Dog Soldiers

I saw this again on the TV a few days ago, and it reminded me of just how good it was. It's nothing special to look at, but the script is great and it's well acted. Nick Nolte is one of my favourite actors, and Richard Masur and Ray Sharkey make a wonderful pair of goons.

The book was great and while I don't usually think Hollywood does a very good job translating the book into a movie in this case they have done an excellent job. Nick Nolte is outstanding as Ray Hicks, a marine vet doing a favor for a buddy by smuggling 2 keys of pure heroin back into the U.S.A. When he gets stateside and goes to his buddy's wife to make the drop all hell breaks loose and Nolte tears up the screen. Also features an outstanding supporting cast with Michael Moriarty as Nolte's buddy John Converse, Tuesday Weld as Marge Converse, Anthony Zerbe as Antheil and Richard Masur and Ray Sharkey as Zerbe's henchmen. The ending is surrealistic and one of the most memorable finale's I have seen.

Released in 1978 with the "bigger" Vietnam films (THE DEER HUNTER, COMING HOME), this is an under appreciated gem. Nick Nolte showed signs of becoming a solid leading man with his work here as action junkie Ray Hicks. The supporting cast in smaller, important roles bolsters a tight, moving film. Richard Mazur and Ray Sharkey are ultimate psychos and Charles Haid, as the weasel dope dealer are great. Like Karl Reiz's previous gem (THE GAMBLER), this film deserved to be bigger.

This is a small masterpiece and perhaps the best film to come out of the whole Vietnam War experience, perfectly reflecting the drug-addled, hyper-cynical and soulless days at the end of the 60's, when we all realized that it wasn't going to be alright. If you like Nolte, you must see this. If you loath Nolte to the very depth of your being, you need to see it even more. His energy here would fill a dozen lesser films - only the remarkable supporting cast keeps him from single-handedly burning the movie down. A huge number of American films from this period are massively overrated. Not this one.

A soldier returning from Vietnam agrees to smuggle some heroin for a friend but the Feds are on to the scheme. Nolte is dynamic as the cynical war vet who becomes a reluctant drug runner. Weld is fine as a drug-addict hippie. However, it is Moriarty who steals the film with his hilariously deadpan performance as a somewhat dim-witted fellow who sees drug dealing as a way to make a quick buck. The banter among Moriarty and agents Masur and Sharkey is often quite amusing. Although it opens in Saigon, Vietnam is not the focus of this film, unlike two high-profile films released the same year, "The Deer Hunter" and "Coming Home." Instead, this is a morality tale about drugs.

A remarkable performance from Nick Nolte. It makes you wonder why he hasn't achieved greater status than he has. His performance as Ray Hicks in this movie is just overpowering. An intelligent, highly-capable, although somewhat anti-social man who has been sneered at and kicked on one too many times. He is a true "Dog Soldier", and has not ever had anything easy in his life. His is a life of hard knocks and hard roads, and he doesn't shy away from either. He exhibits his rock-solid beliefs in old-school virtues, such as, loyalty, true friendship and caring, and defending the people you care about with your life. A truly remarkable film, and a truly remarkable performance by Nolte. Nolte simply dominates every scene he's in.