Ah Christoper Walken a man that could nearly always be relied on for a cynical turn in a cynical movie (at least if we discount the last few years) and The Dogs of War is no different.

Based pretty accurately on the Frederick Forsyth novel of the same name it stands as a decent capture of the workings of a Mercenary and the shady jobs involved. I do find a lot of films from the late 70s early 80s era to have an odd time capsule quality about them and this is one of the movies I'd definetly single out for that area. It has a real cold war vibe to it which does leave certain plot aspects dated in retrospect although the main point revolving around a tin pot African nation and the struggle over its resources rings just as true today as it always did.

Its a very Walken centered movie with everything told from his professionally cold perspective but since Walkens default setting of gruff and slightly demented always entertains me I have no complaints.

B