Don't distrust a movie merely because it failed at the box office the first time around! Sometimes a failure becomes a gem, as proven by The Last of the Dogmen, directed by Tab Murphy, a CarolCo Production in 1995.

This is a story of dreams coming true, of distrusts, betrayals, hates, loves and redemption. It's a strong story that takes place in Montana, with magnificent shots of its mountainous terrain as an extra bonus.

Stars & Roles

Tom Berenger as.....Lewis Gates, a bounty hunter.
Barbara Hershey as...Dr. Lillian Sloan, anthropologist
Kurtwood Smith as....Sheriff Deegan
Steve Reevis as......Yellow Wolf, a Cheyenne Indian
Zip as...................Zip, a herding dog with a personality.

Plot Summation

Sheriff Deegan reluctantly calls upon his ex-son-in-law, Lewis Gates, to track and bring back three dangerous prisoners who had escaped into the wilds of the Oxbow Mountains. He still blames Gates for his daughter's death, so resentment number one comes into the picture.

Accompanied by his dog, Zip, Gates sets out on horseback and travels into the interior. He finds two of the escapees already dead and gets into a life or death battle with the third, only to have the prisoner killed by an arrow, shot by an unseen entity lurking in the wooded shadows.

Gates takes the arrow back with him and locates Dr. Sloan who is engaged in an archaeological dig with some of her students. She contends that the arrow is a fake and will not believe his story that there are, perhaps, primitive Indians living in the mountain wilderness.

He persists, tracking her to her home, and learns from her that the Cheyennes had been a fierce tribe of the plains, who had been brutally massacred by Cavalry soldiers, betraying the trust the Indians had placed in them. The Indians had fought alongside the Cavalry in many skirmishes and were so fierce they had been called Dog Soldiers or Dogmen. Legend had it that some of them had escaped to Montana.

Eventually Dr. Sloan and Gates set out together, against his wishes, to discover if there truly was an Indian tribe living in the OxBows.

Their adventures leading up to and following their astounding discoveries are as breathtakingly exciting as the gorgeous waterfalls, rivers, and Montana Mountains we get to see throughout the picture.

My Reactions

My husband had caught the end of this picture on television and kept watching the book for a re-run, and, finding one, he taped it, telling me that I HAD to see this picture. And I soon learned why.

The acting was superb! This was definitely Berenger's picture. What he can achieve with his expressions alone is awesome.

The chemistry between Berenger and Barbara literally crackled the entire time, from their distrust of one another to an eventual reconciliation of their differences.

It's a good thing they played their roles so well for Zip, the dog, could have stolen the show, as could Steve Reevis playing Yellow Wolf.

Reevis, Yellow Wolf, has a strong, handsome face, which reflects only what he wants it to reflect. Perfection! The interplay between all the characters, from the Sheriff down through each member of the supporting cast was excellent and noteworthy.

The Last of the Dogmen will hold you in suspense, bring tears to the ladies eyes, cause men to choke them back, and will leave you with the marvelous knowledge that you've seen a terrific movie that had everything except a song and dance.

I was spellbound throughout, glad my husband taped it, and I intend to buy the DVD, it was that good! Treat yourself to an evening with the lean-n-mean Dogmen.

Thanks for reading my Review. I hope it has convinced you that Roger Ebert is not always right. This was thumbs-up all the way.

Lorace

This is my contribution to Sleeper54's Lean-n-Mean Write-off. You're invited to contribute and can find the rules on his profile page at:

http://www.epinions.com/user-Sleeper54.

Thanks, Tom, it was fun!


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12