Johnny Mad Dog

In an unnamed African country, 15-year-old Johnny Mad Dog heads a platoon of soldiers who are younger than he is. Charged with taking over a city in an attempt to unseat the government, Johnny leads this band of killers on a murderous rampage toward their destination, leaving mayhem in their wake. Meanwhile, the studious Laokolé lives with her young brother and disabled father and dreams of a better life, until Johnny’s hurricane of destruction comes her way. As Johnny advances, Laokolé flees her home.

Filmed in Liberia, with a great young cast, a number of whom lived through the horrors of conflicts similar to those depicted here, Johnny Mad Dog is a visually dazzling modern war film that presents thrilling, occasionally surreal action, while acknowledging the hellish plight of the children involved with poignancy and pertinence. Impressively directed and scripted by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire and produced by Mathieu Kassovitz (La Haine) this brutal and gripping insight into the world of the ‘child soldier’ shows a true visionary at work.