“I’ve made some important films. ‘Dog Eat Dog’ is not one of them.” –Paul Schrader
On this week’s episode of The Filmography podcast, Bjorn and I take a deep dive into Paul Schrader’s wildest picture yet, 2016’s bonkers neo-noir “Dog Eat Dog.”
The film marks the second collaboration between Schrader and Nicolas Cage following their mutual dissatisfaction with the removal of Schrader as director in the botched post-production process of finishing their first picture together, 2014’s “Dying of the Light.”
Adapted from (most of) the novel of the same name by Edward “Mr. Blue” Bunker (“Reservoir Dogs”) , the film features a totally unhinged supporting turn from Willem Dafoe, who was absolutely riveting 17 years earlier opposite Edward Furlong in the excellent Eddie Bunker adaptation “Animal Factory,” directed by Bunker’s fellow “Reservoir Dogs” alum, Steve “Mr. Pink” Buscemi (who also played a small part).
Apparently, after playing smaller parts in “Affliction” and “The Walker,” Dafoe told Schrader not to bother casting him again unless he had a truly interesting character for him to sink his famous teeth into. Dafoe got his wish (and more!) in a role that sees him at his most uninhibited, crazed, and funniest best.
It’s not the first time that Dafoe and Cage have brought out the extreme in each other on screen before, having previously co-starred in David Lynch’s brilliantly deranged ode to “The Wizard of Oz,’ 1992’s “Wild At Heart.”
In the lead role, Nicolas Cage demonstrates some of his best and worst thespian instincts. For instance, he spends much of the film impersonating Humphrey Bogart, an alternately amusing and distracting creative choice that he apparently surprised Schrader with on the day.
Rounding out the trio of disorganized criminals at the heart of the film is Christopher Mathew Cook (“Treme,” “2 Guns”), who steals many scenes from his much more famous co-stars.
In particular, Cook is excellent in a scene with one of the few female characters in the film, played with great depth and tenderness (despite her limited screen time) by Louisa Krause (“Billions,” The Girlfriend Experience” series).
With its midnight-black humour and outrageous violence, “Dog Eat Dog” is a lot of fun, and certainly a step up from the last Schrader–Cage flick, “Dying of the Light,” though it’s hardly a masterpiece.
If nothing else, it’s the shotgun-blast, who-gives-a-fuck picture that Schrader clearly needed to make before he was ready to return to his transcendental roots a year later for what is, arguably, his true masterpiece, “First Reformed.”
Schrader even makes a rare (and entertaining) cameo in the film as “El Greco” (The Greek), a decidedly non-Greek mobster.
For the complete breakdown of all the highs and lows of Schrader’s 20th picture (including a debate on the meaning of that mad ending!), you will have to check out the full Filmography podcast episode below:
Watch the trailer for “Dog Eat Dog” here:
Watch an interview with Paul Schrader on “Dog Eat Dog” here:
Read Paul Schrader’s Guardian newspaper interview here:
Read The New Yorker’s review of “Dog Eat Dog” here:
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/the-goofball-criminals-of-paul-schraders-dog-eat-dog
Listen to “Troy’s Theme” from the “Dog Eat Dog” soundtrack here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqgnyfb2po8
Purchase Edward Bunker’s novel here:
Watch the trailer for “Animal Factory” here:
Watch the trailer for “Wild at Heart” here:
Watch the trailer for “The Wizard of Oz” here:
And before next week’s episode of The Filmography where Bjorn and I will take a deep dive into “First Reformed,” check out Paul Schrader’s definitive treatise on “Transcendental Style in Film: Ozu, Bresson, Dryer” here:
