Dog Eat Dog (2016 film)

Dog Eat Dog
Directed byPaul Schrader
Screenplay byMatthew Wilder
Based onDog Eat Dog
by Edward Bunker
Produced by
  • Mark Earl Burman
  • Gary Hamilton
  • Brian Beckmann
  • David Hillary
Starring
CinematographyAlexander Dynan
Edited byBen Rodriguez Jr.
Music byDeantoni Parks
Nicci Kasper
Production
companies
Blue Budgie Films
Roxwell Films
Arclight Films
Pure Dopamine
Ingenious Media
Shanghai Gigantic Pictures
Distributed byRLJ Entertainment
Release dates
  • May 20, 2016 (2016-05-20) (Cannes[1])
  • November 4, 2016 (2016-11-04) (United States)
Running time
93 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$184,404[3][4]

Dog Eat Dog is a 2016 American action thriller film[5][6][7] directed by Paul Schrader with a screenplay by Matthew Wilder, based on Edward Bunker's 1995 novel of the same name. The film stars Nicolas Cage and Willem Dafoe.

The film was the closing entry for the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.[8][9]

Plot

Three former prisoners - Troy, Mad Dog and Diesel - are hired to kidnap a baby and share a big ransom payment.[10][11]

Cast

Production

Principal photography on the film began on October 19, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio.[14][15] Filming also took place in Sheffield Lake,[16] and it ended on November 23, 2015.[17]

Release

The film had its premiere as the closing entry for the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2016.[18] It was released on November 4, 2016 in the United States.[19]

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 49% based on 71 reviews, with an average rating of 5.06/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Dog Eat Dog's refreshing bundle of quirks and surfeit of visual style aren't quite enough to compensate for an aimlessly forgettable story."[20] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating to reviews, the film has a weighted average score of 53 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[21]

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, writing, "It's the right director for the right project and the result is Schrader's best for years: a lairy, nasty, tasty crime thriller built on black-comic chaos."[22] Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "A rare film to have been shot in Cleveland, Dog Eat Dog definitely looks like it was shot on the cheap but puts what it needs to up on the screen with vigor and wit."[23] Jesse Cataldo of Slant Magazine gave the film 1.5 out of 4 stars and commented that "The film has a few thrilling moments, but its pleasures are fleeting and always balanced by oppressive ugliness, representing an even deeper dive into a dismal new aesthetic founded on chaos rather than contemplation."[24]

References

  1. ^ Roxborough, Scott; Ford, Rebecca (May 9, 2016). "Cannes: 21 Festival Movies That Hollywood Will Be Talking About". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  2. ^ "Dog Eat Dog (18)". British Board of Film Classification. August 24, 2016. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  3. ^ "Dog Eat Dog (2016)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  4. ^ "Dog Eat Dog (2016)". The Numbers. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  5. ^ "Nicolas Cage & Willem Dafoe Star In The Action/Thriller "Dog Eat Dog" Available On Blu-ray & DVD Dec. 27". Irish Film Critic.
  6. ^ "Nicolas Cage, Willem Dafoe Thriller 'Dog Eat Dog' Picked Up by RLJ Entertainment". TheWrap. August 25, 2016.
  7. ^ "Dog Eat Dog". Global Fashion Street.
  8. ^ "Fortnight 2016: The 48th Directors' Fortnight Selection". Quinzaine des Réalisateurs. Archived from the original on April 20, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  9. ^ Nancy Tartaglione (April 19, 2016). "Cannes: Directors' Fortnight 2016 Lineup – Laura Poitras' 'Risk', Pablo Larrain's 'Neruda', Paul Schrader's 'Dog Eat Dog'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  10. ^ Brody, Richard. "Movies: Dog Eat Dog". The New Yorker. Condé Nast. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  11. ^ Debruge, Peter (May 20, 2016). "Cannes Film Review: 'Dog Eat Dog'". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  12. ^ Frater, Patrick (May 16, 2015). "Nicolas Cage to Star in Paul Schrader's 'Dog Eat Dog'". Variety. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  13. ^ McNary, Dave (October 29, 2015). "AFM: Willem Dafoe Joins Nicolas Cage in 'Dog Eat Dog'". Variety. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  14. ^ Golston, Hilary (October 28, 2015). "Nicolas Cage filming movie in Cleveland". WKYC. Archived from the original on August 20, 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  15. ^ "On the Set 10/22/15: Tom Hiddleston Starts on 'Kong: Skull Island, Nina Dobrev Starts on 'Crash Pad'". SSN Insider. October 23, 2015. Archived from the original on October 25, 2015. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  16. ^ Fogarty, Steve (November 13, 2015). "Sheffield Lake gets Nicolas Cage". Chronicle-Telegram. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  17. ^ "On the Set for 12/4/15: Gal Gadot Grabs Her Lasso for 'Wonder Woman', Brad Pitt Wraps 'War Machine', 'Resident Evil' Team Finish Final Chapter". SSN Insider. December 4, 2015. Archived from the original on June 10, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  18. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 14, 2016). "Willem Dafoe's Loose Cannon Crook In Paul Schrader's 'Dog Eat Dog' – Cannes Video". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  19. ^ Erbland, Kate (September 26, 2016). "'Dog Eat Dog' Trailer: Nicolas Cage and Willem Dafoe Go Wild In Paul Schrader's Crazy Heist Thriller — Watch". IndieWire. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  20. ^ "Dog Eat Dog". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  21. ^ "Dog Eat Dog". Metacritic. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  22. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (May 20, 2016). "Dog Eat Dog review – Willem Dafoe is magnificently needy in Paul Schrader's tasty thriller". The Guardian. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  23. ^ McCarthy, Todd (May 20, 2016). "'Dog Eat Dog': Cannes Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  24. ^ Cataldo, Jesse (October 28, 2016). "Review: Dog Eat Dog". Slant Magazine. Retrieved May 16, 2019.