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Released by: Vinegar Syndrome
Released on: March 28th, 2023.
Director: Romano Scavolini
Cast: Clive Wood, Baird Stafford, Robert Haufrecht, Peter Elich, Mike Monty, Jim Gaines, Robert Marius
Year: 1987
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Dog Tags – Movie Review:
Written and directed by Romano Scavolini and highly influenced by his own experiences in Vietnam as a journalist, 1987’s Dog Tags tells the story of a few commandos led by Cecil (Clive Wood) and Jack (Peter Elich) who are sent deep into the thick of Vietnam in the middle of the way in hopes that they’ll be able to safely retrieve a handful of their fellow American soldiers that are being held there as prisoners of war.
Our heroes are successful and manage to get their men out without nearly as much trouble as you’d expect them to run into, but once that part of their mission is over, they get word from a higher up named Captain Newport (Mike Monty, who seemed to show up in every Italian war movie made in the eighties) that there’s more for them to do deep inside enemy territory. See, an American military helicopter was shot down not too far from where they’re located, and there’s some classified information in there that Newport needs this rag-tag crew to retrieve.
Without much of a choice in the matter, they oblige and, of course, have to fight their way through plenty of enemy soldiers and dangerous situations. When they get to the actual helicopter, however, they find that it actually contains a stash of gold. Understandably, they snatch it up, but as they fight their way out of the jungle and hope to get to safety, alliances form and shift and greed becomes a factor that threatens their very chances of survival.
High on tension and atmosphere but light on character development, Dog Tags is much more competently made than your average Italian Namsploitation epic from the eighties. Highlighted by a few oddball scenes of random exploitation and a truly well-mad scene involving a trip wire and explosive in a river, the movie is set to a fantastic, pulsing synth-heavy soundtrack and features some impressive stunt and pyrotechnic work as well as some really impressive location work and set design. The cinematography is top notch throughout and the whole thing has a gritty, sweaty vibe to it that goes a long way towards making it as engaging as it is – it’s tense stuff!
If the characters that populate the movie aren’t especially well-written, the cast members that portray them do a fine job of bringing them to life. The conflict that arises between pretty much all parties in the second half of the movie features some genuinely good acting, especially from Wood and Elich, enough so that it further pulls us into the story to ensure that we want to see where it all winds up. Baird Stafford, who fans of the director’s earlier Nightmare will recognize, is also pretty solid here as a soldier who winds up having to get his leg amputated after being injured in the line of duty.
Dog Tags – Blu-ray Review:
Vinegar Syndrome brings Dog Tags to Blu-ray framed at 2.39.1 widescreen and in AVC encoded 1080p high definition taken from “newly restored in 4k from its 35mm interpositive.” The transfer looks quite good. There are some minor scratches and specks in a few spots but for the most part, the image is quite clean. It always looks like a proper film transfer, there are no issues to note with any noise reduction or edge enhancement. Detail is generally pretty strong and we get nice, accurate skin tones and color reproduction as well as deep black levels.
The sole audio option for the movie is a 24-bit DTS-HD 2.0 Stereo track in English. Optional subtitles are offered up in English only. A text piece preceding the feature notes that the sound elements weren’t in great shape and needed extensive restoration but that some imperfections remain. Overall, however, this sounds just fine. There is some minor sibilance here and there and occasionally some hiss creeps into the mix but it’s all very minor and most probably won’t notice it. The track is balanced and generally quite clean and clear, with some good punch for the sound effects when the movie calls for it.
As far as the extras go, The Dogs Of War is a fifty-two minute interview with writer/director Romano Scavolini. He talks about the impact that the Vietnam War had on Italian culture and how it reflected generational changes in Italy and abroad, his own experiences going to South Vietnam as a photographer and trying to understand what was happening there and the many contradictions he saw in the "American war system." He also talks about how he was declared dead at one point and how news of his death got back home (clearly he wasn't dead!) and then, in the eighties, deciding to write a story and make a movie set during the war. He notes the influence of The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre, setting about getting access to locations and equipment needed to make the movie, having to retool the screenplay a few times to get it to work the way he wanted it to, the psychological aspects of the storyline, shooting with a large crew inside an actual jungle in The Philippines, how Platoon was being made at the same time nearby and some of the issues he had getting access to his dailies, his own lengthy post-production process and how his own earlier experiences in Vietnam shaped the final movie. This is quite interesting and absolutely worth taking the time to watch.
The eight minute Accepting The Mission is an interview with executive producer Arthur Schweitzer. He talks about how he came to be involved with the movie, his relationship with Scavolini and their work on Nightmare, how and why he recut the film for the international market, how the movie was received, how the release of Platoon helped Dog Tags and how the movie did very well on the home video market.
The disc also includes a two minute alternate ending from the international version, the original theatrical trailer, the original video trailer, a TV spot, menus and chapter selection options.
Note that this release is limited to 5,000 hand numbered copies and that it comes with a hard box slipcase, reversible cover sleeve art and a double-sided folded poster stored away inside the clear keepcase. It is only available from Vinegar Syndrome and a few select (non-mainstream) retailers.
Dog Tags - The Final Word:
Dog Tags is grim, gritty and seriously engaging stuff. The location work is top notch and the acting far better than you’d expect from a low budget Italian action movie from the eighties. Scavolini does a strong job keeping things moving nicely and throwing in enough moments of exploitation oddity to ensure that the movie is always interesting. Vinegar Syndrome’s Blu-ray of the original, uncut version looks and sounds very nice and the extras are interesting and do a nice job of documenting the movie’s history.