Dogs | Telescope Film
Dogs

Dogs (Câini)

Critic Rating

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  • Romania,
  • France,
  • Bulgaria,
  • Qatar
  • 2016
  • · 104m

Director Bogdan Mirică
Cast Dragoș Bucur, Gheorghe Visu, Vlad Ivanov, Costel Cașcaval, Raluca Aprodu
Genre Drama, Thriller, Western

When Roman inherits desolate land from his grandfather, he makes plans to sell it. However, chaos ensues when he learns that his grandfather was a local crime lord and his men will not let go of the land — and their smuggling business — without a fight.

Stream Dogs

What are critics saying?

80

Screen Daily by Lisa Nesselson

Writer-director Bogdan Mirica makes a very assured feature debut, juggling an accretion of sinister clues and slow-burn allegiances at a low-key pace kept humming thanks to attention-getting widescreen panache.

70

Variety by Peter Debruge

Although the director cut his teeth working in commercials and on more comedic material, he has no trouble orchestrating the breath-catching suspense of Dogs, depicting violent confrontations with a certain chilling detachment, then reveling in the gruesome result.

50

The Hollywood Reporter by Boyd van Hoeij

There’s no doubt Mirica can film the hell out of a location or a character’s face, but as for telling a fully gripping and involving story? The jury’s still out on that one.

50

The New York Times by Beatrice Loayza

One can imagine how the particularities of the Romanian bush might yield novel dynamics. Instead, Dogs underplays these elements and commits to the beats of the slow burn thriller in mostly generic form.

40

CineVue by John Bleasdale

Visually arresting and well-acted, Dogs shows promise but one would have hoped for some new tricks.