I don't rate having the US version as a Blu-ray supplement but it doesn't take away from the fine International cut transfer's robust-ness. Yeah - it's a film I will watch again. I hope you like it as much.