DOG BOYS

From director Ken Russell (Crimes of Passion), in the tradition of ‘Cool Hand Luke’ and ‘The Most Dangerous Game’, comes this suspenseful tale of an ex-marine serving a short prison sentence who becomes trapped in a world of killer dogs, violence and death.

Julian Taylor (Dean Cain), a marine veteran and former middleweight boxing champion, loses control in a bar fight and ends up serving time for aggravated assault in Retrieve Prison. Upon his arrival through the prison gates, Julian is sized up by the convicts to see whose clique should claim him. Julian refuses all offers to belong and in doing so, gets into a brawl with an inmate. He is taken to his cell and questioned by Warden Adam Wakefield about his marine and fighting background. Sensing Julian’s confidence, Warden Wakefield attempts to humble him by sending him to solitary confinement for the night.

The next day, still with a strong spirit, Julian is introduced to Captain Brown (Bryan Brown), a menacing, overbearing guard who rules with an iron hand and a vicious German shepherd named Clyde. Cap Brown takes immediate exception to Julian’s fearless attitude, tags him “dogboy” and orders him to the doghouse, a claustrophobic dormitory adjacent to a room full of dog cages. Julian meets fellow doghouse resident, Willy B. Owens, who takes an instant liking to him, but Julian thinks there’s more to Willy B. than meets the eye. Cap Brown assigns his flunky, an inmate named Pappy, to inform Julian about “running the track”—creating a human-scented trail for the guards’ well-trained, vicious attack dogs to follow.

Julian soon realises that several inmates trying to escape have been attacked and killed by the dogs. Meanwhile, Willy learns of a bloodthirsty ring of hunters, headed by Cap Brown, that tracks prisoners with dogs for sport and money. Willy attempts to recruit Julian as a potential ally, but Julian refuses to get involved, not knowing that Willy is an undercover cop from the District Attorney’s office.

Willy eventually finds the evidence he is looking for—a photograph of a man in hunting garb, standing next to his “kill”: a prisoner, hanging upside down with a bullet hole in his chest. But before he can act, he is savagely attacked and killed by Cap Brown’s favorite dog, Clyde. Willy’s death prompts Julian to get concerned, but he adamantly refuses to become involved when Assistant D.A., Jennifer Dern, tells him that Willy was her partner and she needs Julian’s help to bring his killers to justice.

As more evidence surfaces, some prominent men are implicated in the scandal, including Warden Wakefield and a U.S. senator. Julian and Jennifer find that they have become the next prey in this dangerous blood sport and know that they must work together to survive.