Film: Johnny Mad Dog
Release date: 15th March 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 93 mins
Director: Jean-Stephane Sauvaire
Starring: Christopher Minie, Dasisy Victoria Vandy
Genre: Drama/War
Studio: Momentum
Format: DVD
Country: France
This is not your average Friday-night, popcorn and beer kind of film. Johnny Mad Dog is the cinematic equivalent of a cold shower and half a gallon of black coffee. It’s sobering and utterly unforgettable. You might even need a stiff drink afterwards to recover.
Based on the 2002 novel Johnny Chien Méchant by Emmanuel Dongala, it is a chilling and brutal look at the child soldiers that fought in various African conflicts.
The title character, Johnny Mad Dog (brilliantly brought to life by the 14 -year old Christopher Minie), is the leader of a small outfit of child warriors, and we follow the daily activities of him and his small unit of soldiers as they run amok a war savaged African country…
Director Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire pulls no punches, setting it during the final days of the civil war in Liberia in 2003. The opening sequence wastes no time and drops the viewer in the heart of the bloody conflict.
It starts with a group of child fighters rampaging through a village. As one tries on a wedding dress for the size, the others force a local child to shoot his own father and then join them. The children in question are no older than 15, and it is genuinely shocking to see them act in such a feral and violent manner. It’s like Lord Of The Flies on cocaine, with the kind of swearing that would make Gordon Ramsey blush.
As the viewer, you see exactly how the rebel leaders manipulate these youngsters into becoming savage killing machines. The adults use everything from drugs to black magic to make them as blood thirsty as possible.
At times, it is seriously difficult to watch. The documentary style of filming does not flinch from the sheer reality of the situation. The scenes in the television station, where Johnny Mad Dog and one of his foot solders corner a female newsreader, are very disturbing, but the reality of the situation would have been a million times worse than anything this movie could have portrayed.
The film also focuses on a teenage girl called Laokole, who is played by Daisy Victoria Vandy. While Mad Dog and his cronies rape and rampage, you see this young girl desperately try to keep her younger brother and paraplegic father safe.
The middle act is supposed to mirror their journeys, but more time is devoted to Mad Dog than is strictly necessary. It’s here that the film does sag a little. The children just appear to wander the streets, picking fights with anyone and everyone. Their fanaticism never wavers, and the only time you feel sympathy for Mad Dog is when the war has ended and he is told by the rebel leaders that his services are no longer required. The children might have been brainwashed and indoctrinated to fight, but the minute their leaders join with the government, they are cast aside.
The final scenes see Mad Dog and Laokole come face to face in a camp. At first, it feels like a strangely unnecessary conclusion, but the final scene makes for a very powerful, if somewhat downbeat ending.
Ultimately, this is not a film about happy endings. It raises more questions than it answers, but it also sheds light on a disturbing aspect of modern warfare. You might think the kids who hang outside your local supermarket after dark are bad, but they are nothing compared to these youngsters.
The DVD also includes a lengthy ‘making of’ documentary, which is worth watching.
An uncompromising film that will not be to everyone’s tastes, but it’s a brave and worthy movie that needed to be made. War is hell and the children who fought in such conflicts paid the ultimate price. JH
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