Whilst on manoeuvres in the Scottish highlands, Sergeant Wells (Sean Pertwee) and his men discover that the special operations team, who were their training enemy, have been killed and their bodies mutilated. Only one man remains, Captain Ryan (Liam Cunningham), who has been seriously injured. The soldiers flee into the woods as they are attacked by a hoard of blood thirsty creatures and make it to a road where a young woman, Megan (Emma Cleasby) is driving by. She takes the men to a nearby farmhouse where there's a log fire burning and food on the stove but nobody home. Before long, the creatures attack the house and the soldiers have to battle for their lives and try to make it through the long night.

Another jingoistic, partisan rave about a British film? Yep! You got it. Dog Soldiers is a wonderfully crafted werewolf tale from Neil Marshall, and part of the reason it is so effective is that the fine British cast portray the soldiers believably. They're just a bunch of ordinary squaddies stuck out in the wilds of Scotland, when they would much rather be watching the England match down the pub with a few ales. Sean Pertwee in particular is splendid as the sergeant who genuinely cares for his men, whilst trying to keep his intestines from falling out. Liam Cunningham also is engaging in his role as the loathsome SAS captain. Amongst all the action is some well placed humour; in one marvelous scene, Pvt. 'Spoon' Witherspoon (Darren Morfitt) has a bare fist fight with a werewolf nearly twice his size. I can see overseas viewers having a bit of trouble with the assortment of British accents and slang in the film, but where ever you're from, you'll be hard pushed to find a more entertaining tail-wagger. Not for pussies ; )  S.J.T.

Dog Soldiers. 2002

Directed by Neil Marshall 

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