The Dogs of War

If you thought The Deer Hunter was racist, then get your eyes round this: Frederick Forsyth's novel about a mercenary coup in a small African dictatorship adapted with all the lost-empire sentimentality that the book avoided. And, given Irvin's reputation after directing Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy for the BBC, it's odd to find a film which muffs locations (New York, London, 'the tropics') and themes (solitude, the joy of action) with such indifference. Ten out of ten to Colin Blakely for his cameo (as an itinerant o'booze), but otherwise this is just another weary hack job from a rootless British film industry in decline.