Mario Bava (director)
Arrow Video (studio)
18 (certificate)
96 mins (length)
07 November 2014 (released)
07 November 2014
After the getaway car driver is killed, 3 hoods named Doc (clean cut good looking), Blade (sadistic and prone to violence) and Thirty Two (George Eastman in all his bulk) Kidnap a woman and hijack a car in order to escape the cops. When they have to ditch the car and find another one, they stumble across a father who is trying to get his child to hospital. Caring little for the man or his situation they force him to drive them…
Rabid Dogs fits much more into the mould of a film wanting to face head on the anxieties of people watching. The simple story of a robbery and a random kidnapping was something many could relate to. Think of the time it was made in and you can see the fears of wealthy and political figures as they were kidnapped regularly and without warning. It also explores the fear of sudden violence and murder which with the growing concern of the red brigade movement was present in many mind. Sadly however this film didn’t see the light of day. After the film producer died in a car crash, it was shelved and didn’t see the light of day until the late 90s.
When you come to this film, if you know nothing of the movement or the style it will jar. Often it is filmed with an irrational quality, with events happening almost without explanation. This coupled with the jerky and juddering style of camera work in places grips you. It engages and also forces your attention. The pace of the film is kinetic and it refuses to let you draw breath. You feel a sense of anything is possible and anyone can be harmed with the emphasis on sudden and unexpected bursts of both violence and sexual menace.
Unlike other Bava films this is deeply, deeply nihilistic in its conclusions. This sometimes led me to feel morbid about what was to happen. This also permeated into my feelings about the hijacked characters as they were neither likable nor really loathe able. Bava wanted this and he has succeeded in his idea and its execution. With this film we have a landmark in both modern cinema and a key work of the director Mario Bava.
