The Breed (2006)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Nicholas Mastandrea

Writers:

Robert Conte (writer)
Peter Martin Wortmann (writer)

Release Date:

1 June 2006 (Italy)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Play dead.

Plot:

A group of five college kids are forced to match wits with unwelcoming residents when they fly to a "deserted" island for a party weekend.

Plot Keywords:

Island | Dog | Brothers | Killer Dog | Self Deprecation

Cast

Michelle Rodriguez	...	Nicki
Oliver Hudson	...	John
Taryn Manning	...	Sara
Eric Lively	...	Matt
Hill Harper	...	Noah
Nick Boraine	...	Luke
Lisa-Marie Schneider	...	Jenny

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and some language.

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

Germany | South Africa | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Philippines:R-13 | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Singapore:PG | Argentina:13 | Italy:VM14 | Finland:K-15 | Norway:15 | Australia:M | Portugal:M/16

Filming Locations:

Cape Town, South Africa

Company:

Film Afrika Worldwide

Trivia:

The actors had 3-4 days of dog training with the dogs used in the movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the people see the dogs on the dock by the plane, the plane is safely tied up. About ten seconds later, when they look at the plane again, it is untied and way out in the river. There is no way the dogs could've chewed through the rope and let the plane drift that far out that quickly.

Quotes:

Nicki: [in the lab, before blowing up several dogs] Give Cujo my best.

Movie Connections:

References The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

A clichéd but effective horror film

Movie concepts don't get much simpler than this: on a supposedly deserted island, genetically enhanced, rabid-like dogs attack five college kids who have gone there for a weekend of fun. It's kind of surprising that a movie like this, made in 2006, still gets theatrical release in some countries; this is usually direct-to-DVD stuff. With that said, however, "The Breed" is effective at what it sets out to do. What gives this movie an edge over other contemporary "creature features" is that the "creatures" are real, highly-trained dogs instead of fake CGI bats, crocodiles, snakes, spiders or whatever. This adds an element of realism to the proceedings, as does the fact that the characters behave rationally for the most part. Michelle Rodriguez looks great (what else is new?) and shows her physicality, and the rest of the cast may not be brilliant, but they're not bad, either. The movie does suffer from a terrible ending though - it was probably intended as a shock but it's so sudden that it looks as if the producers ran out of money or time or something. (**)