It might be a good thing that I don't know what to think of this movie. I liked it, it's not the best thing Nicolas Cage has been in, but you can't put it under the category of bad Cage movie, Especially when running lines with William Defoe who was worth watching in this flick and brought great essence to it.

I saw someone else review the movie. They stated the the film has Bite but No Bark. It made me curious enough to want to watch it, and after seeing Dog Eat Dog I think I understand what they mean. The film was shot amazingly with some powerful performances. Like I said before, Defoe fills the room and Cage is lucky to have him, but at the same time Cage is no slouch in this either. Plus the chemistry of all the actors together is well received, and once again to look at the movie...it really packs a punch.

But the plot of the movie is almost non-existent. The film is suppose to be about three crooks kidnapping a baby, yet this plot seems subliminal in relation to watching three crooks, one of them just recently released from jail have a good time, and see how they became acquaintances in the first place.

It's like the director is trying to tell us that we don't need a plot for a movie to be interesting, but I have to admit that this point my come across better if I knew it was going to be a convict version of Seinfeld, while waiting for these guys to do something. Still, very good film to watch

Director Paul Schrader has written some great films. By the look of Dog Eat Dog his best days are behind him.

This is a poor crime film. In fact for this type of movies there are a bunch of Quentin Tarantino wannabees who could had done a better job blindfolded.

The one big problem with the film is that you hate all the main characters so the movie has nothing to offer.

One time Oscar winner but now straight to pay television star, Nicolas Cage plays Troy who narrates the film. He is a criminal who wants to go straight but circumstances and fate dictates otherwise.

He has teamed up with Mad Dog (Willem Dafoe),a man who helped him out in prison. Right at the beginning we see him high on drugs, kill his girlfriend and her daughter. A real nice guy.

Diesel (Christopher Matthew Cook) is the muscle and in another universe, smart enough to amount to something. Here though these guys do small time jobs for mobsters and then party with hookers.

For a big payday they take on a job to kidnap a baby of a rival gangster and it all goes horribly wrong.

Nihilistic, bloody, violent yet empty. Schrader tries to make the film flashy in order to appear relevant but he really has nothing to say. It is hard to believe that this film was made by a person who once spent five years learning Japanese so he could make a movie about the life of Mishima.

Schrader comes from a devout religious upbringing. He needs to do penance for inflicting this garbage.

The film is inspired by Tarantino. It opens with a killing and "The Whistle Tune" from "Kill Bill." Three guys recently get out of prison. Troy (Nicolas Cage) was the most recent to get out and is the "brains" in the group. Mad Dog (William Dafoe) has psychotic tendencies and only Troy tolerates him as he helped him in prison. Diesel (Christopher Matthew Cook) is the muscle. They are hired to do various crimes for the head of the Cleveland Mafia. They hope to score one last task and go off to Hawaii.

The film opened with a lot of promise, but wanes after the first task. It should of had a second task, before the final one which was too predictable. Dafoe gives us a good performance with Cage being the weak link. This wasn't his film. I thought the ending was anti-climatic.

Guide: F-word, sex, stripper nudity