Complete A-Z list


Breed, The

7/10

Stars: Michelle Rodriguez, Oliver Hudson, Taryn Manning, Eric Lively, Hill Harper

Director: Nick Mastandrea

Five rather mature-looking students, athletically led by Rodriguez, land by seaplane on a 'deserted' island where the uncle of one had a holiday home.

It soon becomes obvious that the isle is overrun by a tribe of fierce killer dogs. The dogs not only trap the quaking quintet in the house, but tow their seaplane out into the ocean! Anyone bitten by them turns, well, snappy, in short order.

Despite its somewhat improbable premise, however, this is a thoroughly functional chiller-thriller, good of its kind, with lots of drums in the background score to point up suspenseful and jumpy moments.

Expendable characters are soon expended, including Harper (surely, at 40, filmdom's oldest student), whose dialogue must have made him long for the sharper lines of his TV series CSI NY. 'Death by dogs is brutal, man, brutal,' he exclaims. He's soon to find out.

David Quinlan

South Africa/USA 2005. UK Distributor: Pathe. Colour by FotoKem.
89 minutes. Not widescreen. UK certificate: 15.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 0, Violence/Horror 1, Drugs 0, Swearing 1.

Review date: 21 Apr 2007