In the year 2024AD, the Earth is left desolate after World War IV. Vic (Don Johnson) and his dog Blood (played by Tiger and voiced by Tim McIntire) share a telepathic bond and live as scavengers, looking for food to eat and women to rape. Then they meet Quilla June (Susanne Benton), who leads Vic to an underground society where things get really weird...
L.Q. Jones faithfully adapted Harlan Ellison's classic, award-winning novella for this low budget post-apocalypse film. It sets the benchmark look for the post-apoclaypse films to follow, with its desert landscapes and its makeshift vehicles and buildings (there's even a makeshift cinema).
Like the novella, the film has been accused of misogyny, chiefly because of the Quilla June character and what ultimately happens to her, but truth be told, this fits in with the film's deeply cynical tone which tends to paint humanity as its own worst enemy and a slave to its baser desires. No one in it is entirely sympathetic, the only reason Vic and Blood are our "heroes" is because we see their strong friendship.
The cast is excellent, with Johnson and the dog forming a believable relationship, and a superbly world-weary performance from Jason Robards Jr as the head of the Committee. And how many other films can you see Don Johnson hooked up to a machine that is extracting his sperm? There's a rhetorical question for you. Listen for: music by Tim McIntire.
American movie bad guy, one of Sam Peckinpah's regulars, who teamed up with fellow actor Alvy Moore to make some low budget films. Their first, The Devil's Bedroom, had little impact, but the Jones-directed A Boy and His Dog was an enduring cult success.
