Since breaking into the genre as producer on 1985's cult classic Re-Animator, Brian Yuzna has probably been the most active person working in the horror field. He's been lurking on the production side of all things scary for over twenty years bringing us such films as Dagon, Ticks and From Beyond. He's also taken the time to direct a handful of flicks which vary in quality from interesting yet flawed (Society), entertaining (The Dentist), and pretty crappy - the latter category of which Rottweiler fits into perfectly.

Looking at the artwork and reading the description for the movie almost makes this sound like a sequel to Man's Best Friend but really it's just an apocalyptic "killer cyborg dog" movie that piles on crude, poorly done, effects and tries to layer in some bizarre flashbacks and hallucination sequences.

Taking its cue from The Defiant Ones, Rottweiler kicks off with two escaped prisoners chained together running through the woods. One of them ends up being attacked by a steel-jawed rottweiler (the actor looks like he's pulling the dog on top of him) as it turns out the government is using these genetically enhanced, partly robotic canines to keep the criminal element in check.

Our survivor Dante (William Miller) manages to get away but soon finds himself being pursued by our relentless pooch all the while having to deal with hallucinations (the worst being a badly CG rendered exo-skeleton dog) and various people scattered throughout the landscape while he tries to make his way to the nearby city to search for the girlfriend he ended-up leaving behind.

Despite the fact that scripter Miguel Tejada-Flores has set the movie in 2018 there's really not much here to make it feel like it's set in that timeframe. Apart from the cyborg beastie of the title there's really nothing here to distinguish it as being "in the future". There's only so far production design of burnt-out buildings and scuzzy looking locations can go to make the audience think they're in a future society that's broken down. It's a shtick that's been used in numerous; usually Italian made, apocalyptic action movies of the 80's and it didn't work too well even back then.

As for the horror elements, Yuzna doesn't offer up too much in the way of gore or thrills as most of the dog attacks consist of somebody having their neck chewed on while struggling around on the floor. In fact, the only scene that manages to actually be cool is when Yuzna stages a shot where the camera is looking out of a root cellar while a little girl's mother is being killed right above her. It's an effective death that belongs in a better movie - especially when you consider said victim minutes earlier dropped trou with little hesitation and bed Dante while saying she doesn't want her daughter to be like her (since she was one a prostitute).

But where Rottweiler really starts to stumble is in the finale where Dante ends-up at the sex-trade filled city and we get to witness all sorts of deviant activity. It doesn't work and seems almost pointless since by then we're so uninterested in his journey to get there. Plus the entire movie gets to end with a horrible moment directly taken from the end of the first Terminator movie.

While you can't deny Yuzna's contribution to the horror genre and he should continue to produce them (a task that might take a little more effort as his Spain based company Fantastic Factory recently closed), Rottweiler is such a weak effort you almost wish he would've passed on making what amounts to yet another crappy "killer dog" movie. Let's just hope the upcoming House Of Re-Animator ends-up being another worthy entry in that series (which it should be as Stuart Gordon is back to direct). (Chris Hartley, 8/30/07)

Directed By: Brian Yuzna.
Written By: Miguel Tejada-Flores.

Starring: William Miller, Irene Montala, Paulina Galvez, Cornell John.