Well folks, looks like it’s that time of the year. The time for a new Nic Cage movie, and it appears as if he’s done paying his back taxes, because this actually seems like it could be a good movie!
Dog Eat Dog comes out as a limited release release and OnDemand November 11th, and should be on your immediate viewing list for the following reasons.
Firstly, it’s directed by Paul Schrader, who wrote Taxi Driver and Raging Bull just to name a few. He’s kind of a big deal. It’s a pity that the last film he’s known for is the odd film (perhaps a euphemism for terrible) The Canyons, which starred alleged rapist and skin flick actor James Deen and the incredibly easy to deal with Lindsay Lohan. But judging by the trailer (completely bonkers), it looks like Schrader got his groove back, much like the beloved animated Emperor Kuzco.
Secondly, it stars both Nicolas Cage and Willem Dafoe. Despite what they may say, everyone loves Nic Cage. People love Cage when he demands the bunny be put back in the box. Or when he wants to take his face off. Or when he yells “not the bees!”, quite possibly the finest scenes in the entire history of cinema. All jokes aside, whether you like Nic Cage or not, he certainly doesn’t leave you feeling indifferent. He’s an actor that’s all in, 110%, and just does his thing for better or for worse depending on the role. Teaming crazy Cage up with even crazier Willem Dafoe is guaranteed to be pure gold. Dafoe, of Speed 2 fame (and a couple other good movies) is Schrader’s mascot, and one of the best character actors working today.
Thirdly, the film is based on the eponymous novel written by Edward Bunker. Bunker was a reformed criminal who, after having spent more than 18 years in prison, went on to have a successful writing and acting career. He also starred as Mr. Blue in Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs. His background alone guarantees the film won’t be PG-13 rated bullshit, and hopefully puts writers like Bunker and Elmore Leonard on the map for future adaptations. Remember the hard boiled flicks we loved in the 80’s? Where are they? Good question right?
On November 11th, go to your rental service of choice, and take a peep at Dog Eat Dog. If you can afford it, please rent it. Why? Because if we all illegally download small films like this, at some point we won’t get small films like this anymore. If the reasons stated above don’t convince you that this movie is worth parting ways with five bucks for, then maybe take another look at the bees sequence from the Wicker Man remake. That could unfortunately become be the standard.
Watch the Dog Eat Dog trailer here.
