The Pack (2015) (DVD film review),
A movie from Australia, ‘The Pack’ is, as the name suggests, a tale about canine terrorists. Fierce dogs roaming the countryside with a taste for blood that don’t stop at sheep because they have developed a liking for human flesh. It starts with an elderly farming couple in a remote location of South Australia. First, the man gets chewed to pieces by the dogs, four of them, and when his wife goes to investigate, she meets the same fate. They have their throats ripped out!
The dogs are not dingoes but appear to be large, black hairy creatures with enormous fangs, not the sort of dog you would want to encounter. These are feral dogs with their own agenda. Not trained, they couldn’t care less about human instructions.
We then move to another family, this time a couple with two children, living in a similar location. They are sheep farmers on the edge of bankruptcy. The farmer, Jack Wilson (Jack Campbell) is rather dismayed to see his prize sheep dead in the field, their guts ripped open. Relating the news to the wife, they realise things have gone from bad to worse and this isn’t helped by a very unsympathetic bank manager who basically says its closure time.
In common with animal behaviour, as displayed on farms with foxes, the dogs don’t actually eat all of their victims but go on a killing frenzy which doesn’t stop until the last victim is killed. Often on farms, I believe you will see attacks where all the chickens have been killed but not eaten. This seems meaningless to us but when canine species such as wild dogs get into action, they don’t stop until they do the lot.
Later on, when the manager leaves their property, he has to stop for a pee against a tree somewhere in the wilderness. The dogs attack and he is savaged to death. Not a pleasant sight by any means! The pack then focus their attention on the farmhouse and, intent on having another fine meal, they begin their attack. It becomes a siege where the family have to fight off the dogs in a protracted and very dangerous situation. This is the crunch time and it’s going to be difficult in the extreme.
Nick Robertson is the director and I believe this is his first movie. Using a relatively low-budget, he has done a great job with creative cinematography making the most of angles and lighting. Overall, the effects are professional and there are no computer graphics on the screens. The acting is extremely good though it’s a bit laconic at times. Initially, it’s quite a few minutes before the dialogue starts in earnest and that’s fairly low key. These people from the Australian outback do not really say all that much. The rating is 15 which will give you an idea of what is to be expected.
You end up having no sympathy for the dogs and most people would share this opinion, even dog lovers at that. The gang of four pooches is not nice and they do not like humans, well, except for their blood. The battle for financial stability is thrown by the wayside at the face of a much more serious attack, one which could end their existence. Rather scary is the scene where the wife and young son get trapped by the dogs while she drives through the countryside. This siege takes place at night, which gives the dogs a distinct advantage and, truthfully, this fact probably makes it easier to shoot animal action scenes.
The only extra material on the disc was a feature about the making of the movie. This in itself seemed to be a little masterpiece! It will tell you all about the dogs, Australia and the people involved. Well worth the effort of watching.
Arrow Films have got this on their list which is a good move from them. This is a no-nonsense Australian movie. It doesn’t have many outlandish pieces of action and it isn’t over embellished by any means but it does have substance and quality. The aerial shots are particularly good. I don’t know if they are shot by helicopter or perhaps a drone, whatever the facts they portray the Australian scenery exceptionally well. I would have no hesitation in recommending this movie to anyone of a suitable age and is available throughout the world, beware, however, that there are a couple of other movies with the same name.
Rod MacDonald
March 2016
(region 2 DVD: pub: Arrow Films. 1 DVD 85 minute film. Price: £ 7.99 (UK). ASIN: B0199YB2UY)
cast: Anna Lise Phillips, Katie Moore, Kieran Thomas McNamara and Jack Campbell
check out website: www.arrowfilms.co.uk