The Dogs of War (film)
| The Dogs of War | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster by Tom Jung | |
| Directed by | John Irvin |
| Screenplay by | Gary DeVore George Malko Michael Cimino (uncredited) |
| Based on | The Dogs of War (1974 novel) by Frederick Forsyth |
| Produced by | Larry DeWaay |
| Starring | Christopher Walken Tom Berenger Colin Blakely |
| Cinematography | Jack Cardiff |
| Edited by | Antony Gibbs |
| Music by | Geoffrey Burgon |
Production company | Juniper Films |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
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Running time | 118 minutes |
| Countries | United Kingdom United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $8 million |
| Box office | $5.4 million |
The Dogs of War is a 1980 action-thriller war film directed by John Irvin and starring Christopher Walken, Tom Berenger and Colin Blakely. Based on the 1974 novel of the same name by Frederick Forsyth, it follows a small mercenary unit of soldiers privately hired to depose the president of a fictional African country modeled on Guinea-Bissau, Guinea-Conakry, Equatorial Guinea and Angola (as they were in the late 1970s), so that a British tycoon can gain access to a platinum deposit.
The title is based on a phrase from William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar: "Cry, 'Havoc!', and let slip the dogs of war."