SAVAGE DOG (2017) ***

Scott Adkins is a prisoner in ‘50s Indochina who fights in jungle boxing matches for the warden’s amusement.  When he is paroled, he goes to work at Keith David’s bar as a bouncer.  Eventually, he gets roped back into fighting for money.  When David loses a bet, the thugs kill him and take his bar.  They also come THIS CLOSE to killing Adkins’ girlfriend.  That of course sends Scott on a bloody warpath for revenge.

From the outset, there’s nothing really remarkable about Jesse V. Johnson’s Savage Dog.  I mean you’ve seen this type of scenario played out hundreds of times before and Johnson does little to distinguish it from the various other actioners.  The first half is unimaginatively ordinary in just about every way and I found myself sinking into my seat in dismay at around the halfway mark.

That all changed once Adkins rose from his grave and set out to get revenge.  It’s here where Savage Dog turns into something truly special. The scene where Adkins hacks off a guy's head with a machete, strolls into a bar, and nonchalantly places the head on the bar is some of the best badass acting he's ever done. From then on, things get even gorier. Hands are lopped off and faces get blown off in a hail of gunfire and grenade shrapnel. 

By the time Adkins ditches the machete in favor of his fists, things really get into gear.  The scene where Adkins goes toe to toe with Cung Le is solid, but the finale where Scott squares off against Marko Zaror is incredible.  I was literally standing and cheering by the end.  This fight might be even better than their brawl in Undisputed 3, which is about as high of praise as one can get.

So, if you can get past the first forty-five minutes, you'll be treated to some kickass fun.  Even the usually magnetic Keith has trouble carrying the clunky first half.  Just stay with it though.  Once Savage Dog gets savage, it’s savage af.