Who'll Stop The Rain is a moody-to-gritty blend of the thriller & drama genres. The late 1970s film regards two military vets/ buddies hoping to make it big, by smuggling a large quantity of heroin into the US from Vietnam, and things don’t go quite to plan. It features an accomplished cast, wonderful cinematography of ragged & unforgiving landscapes, and a rewardingly unfurling plot- that often goes not where you don't expect it to go. Here from Scorpion Films is a locked region A Blu-Ray release of the film, taking in a commentary track, and a selection of interviews.

Who'll Stop the Rain ( aka Dog Soldiers) is from the year 1978- it was directed by Ostrava Czech Republic-born Karel Reisz,  and was based on Robert Stone’s 1974 novel Dog Soldiers. Between the mid-1950s and the early 1990s Reisz had ten feature lengths credits to his name- these went from grimly gritty kitchen sink drama Saturday Night and Sunday Morning(1960), onto off-beat comedy fantasy Morgan! (1966), through to Crime drama The Gambler (1974), onto classic romantic drama The French Lieutenant's Woman(1981). So an accomplished and versatile director.

The film opens by introducing us to John Converse(Michael Moriarty) an ex-serviceman who now craves a living doing photojournalism in wartime Vietnam, and is clearly both troubled/ changed by the work. He sees a way of getting out/ making his fortune by smuggling a large amount of heroin back into the US. To do this he approaches his ex-marine pal, Ray Hicks( Nick Nolte) who now works on cargo boats shipping back to the US- the pair agree on a price, and Ray sets off for the pay-off stateside.

Back in the US with the drugs retrieved, Ray has been told to check in with  John’s Marge(Tuesday Weld) to pick up his pay-off. But things don’t quite go to plan- first off John hadn’t told her what Ray was dropping off, and secondly her house is been watched by two dodgy crims- Danskin(Richard Masur) & Smitty(Ray Sharkey) who are determined to get hold of the drugs for themselves. So after the two shady characters try to break into the house, Ray decides that he & Marge have to go on the road.

In the meantime, John flies back to the states, unaware anything is wrong. But he gets a rude awaking when he meets up with Danskin & Smitty, who rough him up, before their brill creamed & suited boss Antheil(Anthony Zerbe) steps into the frame- and it’s agreed that John will join the gang, to track the drugs, his wife, and Ray.

As the film unfolds it shifts back and forth between drama, thriller, and later gritty action. With it moving from drug smuggling antics, onto road movie, through to the gunplay-heavy last quarter.  The two hours and six-minute runtime of the film moves by both eventfully and rewardingly enough- though it does have a very slow-but-steady 70’s pace.

On all sides, the acting is great- Moriarty plays the passive/ weak, but troubled photojournalists with great depth/nervy flair. Nolte really is a force of nature, literally picking up and throwing folk around, though equally, he shows moments of emotional depth/ clarity too. Weld is believable as John's San Francisco bookshop-working wife whose life is suddenly thrown into turmoil. Also worth a mentions are Masur & Sharkey as the two coons Danskin & Smitty, with the first being sadistic-yet-constantly berating, and the second being rather empty-headed, but often violently unpredictable 

Moving onto this recently released region A Blu Ray, and the scan of the film looks wonderful clean, crisp, and well-defined. On the extra side, we get a nice selection of things. First off is a commentary track from film historians Daniel Kremer & Scott Taloya- and this is excellent. They start by discussing how the film is one of the prime examples of how the moral rot set into America after the Vietnam war.  They touch on how the film has an almost noir-type structure, and other films with similar themes. We find out the Vietnam scenes were not filmed in the county, but in Mexico. We get discussion about the history of the Vietnam war in film, and how its portrayal changed. They point out notable bit part actors, and other things they went onto. They talk about where the film fits in with the director's filmography, themes found in his work, and his peers. Later on, they discuss supporting character actors & their other work. The faded counterculture setting of the last quarter of the film, and much, much more. I can easily see myself playing this track several more times, to pick up everything they mention/ discuss. Otherwise, we get three on-camera interviews with  Actor Richard Masur(11.58), Associate Producer Roger Spottiswoode(13.58) and Screenwriter Judith Rascoe(12.00)- each of these give some great insight into the film's production & acting in it. Lastly, we get a trailer for the film

It’s great to see Who'll Stop The Rain getting this recent Blu-Ray release, as it really is one of the unsung/lesser-known films of the 70s, which brought together drama & thriller elements. With this Scorpion Films release offering up a clean ’n’ crisp scan of the film, and wonderful extras.