Coventry Certain seventies movies have such a bonkers plot concept that you have to watch them, if only just to see with your own eyes how they elaborated the idea! Take "The Doberman Gang", for instance. Following a screwed-up bank heist (they put the loot in the trunk of the wrong getaway car) and a romantic night with waitress June, the embittered ex-con Eddie comes up with the brilliant plan to train six fierce Doberman dogs to commit a bank robbery, so that he and his buddies can observe from a distance without running any risks. Brilliant, isn't it? So does this mean that "The Doberman Gang" is a fantastic 70s crime-caper gem with plenty of virulent action sequences and spectacular animal stunts? Unfortunately not … It's more of a slow-paced comedy/buddy movie with enormous amounts of dog training footage and a LOT of country music montages. Eddie enlists the help of former police dog trainer Barney, even though he only worked with German Shepard dogs before and initially doesn't know what he's training the Dobermans for, and puts together a forceful dog pack with the glorious sounding names of legendary bank robbers like Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, Ma Barker, Baby Face Nelson and – of course – Bonnie and Clyde. Unless you have a strong affection for this particular type of dogs (like my mother-in-law, who for some reason collects everything that has to do with Dobermans) there's very little to recommend here. The first 70 or so minutes are quite dull and substantially void, unless you like country music, and the only things to enjoy are the charismatic dogs and the reasonably sympathetic acting performances of the second-rate bank robbers Sammy Bow and JoJo D'Amore. The actual bank heist is obviously a lot more entertaining and the tricks of the dogs and their trek back home are quite exhilarating to watch. There isn't any violence or verbal/physical brutality, so it's perfectly suitable for younger audiences.

Woodyanders This really choice and pleasingly idiosyncratic early 70's low-budget canine crime caper winner delivers the quirky low-key nickel'n'dime junk movie goods with mucho gusto and a welcome dearth of pretense. Irascible criminal mastermind Eddie, fed up with the gross constant ineptitude of his hopelessly fallible human cohorts, kidnaps and trains a sextet of non-error prone super-sharp Doberman pinchers to pull off an intricate bank heist. This funky little number hits all the necessary bases: we've got a speedy steady pace, competent, assured direction by Bryon Ross Chudnow, nifty gritty lowlife characters, solid pro acting, a crankin' soulful heavy on the brass score by Bradford Craig and Alan Silvestri, exquisite crystal clear cinematography by Robert Caramico, a terrifically tense heist set piece, cheesy montages set to marvelously mawkish light FM tunes, and even a slight mild sprinkling of good old fashioned gratuitous sex and violence. Bonus points are in order for both the fabulously corny country-and-western theme song ("They were the dog gonest gang that man did ever see") and the fact that each dobie is named after a notorious 30's Depression era criminal (Ma Parker, Dillinger, Bonnie, Clyde, etc.). In short, this fun flick overall rates as the totally authentic gnarly article.

videoplusdvd Considering that the main cast are primarily television bit actors, they gel together very well. Even director Byron Chudnow's primary work was producing and editing in television, which probably goes a long way to explain why the film is so economically paced. Julie Parrish was most recognized for appearing opposite Elvis Presley in "Paradise, Hawaiian Style", and briefly in Star Trek's "The Menagerie" (part 1).The film is notable especially for being composer Alan Sylvestri's first motion picture score (alternating between dramatic and humorous), with absolutely no prior composing experience, and a two week deadline. He would eventually be linked regularly to director Robert Zemeckis, enjoying a working relationship similar to Steven Spielberg and John Williams.Extremely entertaining and generally a well paced film, rated GP on original theatrical prints (re-classified PG) for a couple of bloody sequences.

Wizard-8 Training 6 doberman dogs to rob a bank? Actually, this outlandish premise is executed with far more believability than you'd think. The criminals behind the dogs are not portrayed as buffoons or as totally unredeemable; in fact, they are pretty likable guys for the most part. (And - shock of all shocks - it's the Vietnam veteran character who comes across as the most sympathetic!) As well, we are taken through the plan step by step, seeing how they slowly train the dogs and deal with any potential problems that come up during the way. It's a little dry at times (the low budget doesn't exactly make it flashy), but never does it get really boring. The only thing I question about the movie is how it got a "G" rating, given a couple of (mild, admitedly) love scenes and a couple of *seriously* bloody sequences! Those bloody sequences really shatter the agreeably fluffy and light tone, and make it questionable as a family movie. Despite that, the movie was pretty successful, subsequently generating two theatrical sequels and one made-for-TV movie.