very weak, unfortunately

Better than most people think

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

I must admit that I'm at a bit of a loss to describe this film. The trailer I saw made it look vaguely watchable - but it isn't. The start of the film made you think "hey, this has got some good actors" - but really, they don't seem to be anymore. The idea of the plot seemed to point towards an edgy action movie - but it ain't.Despite its director, its cast and its (at times at least) good cinematography, it fails on any real level. Sadly, what starts out as seeming tedious just drifts into virtual gnaw your own leg off boredom. Some use of the occasional boobs, bums and gratuitous violence seem completely pointless and I would say off plot, except there isn't really a plot for it to be off of.At this stage, I'm going to go with recommending you to paint your living room wall and watch it dry instead. It will provide you with more thrills, enjoyment and a greater lasting feeling of enjoyment.3 out of 10 only because the camera work at times was nicely shot.

The film is inspired by Tarantino. It opens with a killing and "The Whistle Tune" from "Kill Bill." Three guys recently get out of prison. Troy (Nicolas Cage) was the most recent to get out and is the "brains" in the group. Mad Dog (William Dafoe) has psychotic tendencies and only Troy tolerates him as he helped him in prison. Diesel (Christopher Matthew Cook) is the muscle. They are hired to do various crimes for the head of the Cleveland Mafia. They hope to score one last task and go off to Hawaii.The film opened with a lot of promise, but wanes after the first task. It should of had a second task, before the final one which was too predictable. Dafoe gives us a good performance with Cage being the weak link. This wasn't his film. I thought the ending was anti-climatic.Guide: F-word, sex, stripper nudity

Paul Schrader is no art-house lightweight. His contributions to film history are mighty. Taxi Driver and Raging Bull should be enough proof. It gives me no pleasure to say that Dog Eat Dog is one of the most reprehensible films I've ever seen. A dark, ugly, rotten film to it's core. Nothing more than a psychopathic fever dream Schrader must of had one night. I hated these three characters. Nicholas Cage plays a wannabe Humphrey Bogart. That sounds hilarious on paper. The problem is, he plays it really uncomfortably straight and without a shred of irony. William Dafoe plays one of the most loathsome human beings you'll ever encounter. He opens up the film killing a single mom and her little girl. The scene is almost played up for laughs. It's being sick for sick's sake.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning Troy (Nicolas Cage) and his cohorts Mad Dog (Willem Dafoe) and Diesel (Christopher Matthew Cook) have just been released from prison, but are down on their luck. They accept an assignment to rough up Moon Man (Omar J. Dorsey), a fellow criminal who is involved in a dodgy deal with a crooked lawyer. This then builds up to a one year old baby being targeted, and from there, as the title suggests, a succession of backstabbing, betrayal and murder ensues.These days Nicolas Cage has shifted a little too uncomfortably into the realm of a straight to DVD star, making a succession of such titles no one would likely remember, a sad fate for a corny, eccentric but still vastly talented actor, so it's still quite welcome when a more high profile project like this comes along, that offers an increasingly rare vision of what he was once known for. Sadly, it's not really of much higher quality than any of the straight to DVD films.Director Paul Schrader, with whom he previously made the bungled Dying of the Light, returns with Cage here and is going for a Tarantino esque -vibe, with a touch of film noir thrown in to various scenes, in a film which occasionally shows promise, but is too disorganised and clunky to work, with a plot that is hard to trace from one scene to the next, and a general feeling of style over substance. Performances wise, Cage applies his zany, maniacal style again and it does work, even if the material doesn't, while he gets decent support from Dafoe. It's just a shame they're not doing it in a better film.It would be nice to see Cage get his mojo back one day, and make a film worthy of his talents. **