A Dog Called... Vengeance

Jason Miller made his acting debut in 1973, as the troubled Father Karras in the horror classic "The Exorcist", and he immediately received an Academy Award nomination for it. It's bizarre that, barely 4 years later, he appears in this grim and obscure Spanish political thriller/exploitation flick. It's a very unusual but nevertheless courageous role, since Miller depicts a political prisoner in an undisclosed South American country under dictatorship. He manages to escape during a transport, but promptly finds himself relentlessly pursued by an evil warden and his vicious dog; - and later just by the vicious dog. "El Perro", also known as "A Dog Called Vengeance", is a raw and mean-spirited drama; - ugly and deeply unpleasant to look at, but simultaneously intriguing. The film is long and contains slightly two many tedious sequences, but the essential sequences (as in: the dog-chasing) are intense and perplexing. The last half hour, when the action transfers from the vile and humid jungle to the big and corrupt city, I found very difficult to sit through because it's almost purely talkative and hardly any action. The titular dog, a magnificent German Shepard, is genuinely impressive animal.

I sat down to watch El Perro on a late TV showing, I had never heard of it but a friend recommended it and I had nothing better to do anyway; and soon I found myself deeply engrossed into the story. It is in structure a very simple chase story, but the struggle between Jason Miller's laconic fugitive and the larger-than-life, metaphorical dog following his footsteps has an epic proportion. Every time you think the film has run out of ideas, something happens to keep you interested; it contains some great action scenes, but also a resounding political message (the director, Spaniard Isasi, meant the dictator to be an alter ego of Francisco Franco). This film shows how much a small budget can be stretched with imagination and intelligence.

when i first saw this movie i was 8 years old and that was in 1985..believe or no i loved that movie and i still have it now even if i am 27 years old now..the story is telling you that wither the master of the dog is bad or good the dog will follow his master and go after the who murdered his master even if he is innocent. The dog will go after him and will cross hundred of miles to get to him but at the end something really sad will happen...i recommend this movie for those of who loves to see the loyalty of the dog that really deserve to call "The Best Friend". The dogs always and will still the mans best friend. I also hope that you like the movie and it contain some music clips that really nice to hear..

A man called Arístides Ungria (Jason Miller) escaping from his imprisonment in a South American dictatorship , pursued by the Beast that will haunt him and destroy those around him until he ultimately confronts his destiny at a deadly duel . The desperate fugitive chased by a cruel warden (Francisco Casares) defends himself against the nasty dog that is severely beaten , running from the past , pursued by a cruel animal , the beast that stops at nothing to carry out the order to kill . Aristides hits strongly the dog (a well trained and non-mistreated German Shepherd) and is left for dead but comes back ever stronger , with long fangs and jaws and a single-minded bloodlust . The protagonist goes home living a woman (Yolanda Farr) and her daughter and the dog continues attacking , but circumstance again gives him an opportunity for freedom , which he takes , solely he still encounters himself being pursued by the terrible animal . The dog goes after him and will cross hundred miles to get to him . Aristides attempts to arrive the city where thinks encounter his sweetheart named Muriel (Lea Massari , this role was firstly offered Jean Seberg but she turned it down , that's why the looking for a dog took long time) . Meanwhile , he recalls his past on relationship with her and to getaway he disguises as a priest (like in ¨The Exorcist¨ starred by Miller as the exorcist reverend and directed by Friedkin) . He travels across a desolate landscape to the big town in search of his wife , being relentlessly chased by a doomed dog possessed of an ancient evil that will not die until it has devoured the heart and possessed the soul of its prey . Arístides Ungria is helped by the besieged resistance formed by a brave group of freedom fighters (Marisa Paredes , Antonio Mayans , José Vivó , Manuel De Blas) . Finally , Ungria will confront a heinous officer (Aldo Sambrell) and the gruesome dog .

This is a moving story about pursuits , including a political denounce about South American dictatorships ; dealing with a violent tale of a convict on the run , a prisoner in South America who manages to escape and is chased throughout the country by a bloodthirsty dog . A chase across a landscape of terror where there is no friend , no refuge , no respite from merciless violence and cruelty , there is only the hunter and the hunted . Jason Miller stars as the hapless prisoner , he is acceptable and his action scenes are well played . The mythic secondary from Spaghetti Western , Aldo Sambrell , is good as the sadistic villainous , as always . The structure film is pretty plain and simple , but concerns about the relentless pursuit and fighting among a fugitive and a savage dog following his footsteps . This first version develops a political intrigue with dictatorship , a dictator called Leónidas , included a resounding message . Atmospheric cinematography by Juán Gelpi , shot on location in hydraulics constructions as Bolarque , Entrepeñas , Buendía , Ataza and Madrid and Miranda , Caracas , Venezuela . Including a nice cinematographer work , using subjective camera , filmed under dog viewpoint . Adequate and suspenseful musical score by Antón Garcia Abril who formerly composed the famous soundtrack of the ¨Templar Zombies¨ films directed by Amando De Ossorio . And adding a wonderful song sung by Angela Carrasco .

The picture is based on a novel with same title by successful Spanish author , an adventure expert and prolific author called Alberto Vazquez Figueroa who gets numerous cinematic adaptations , such as : ¨Manaos¨ , ¨The Iguana¨ , ¨Ocean¨ , ¨The Last Harem¨, ¨Oro Rojo¨ , ¨El Perro¨ and ¨Rottweiler¨ . As it was remade in 2004 as ¨Rottweiler¨ with similar plot , as political prisoner in a dictatorship escapes and is pursued throughout the country by a bloodthirsty dog reinforced with modern technology . This new adaptation is an extremely violent film with noisy action , stirring thriller and lots of blood and gore . Being directed by Brian Yuzna and stars William Miller , Irene Montalà , Paulina Gálvez , Lluís Homar and Paul Naschy .

The director was defending his name and career , but also his money in more ways than one , as he was one of the producers investing in the project and it achieved a big hit smash at Spanish box office . Antonio Isasi Isasmendi is a good professional , a craftsman who has directed several films in diverse genres , as adventures and , especially , action , such as : ¨The dog¨ 1979 , 1972 ¨Summertime Killer¨ , 1968 ¨Las Vegas, 500 millions¨ , 1963 ¨The mask of Scaramouche¨ , 1958 ¨Rapsodia De Sangre¨ . "El Perro¨ results to be a surprisingly solid little film , including some action scenes very skillfully staged . Decent action/thriller is worth trying . This is a movie that's both entertaining and enlightening . Certainly worth watching if you're in the mood for something other than typical exploitation fare .

When I noticed this film scrolling the catalog at my favorite film store, I stopped and checked it out, then watched a trailer and browsed the synopsis and added it to the cart. I got the Severin Films remaster and was shocked when the star turned out to be Father Damien Karras from Exorcist, I can't imagine why I didn't recognize him in the trailer, but the second I saw him close up and heard his voice in the film I was like :Hey wait a second"...lol. Was also shocked at how much nudity he was willing to do, which was pretty much to bare all in every way LOL.

It's a well done political thriller horror, there's lots of blood and kills from both the Dog and from other people. I knew I would get into it, being such a Vengeance Horror fan and it did not disappoint. Both his relentless attempt to complete his mission and the relentless pursuit by the Dog made for some very engaging tension and elicited your "rooting" for him to get away from what could be called a relentless stalker, akin to some horror villain determined to get it's victim. Great film for a horror collection or film collection in general. Give it a try, it's a classic worth having.