Remakes can be done very poorly, and other times can come close to rivalling the original. Dog Pound finds itself somewhere in the middle. This past Wednesday, Scum was the topic at hand. Today’s column will be covering the acclaimed film’s Canadian remake that is actually a fairly recent movie. Dog Pound came out in 2010, receiving fair reviews and positive responses from audiences for the most part. Dog Pound, while not nearly as impactful as Scum was then and still is today, is definitely a remake that actually holds up pretty well despite its flaws.
Dog Pound, while not nearly as impactful as Scum was then and still is today, is definitely a remake that actually holds up pretty well despite its flaws.
Like Scum, Dog Pound takes place inside a correctional institution for young boys. Where the two films differ is in how they are presented. Dog Pound is arguably easier to follow, given the fact that the three main characters receive more overall attention than the rest of the inmates. This wasn’t necessarily the case for Scum though and it was hardly meant to be. The incidents are structured far more like a standard formula plot, whereas Scum is more a concept film based around the complete experience of those who inhabit the borstal. The similarities stem from the disturbing events of which occur to each of the three new prisoners. So in retrospect the two films are the same, yet, different.
Writer/director Kim Chapiron, with some assistance from writer Jeremie Delon, don’t take Dog Pound as far into the trenches as its predecessor, but they do capture the essence. They managed to find some moments of the film to make things seem as though they could be heading in a more positive direction. Though this is eventually cast away, as that would otherwise defeat the purpose and thus change the whole point of the movie completely. They remind viewers that though conditions could potentially improve, there is not always light at the end of the tunnel. The three actors charged with leading the cast vary in their screen time, though each serve the design of which they’re meant to be a part of. Adam Butcher is tasked with beginning as one way, shifting another way, and eventually coming back around full circle as ‘Butch’; and he very much does. Degrassi veteran Shane Kippel makes a convincing jump from tough guy ‘Spinner’, to a meek and helpless ‘Davis’. Last but not least is Matthew Morales as ‘Angel’, who is given the least responsibility yet has an arc that provides the rest of the characters and the movie as a whole, a necessary boiling point.
Dog Pound is not inferior per say to Scum, but in contrast, it does entertain the idea of alternatives even though it never fully sees them through. It’s not as dark, but it is dark. It’s not as morbid, but it’s not without its morbidity either. Remakes can be hard to do correctly, but this one was probably produced with the idea of being accessible to a wider audience, and Dog Pound surely meets the threshold where that notion is concerned.
