tomgillespie2002 Deemed too controversial by Paramount in 1982, Samuel Fuller's bare- knuckled study of the psychology of racism went virtually unseen for over two decades, playing sporadically at film festivals and private screenings until Criterion remastered and re-released it on DVD in 2008. Fuller was understandably devastated and perplexed by the decision, as it was incredibly well received in the countries that actually saw a limited released, but it was made in a time when serious and unblinking social commentary was favoured less than greased-up man-mountains wielding dual machine guns.From the very start, Fuller's movie is an exercise in resourceful simplicity, as young actress Julie Sawyer (Kristy McNichol) hits a white German Shepherd with her car, and takes the injured and seemingly innocent animal to the vets for a check-up. The dog's ferocity rears its head early on, as it takes down a rapist that breaks in Julie's house and restrains him until the police arrive. Its eagerness to attack is interpreted as protection of its owner, but when the hound starts savagely attacking black people, it soon becomes clear that this is no ordinary dog. Despite her boyfriend's pleas to put it down before it kills somebody, Julie believes that it can be cured of the affliction it was taught from a young age.The first third of the movie plays out like exploitation with the subtlest of satire running through the story, almost like the type of movie Larry Cohen used to make only without a flying serpent or mutant baby. The attacks are brutal and well-made despite its low budget, and the movie proceeds almost like a slasher (gnasher?) as the beast bares its teeth with its coat festooned with blood. The animal is truly terrifying, and makes for a chilling movie 'monster'. Yet you see a glimmer of redemption in those sad eyes, and Julie does too, taking it to animal trainer Carruthers (Burl Ives) who, like everybody else, warns her to kill the beast before it kills somebody. One of his workers, dog trainer Keys (Paul Winfield), recognises it as a 'white dog' - one conditioned from a pup to hate black people.It is a this point that White Dog becomes an enthralling and intelligent expose of racism, posing far more questions that it quite wisely fails to answer. The pure hatred bred into the animal rings true with humans; the kind of ignorant, confused and misdirected fury so prevalent in America. The film also asks whether or not this kind of conditioning is curable. Keys certainly tries, exposing more and more of his black skin to the dog as they gradually form a bond, but the German Shepherd remains unpredictable, managing one night to escape its confines and commit an act of pure savagery in the holiest of locations. The film highly suggests that you may remove the racism, but the hatred will remain, and it's a sobering thought. This is blunt, unflinching B-movie film-making that will have you on the edge of your seat as you watch, and reflect heavily on its themes afterwards.

evanston_dad A weird, ragged, angry film about racism from the directorial mind of Samuel Fuller.Fuller is one of my faves, but this movie isn't one of his best. The premise is fascinating: the story of a dog that's been trained to only attack black people argues that man and dog have much in common -- people learn racism, they're not born with it, but once they have learned it, can it ever be trained out of them? The answer in the movie isn't exactly "no" and it isn't exactly "yes" either; it's more like "maybe," but if so we'll just be screwed up in some other way. As with any Fuller film, "White Dog" asks interesting questions, but unlike other Fuller films, the execution in this one undermines its power. For starters, Kristy McNichol is not up to the acting task given her; in fact, she's quite terrible, and not a single line she delivers or emotion she conveys feels authentic. The film also suffers from weak editing, pacing, and writing. The screenplay is lazy, asking us to accept story developments that serve the plot but don't make logical sense.Overall, "White Dog" feels like a movie that was made by someone who still has compelling stories in his head but has lost the energy to tell them.Grade: B-

Scott LeBrun Those people who were quick to condemn this movie for what was perceived as its message unfortunately missed the point. It's deeply affecting stuff, based on a story by Romain Gary, of an actress named Julie (Kristy McNichol) who takes in a beautiful white German Shepherd that she accidentally hits with her car one night. She comes to love the dog, realizing he makes for an excellent guard dog, but comes to learn that this dog has been trained to attack people - specifically, black people. In desperation, she turns to a group of men who train animals for the movies, including Carruthers (Burl Ives) and Keys (Paul Winfield), hoping the dog can be rehabilitated. Keys, who is black himself, makes it his mission to try to get through to this dog; even though he has his doubts, he holds out that slim hope of claiming victory. It's hard to get through this story and NOT be deeply affected; as one can see, this is more than just the story of one dog, it's a means of showing any and all ways that people can channel their prejudices, whether it be through their children, and keep the cycle going, or through man's best friend in this case. The viewer will likely feel the same way as Keys, played wonderfully by Winfield, hoping that against the odds there will be some sort of happy ending. They'll reel from the implications of this dog's actions. Accompanied by beautiful Ennio Morricone music, this movie may have some silly lines and moments here and there, and not exactly be subtle about its message, but one thing is for sure, and that's that it definitely keeps one watching. It's hard to watch at times, in its uncut form, but undeniably powerful. The animal action by Karl Lewis Miller is first rate (Miller also cameos as the would be rapist) and the canine performances are no less than completely convincing; the white dog, played by a quintet of dogs, is truly scary when in attack mode. Co-starring Jameson Parker and Lynne Moody, with bit appearances by the likes of Christa Lang (widow of director Samuel Fuller), Fuller himself as Julie's agent, Marshall Thompson, Bob Minor, Paul Bartel, and Dick Miller, "White Dog" is a movie not easily forgotten, and it's easily deserving of another look. Eight out of 10.

graceism22 White Dog is not a racist film. Samuel Fuller's (the director) intention was not to make a racist film. So why was this movie deemed racist? It was banned in the US and only recently released on DVD. Fuller, accustomed to making B-movies with not much of a "good reputation" thought he could get away with his "radical" messages because he had more freedom to do so. I think the people who thought of this movie as racist only thought so because it's about a white dog attacking black people. However, that's just a tag line; really it's about a racist trainer who brainwashes a dog to attack black people and how a black trainer tries to re-teach the dog not to. In the end the trainer is victorious. Some, who still think the film is racist, might interpret the ending as confirming racism. For a dog, race is just black and white, but the movie said a lot about racism in human society, and the possibilities of re-conditioning. Fuller's movie might not be the greatest film about racism but it very cleverly portrays racism through the medium of a dog—neutral in thought.