An effective and efficient little film detailing the story of a military coup in an African country. This one's based on a novel by Frederick Forsyth, so it has more realism behind it than some I could mention, and as an added bonus the director is John Irvin, who later went on to make the equally authentic HAMBURGER HILL. This one stands out because it has an actual plot to it leading up to the big action scene at the end, and that alone makes it more original than 99% of the guys-on-a-mission type films that came out in the 1980s.

Christopher Walken, twitchy and solemn, stands out in this early role as the hard-ass mercenary who's seen plenty of conflict over the years. Walken is a guy who seems to live and breathe his characters rather than the other way round, and he's one of the best things in this film. His trip to the made-up African nation of Zangora is fraught with peril and tension, and yet seems real throughout in the same way that a film like BLOOD DIAMOND had the ring of authenticity to it.

The violence that follows is expected yet none the less shocking for it, and even the character building exposition scenes back in the West are handled in such a way that you never lose interest in the proceedings. Then things shift up a gear for the pyrotechnic meltdown at the climax, which is more familiar to fans of action and war movies, but the strong storyline proceeding this moment makes it all the more full of impact.

It' 1980. Jamie Shannon (Christopher Walken) and his men including Drew Blakeley (Tom Berenger) and Terry (Ed O'Neill) are soldiers of fortune. They force their way onto a plane barely escaping a chaotic battle in central America. Their friend Richard is killed and his widow tells him not to see her family anymore. Shannon is contacted by Brit businessman Roy Endean who is interested in the west African nation of Zangaro. He goes to recon but the brutal dictator General Kimba captures him. After being torture, he is released. He tries to go straight with his ex Jessie (JoBeth Williams) but then Endean hires him to lead a mercenary army to overthrow Kimba.

The movie opens with a terrific sequence. It lays out the manners of Shannon and his men. There is a great effective sequence. However the movie is a bit too long trying to do too much. The reconnaissance inside the country could have been handled better. Shannon is so condescending that he is simply a bad spy. As for the battle itself, director John Irvin may have seen real fighting but he's not cinematic enough yet. There are lots of shooting and explosions but they're not really that exciting. Overall, the movie is just too long and trying to do too much.

Paul Shannon (Christopher Walken) is a veteran soldier and presently a mercenary, invited by a former contact to visit the fictitious African country of Zangora, which is rich in platinum, and check its political situation. The dictator and corrupt Kimba governs the country with iron hands and an English company, which has interest in Zangora's mineral wealthy, wants to depose him, putting the corrupt and already sold Col. Bobi in his position. Shannon prepares his team to fight against Kimba. This movie is almost a classic of war, filmed in many countries. It is a great adventure of war and moral code of a man. I love the scene when Shannon empowers the correct Dr. Okoye as the substitute for the former president Kimba. The beautiful Victoria Tennant (of 'All of Me'),in the beginning of her career, has a minor participation as a dinner party guest of Col. Bobi. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): 'Cães de Guerra' ('Dogs of War')