Johnny Mad Dog (2008) Movie Review, Trailer, Film Still and Poster

France, Belgium, Liberia 2008
Director: Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire
Cast: Christophe Minie, Daisy Victoria Vandy, Carlos Badawi, Joseph Duo, Onismus Kamoh, Mohammed Kamara
Rating: -
Language: English
Release Date: 20 May 2008 (France)
Running Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

The Movie Review

Johnny Mad Dog film still 1


JOHNNY MAD DOG
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Once in a while sometimes we bump into a movie that we're having a hard time believing it. A movie that's so profoundly shocking that'll make you start counting your blessing. Johnny Mad Dog is an unrelenting and unflinching movie about the hard of life and violence. There are almost always 2 sides of everything, and for me personally The African Continent does have 2 sides. One side of imagining the bright sunny day, clean sand and unique animals and landscape always makes me want to go there. But on the other sides, seeing and reading all the wars, genocide, massacre, mass-raping and civil war got me always numb thinking how lucky I am to be able to have this movie reviewing work.

Johnny Mad Dog is a film based on a novel written by Congolese novelist, Emmanuel Boundzéki Dongala, under its French title: Johnny Chien Méchant. Set in Liberia amidst the civil war, it tells the story of a bunch of child soldiers under the command of Johnny who's got nicknamed Mad Dog. We are following the "adventure" of these child soldiers who roam from town to town, doing unimaginable stuff of evil-doings, brutality and other uncivilized actions. Johnny Mad Dog (Christophe Minie) is personally inaugurated by their more senior comrade, the one who these kids call as General Never Die (Joseph Duo). Never Die brainwashes these kids with the help of drugs and gives them speeches of the important of their revolutionary movement.

Though Johnny Mad Dog and the gang never hesitate and not even blink as to think even just a second to kill or raping anyone, but Johnny himself apparently showing certain degree of soft side towards girls of his age (only of his age!). When terrorizing the empty town with only a couple of residents left, Johnny encounters a pre-teen girl, Laokole (Daisy Victoria Vandy) and her little brother, Fofo (Onismus Kamoh). Laokole is a strong girl who never gives up and also has to take care of his handicapped father who lost both of his legs and living in a very very (seriously very!) poor house. And her encounter with Johnny will change their life forever.

I didn't know and wasn't familiar with any single actor in this movie. That fact plus the documentary-style camerawork just add to the gritty reality feeling this movie delivers. They are speaking English language for most of the time. But if you are not excellently-amazing in English, then you better buy a copy with good sub in it. An example, a character says a line that sounds "Yu wanna loo yo la?!" That means "You wanna lose your life?!". Or "Fofo, ka ma lasgo" That means "Fofo, c'mon let's go"

I don't know if there's any relatively strong storyline about the movie, as the plot is very onion-skin thin. But that won't be our concern once we follow their terror movement. The score is chilling but we're seldom here any music. In the end credits though, you'll some brutal pictures of war accompanied by one of the songs that had got me shocked of the fiercely-realistic lyrics back in my college days, what song is it? None other than Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit", this time performed by Nina Simone. Furthermore, every member of the child soldiers is wearing accesories and clothings that are extremely bizzare and weird, the ones that seem to be imported straight from Harajuku, Japan. Or maybe this movie will inspire them young fellas. Their name are also 'funky', to name a few: Cpt. Disrespect, Nasty Plastic, Jungle Rocket, Scarface, et cetera.

Watching Johnny Mad Dog, was a time I cherish so much. This movie plays like a documentary or even mondo of the 70s. But unlike mondo, where it can relatively amuse those with certain bizarre taste, Johnny Mad Dog is heartbreaking. It got me remember this particular hadits of Rasulullah SAW that says: Look at the condition of those people who are inferior to you, not vice versa, look up to the people whose life superior to you. Such deed is more feasible, so that you do not look down on blessings that ALLAH has bestowed upon you. (This is my own translation to ease the understanding for English-speaking readers, I'm truly sorry if made an error translating it :-))
In Indonesian: Lihatlah kondisi orang yang martabatnya di bawah kalian, jangan sebaliknya, melihat orang yang derajatnya di atas kalian. Yang sedemikian itu lebih layak, agar kalian tidak merendahkan kenikmatan Allah yang telah dianugerahkan kepada kalian. or in its Arabic transliteration (Undzuru ila man asfala minkum wa la tandzuru ila man fauqakum, fainnahu ajdaru an la tazdaru ni’matallahi alaikum).

All in all, there is something very inherently strong and fierce and forceful of the movie. It can be guaranteed, that at least one scene will linger on your memory. I better not spoil anything, and I just want to let you know that watching Johnny Mad Dog really got me forget about time, forget about drink, about chips, not because of how amusing it is but because emotionally-carried-away on how sad and hopeless the people of Liberia must've been back in the days of civil war...

> More of African civil war portrayals in motion pictures: Blood Diamond (2006) and Hotel Rwanda (2004).