User reviews

A somewhat novel story, but completely lacked any credibility and once the stage is set, becomes very predictable. The trailers would have you thinking it is a non-stop thrill ride, but that is not the case as there are several scenes & flash backs that just seem to drag on.

The ending sequence stretched out way too long to the point, you just wanted it to be over. I did watch it all the way through, so maybe 4 stars. Hard to believe Adrien Brody & Malkovich were conned into doing this film. Such a waste of talent.

You can really feel many different feelings at the same time: horror, mercy, sadness, terrifying things all in one :) Adrien Brody is all great at all movie and his love of animals and not only animals that I admire at all. Fantastic :) This is a movie that you can feel the sadness of a dog from inside the feelings... I felt the sadnesss so deeply that I can not explain...

If you're sensitive to animal abuse, this film is not for you. If you like cookie cutter heist/action stories, this film is not for you. This felt more like a character study.of the.criminals involved. There are many flashbacks. Personally I liked the writing and pacing a lot. I'm not a fan of dog fighting or animal abuse, but I don't think the film is "glorifying" this behavior. The threat of.the dog as the "monster" felt thrilling and visceral, it had more impact than an armed person or supernatural entity would. Also, the way this film is shot is really cool, there a handful of individual moments that really stick out to me. It feels more like a artsy passion project than something made to make money so I can see why not everyone likes it. I recommend it.

Normally , when I see a film that is badly written, badly directed, badly conceived, badly everything, I always consider the actors last, because frankly they are only working with the material laid in front of them, following directions, spouting lines of dialogue written by someone else, etc etc.. So they usually get a pass. In this case however, I have to say that Adrien Brody and John Malkovich cannot be that broke or that desperate to sign up to this absolute shambles of a project. If they had any artistic integrity or self esteem left then they should have jumped ship or at least fire their agent for not assuring them a get out clause, rather than tarnish their careers with engaging in film making that belongs in the garbage bin of mediocrity. Even then I think the bin would protest at its newest resident. Do not let the trailer fool you into thinking ,, maybe worth a watch, you will feel conned at the end.

For those of us who have watched Brody and Malkovich films and not only appreciated their immense talents, but also respected their free will. For those of us who respect and appreciate their acting abilities and presence that draws viewers into whatever roll they are playing, whatever the vehicle, we might appreciate the story might be more believable, better directed or realized, but it is rare you doubt the actors themselves. Even if the vehicle is...a bit strange or problematic. I liked the film well enough, it wasn't a waste of time, as I liked the dialogues between the two, and the style of showing flashbacks visualizing their revelries was smoothly done. For me, it didn't detract or disrupt the flow. That being said, the story didn't have great depth. It was a "slice of life" in a trio of career criminals day who were interrupted by a dog with issues. which viewers are given a glimpse into.

As some others have said, I thought the perspective of the dog was very well done, to help viewers better understand their perspective, even if overall the premise was almost comedic, but perhaps that was the mission of the writer carried out by the director. If so, it was fulfilled nicely. I've never seen Cujo. I've never seen Reservoir Dogs either. I think it doesn't matter, as they say, "comparisons are odious." The characters of Malkovich and Brody had good conversations and solid presence thoroughout. Their choice in the roles on a clearly non-Oscar worthy script will, of course, be debated by known critics and armchair criticizers, but the emotional aspects of the characters? I can understand why they took the roles. Besides they maybe liked each other, the director, or whatever else. To me, it was far from a waste of time. Another Kulkin, wasn't terrible either, but predictable, as the inevitable conclusion of the story takes place.

I am writing a review of this film again as my old review got deleted somehow n so this time i will make it a short review. Saw this on a dvd. The trailer, the star cast n the plot were superb but most people will b disappointed cos its not an action oriented or fast paced creature flick. But i enjoyed it. There is too much talking between characters n if u pay attention each character has a story n each involves an animal that had an impact on their lives. There r small scenes of solid tension/suspense n dog chase scenes. It is a small scale survival thriller with more emphasis on characters. Most of the dogs aggressive nature is told off screen n there aint enuff body count. The directors earlier effort Grace was a bit slow too. Has shades of Cujo n Reservoir dogs.

A lot better than I expected, caught this one on Netflix this evening and it's a straightforward movie. WARNING: dogfights are a major part of this one, although it leaves most of the gore to the viewer's imagination. Not a movie for folks who don't like to hear dogs yelp/sound like they're in pain.

Three thieves (Brody, Culkin, Malkovich) hide out in an abandoned warehouse after a heist. But there's a killer dog on the loose. Reminiscent of Cujo only with really good sets. Had me on the edge of my seat. Intermingled were chunks of exposition on each of the thieves in flashbacks. Culkin was quite good.

A lot of camera work from the dog's point of view, which was a unique element. The first minute of the movie was the worst minute.

It's totally understandable why there are SO many negative reviews and why so many people are genuinely disappointed with this movie. You have to understand that this is NOT a hard@ss crime film with a lot of action. As a matter of fact that isn't the point of the film at all.

To me, the overwhelmingly main thing is that this movie is done VERY well. It is extremely well written and acted, despite what some have said here due to expecting a completely different type of film. As a matter of fact, if someone had pitched this film to me just telling me what the primary underlying theme is (basically a well written, character study and a film for dog lovers) I probably would have passed on it. I don't usually go out of my way to see straight Dramas, except real Classic ones. BUT... and THIS is the point (at least to me...) The director was deliberately constructing a situation where we truly get to know the kind of people these 'criminals' are, and in what I feel in a VERY clever way, he placed this story in the context of a heist, criminals, and a VERY scary dog.

In my lowly and wretched opinion, the POINT always is this... 'Is it a well made film?' and, 'Does it do precisely what the director wants it to do?' In this case, I think that the answer to both is a very strong 'Yes!'

Just because a person goes into the film expecting a brutal Tarrintino film or some hard@ss action, and then they come here and P*$$ all over the movie because they find it 'Slow & Boring' does NOT make it a bad film. Despite my normal avoidance of 'Dramas', I genuinely found the movie to be very moving, the characters very involving and real, and YES, even though it basically is just a simple tribute to dog lovers, I felt it was done very well, thus the '8' rating, which I do not give to often.

BUT... please keep in mind, this is most definitely NOT your usual 'Crime Thriller' at all. There IS excellent Suspense and Action it it, but that is not the main thrust of the story. In order to enjoy the quality of this film, you absolutely HAVE to understand and EXPECT it to be a strong, well done character study and an affectionate tribute to dog lovers...

For all you haters out there, maybe you should re-watch it again!!!!!

As another reviewer stated "Even Tarantino doesn't do Tarantino anymore", but unfortunately director Paul Solet didn't get that memo, or he was hit on the head and thinks its still 1997.

Sadly, had this been played straightforward, with no artsy-fartsy directorial flourishes or each main character delivering their own dog-themed monologue, this could have been decent. As it stands, it plays as a far-too-late "homage" to early Tarantino and all the "next-big-thing" directors that lived and died in his early '90s wake.

Also, as much as I respect Adrian Brody as an actor, he was miscast in this role. I never once bought him as a hardened ex-con, and I found the scene where he sported a man-bun to be particularly risible.

As for Antonio Banderas...I have no idea what he was supposed to be doing. That part towards the end where he delivers his dog-monologue....I think he was supposed to be intimidating, but it's hard to say.

This plot taking place in an abandoned warehouse after a heist, with he hoodlums trying ti fix their problems, is of course inspired by QT's RESERVOIR DOGS, but this time with really dogs in the story. It is not a true crime flick, but a "film de genre", as we say in France, it mixes up crime, of course, with some horror like suspense. Not bad, not too long, but everything is smashed by a silly ending that has nothing to do here. Everything is spoiled by this ending. With a VHS taping off, I would have stopped the recording just before...Such a shame. For the rest, I am also surprised to see how so many films were inspired by RESERVOIR DOGS.

Short and Sweet, do ANYTHING else, do not be fooled by the big stars, this is boring, awful and involves too much animal cruelty to be any Fun for anyone accept Sadist. 0.0 Stars out of 10

Let me start of by saying this is not what you would expect from these three famous actors. And Rory Culkin, he ain't that bad either, he sure holds his own. And from The Handler " to Han Solo , the shots work perfectly. The way this story is told is brilliant. You get "it" from every flash back scene and never loose a beat. Brody's, Malkovich, and Banderas are fantastic. It is a wonderfully artistic shot movie as well. So if you like a little good Independent move, that keeps you on your toes l, this is definitely worth the 93 minutes. Prove me wrong.

Horrible - they need to tell potential viewers that the central plot line is based on DOG FIGHTING and there is a tremendous amount of violence regarding dogs in this movie. I love all these actors but DESPISED the plot. Get outta here with that.

A good role for one of the many Culkin brothers. A small and silent role for the beautiful Romanian Alexandra Dinu, former Mutu. Consistent roles for three great actors, Adrien Brody, Antonio Banderas and John Malkovich. All three are very good, Banderas has a unique role, and John Malkovich is John Malkovich. The protagonist of this film is actually a dog, on how furious, so intelligent. Static, boring but with some suspense.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this movie. It´s not the best movie ever but it tells different stories, the filming and acting is great, there were twists and surprises.. I enjoyed it.

Not a bad movie. had lots of good in it. generally suspenseful and somewhat entertaining. in some ways it felt like a low-budget straight-to-dvd movie, like having one location 3 actors for most of the movie. in other ways it didn't, like a talented cast and some decent directing (1 viewing)