Nicholas Cage never goes quite as mental as you want him to in Paul Schrader’s shock-thriller Dog Eat Dog
It’s a full-on Crime-Drama starring two of the most infamously barking actors of a generation... but film never seems to deliver
Dog Eat Dog
(18) 91mins
I’m completely split about this film.
It’s a full-on Crime-Drama starring two of the most infamously barking actors of a generation.
Nicholas Cage is Troy and Willem Dafoe is ‘Mad Dog’.
Along with their mate Diesel, these ex-cons get hired to kidnap a baby, which OBVIOUSLY goes wrong.
Directed by Paul Schrader (he wrote many of Scorcese’s classics) this has all the makings of a good film- but there's just something not quite right.
The directing style tended to feel incredibly dated
Both Cage and Defoe seem to be running on half a tank and never quite go as mental as you want them too.
The directing style tended to feel incredibly dated, pulling threads from early Danny Boyle, Tarantino and even Guy Ritchie into a big smelted lump of guns, drugs and boobs - which is fine, if a bit old hat.
Anything with Nicholas Cage in is always worth a watch though - I’m just not sure even he will know whether this is being post-modern ironic, or just a bit lame.
Fans of the cast will be fans of this.
★★☆☆☆