Review of Shooting Dogs

Introduction

As Kate Winslet remarked in her guest spot in Ricky Gervais` sophomore sitcom `Extras`, she only accepted the fictional role as a nun in a wartime drama because "If you do a film about the Holocaust, you`re guaranteed an Oscar ... that`s why I`m doing it: Schindler`s bloody List ...". Whereas the evidence to back-up this acute statement up is plentiful, it does slightly neglect to mention that there is a pretty good reason for this: Genocide is universally recognised as a BAD thing. Put in on the screen and people`s human behaviour will ensue - they`ll blub. It doesn`t seem to be stretching things too far to suggest that, if you`ve produced a film that makes people cry, then you`ve created a worthwhile piece of art.

`Shooting Dogs` acutely tackles the Rwandan Genocide of 1994; something that a lot of us know only a little about, and so from an educational point of view, it`s already an important piece of movie-making. A priest (John Hurt) and his younger school teacher aide (Will Young lookalike Hugh Dancy) are caught up in the midst of one of the most horrific acts of the second half of the last century, trying to make sense of the needless hate and persecution that exists.

Whilst the UN stand by and remain inactive, the local Tutsi people are brutally massacred by the Hutus, these being the main two ethnic groups in the region. Even if you wrote the most disgustingly violent horror film of all time, it couldn`t come anywhere close to being as shocking as the events depicted on screen; whereas the characters themselves may be fictional, the events themselves are real. The film`s title derives from the fact that the UN were happy to shoot dogs that circled the ETO school encampment where the Tutsis had effectively claimed a futile sanctuary, but claimed that they were without mandate to fire at those who would later murder the `protected`, once the UN had deserted them.

Utilising Rwandan locations (nearly all of similarly themed `Hotel Rwanda` was shot in South Africa`) and employing holocaust survivors as members of the crew, this is a movie that is serious about dealing with the subject matter in a brutally honest way.

Video

The widescreen presentation is perfectly adequate, with the transfer quality adequately perfect - certainly no problems here!

The overall look and feel of the picture is also unbelievably good. In such an open and frank film, recorded in the environment in which the story is set, the main pitfall would have been to overdo it too much by tarting up the sets and making TOO MUCH of an effort. The cinema obsessives amongst you will no doubt be wincing in horror - `Stephen, there is no such thing as trying TOO hard in the pursuit of celluloid perfection`. Two words - Pearl Harbour.

The desolate landscapes and feeling of imminent atrocity are unfailingly captured through the look of the movie, something that will surprise those who recognise the director Michael Caton-Jones` name from his most recent adventure into film: `Basic Instinct 2`

Audio

The sound is presented in Dolby 1.0 only, which is a disappointment as the actual quality of the audio is fantastic, with the music and dialogue well mixed and the clarity well-defined.

Elsewhere, although maybe not as diverse as it could be, the majority of music is suitably haunting, and certainly adds to the feel of the film. Some more of the `authentic` African pop music that rears its head occasionally would have been welcome though …

Features

We get: an audio commentary from director Michael Caton-Jones, another audio commentary from writer David Wolstencroft and producer David Benton, `The Making Of Shooting Dogs` featurette, `Research visit to the ETO` featurette and some DVD ROM material.

There is quite a lot of material on offer here, which is only right as we are dealing with an issue that deserves to be screamed and shouted about. The main feature itself actually provides an overview of what happened in 1994, with the extras providing a little more information on the locations of the story.

The `Behind the Scenes` featurette explains how hard the movie was to make, given that much of the feature presentation was shot directly where the atrocities were committed. Thankfully, the sensitivity (coupled with resolve) of all involved ensured that the film was produced under these testing circumstances.

Conclusion

Despite having the everything going for it, and packing a punch that Amir Khan would be proud to call his own, the very nature of `Shooting Dogs` effectively means that it would be very difficult to sit through repeat viewings. In one sitting alone, the movie drains you of both belief in human-beings as a group, and of tears. It may be an immensely moving film, but to want to sit through the often vivid depiction of tribal warfare and the Western world`s failure to act again-and-again would be tantamount to masochism.

… which rather screws us over when we are talking about a DVD, so let`s forget that it is for now. As a movie, it turns in some of the best performances seen for years, with John Hurt in what could legitimately called the best role of his career. Dancy`s naïve and futile optimism is a great counterpoint to John Hurt`s more knowing character, and the professionalism in the face of frustration portrayed by Dominique Horwitz` UN officer adds to the already impressive list of on screen

Yet the jewel in the crown must be the movie`s overall feeling of helplessness and isolation that it projects onto you, the viewer. As the most ghastly acts are performed before your eyes, we see what it must have been like for any bystander without a mandate to shoot at rebels, or who just wants to help out, no matter how impossible or empty such a well-intentioned thought proved to be. Added to how wonderful the movie is in itself, the educational aspect of it lifts it higher in one`s esteem. This is one of the great films of the last five years, despite how difficult it may be to watch.

The problem that this presents for recommending it as a DVD purchase, rather than merely a cinema ticket, still remains; you will most likely only watch it once and use it as swap currency thereafter. However, given the host of extras on tap, and the extraordinarily powerful and lasting message of the movie, it`s a risk that`s well worth taking.