The Dogs of War ** (1980, Christopher Walken, Tom Berenger, Colin Blakely, Winston Ntshona, Hugh Millais, Paul Freeman, JoBeth Williams) – Classic Movie Review 8,439

The 1980 war movie The Dogs of War is a competent all-action film version of Frederick Forsyth’s bestseller, with a young Christopher Walken intriguing as a war-scarred mercenary in a fictional West African republic, Zangaro.

Director John Irvin’s 1980 war movie The Dogs of War is a competent but superficial and conventional all-action film version of Frederick Forsyth’s 1974 bestseller, with a young-looking Christopher Walken miscast but still intriguing and watchable as a war-scarred mercenary in a fictional West African republic, Zangaro.

Walken’s character of soldier of fortune Jamie Shannon has to organise a coup to replace the corrupt and brutal dictator President Kimba with democratic leader Dr Okoye (Winston Ntshona). Colin Blakely manages to make something of the clichéd role of an alcoholic British journalist (basically the Denholm Elliott part) called Alan North, while Tom Berenger plays Drew Blakeley, Hugh Millais plays British businessman Endean and Paul Freeman plays Derek Godwin.

Drew (Tom Berenger), Derek (Paul Freeman), Michel-Claude (Jean-François Stévenin), Terry(Ed O’Neill) and Richard (Harlan Cary Poe) are Jamie Shannon’s mercenary comrades. Shannon gets an offer he can’t refuse from Endean (Hugh Millais), whose company is interested in resources in Zangaro.

Irvin, graduating from television where he had just made the classic seven episode TV Mini-Series Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (with Alec Guinness), directs with slick efficiency.

Also in the cast are JoBeth Williams, Jean-François Stévenin, Robert Urquhart, Winston Ntshona, Pedro Armendáriz Jr, Ed O’Neill, Harlan Cary Poe, Isabel Grandin, Ernest Graves and Kelvin Thomas

There are several versions of the movie, varying in length from the UK 118 minute version to the US version of 102 minutes. The TV print edits for strong language and strong violence.

It cost $8 million and took $5.4 million at the box office.

Norman Jewison was originally producer-director but he decided to produce only and hired Michael Cimino to direct, with Clint Eastwood and Nick Nolte starring, but Cimino dropped out to work on Heaven’s Gate and John Irvin was hired.

Norman Jewison recalled: ‘The Dogs of War is one film I would rather have directed than produced, but I was proud to be associated with it in any capacity. It had modest success in North America but was well received in Europe, where there is more interest in African politics and a better understanding of the underside of corporate power in poor countries.’

English novelist Frederick Forsyth (25 August 1938 – 9 June 2025) was best known for thrillers such as The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, The Fourth Protocol, and The Dogs of War. More than a dozen of his novels have been filmed.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8,439

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