Rabid Dogs (1974)

- Cani arrabbiati
Bava's grittier side, 16 February 2006

I have now seen all but a couple of Mario Bava's films. I've always enjoyed the way Bava seemed to reinvent himself with each movie. But Rabid Dogs represents even more of a departure from the norm for Bava. It's more akin to something Sam Peckinpah might have made than it is to such seemingly varied films as the Gothic nightmare of Black Sunday or the Technicolor dream of Hercules in the Haunted World or the campy fun of Danger Diabolik. Rabid Dogs is gritty and brutal and rarely lets up on the tension. The story involves three small-time robbers/killers who think that with their latest job they've hit the big time. During their escape, they pick up a frightened woman who will become the target of their abuse and an older man with a very sick child. Together, these six people will go on a nihilistic journey with only death waiting at the end. The confined set (90% of Rabid Dogs takes place inside a car) adds immensely to the psychological tension and physical threat these three desperate men represent. There is no place for the captives to go to escape the overbearing fear they face. Bava films this small space with some remarkable camera angels that build on the hot, claustrophobic feel of the movie. Gone are the colored gels and dream-like lighting Bava seemed so fond of in his earlier movies. Instead, Rabid Dogs is filmed in such a realistic manner that you can almost feel the sweat, grim, and dirt that comes from being trapped in such small space. Finally, even though I was able to predict the movie's outcome in some detail, it's quite shocking to watch as the final twist unfolds.

If you're a Bava fan, Rabid Dogs may not be the kind of movie to which you're accustomed to seeing, but it's one that shouldn't be passed-up.

8/10