7 Dogs is the kind of film that makes you admire the scale of the production even when you are not completely convinced by the film itself. Visually rich and technically ambitious, it clearly wants to announce that Arab cinema is ready to make international scale action spectacles. The problem is that the writing does not always match the ambition on screen.
Directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, the film brings Egyptian stars Ahmed Ezz and Karim Abdel Aziz together as an Interpol agent and a criminal forced to join hands against an international drug syndicate. The premise is familiar, but the film is less interested in reinventing the genre than in presenting it on a very large canvas.
And visually, it delivers. The camera is constantly on the move, creating an aggressive energy that rarely allows the viewer to settle. The desert sequences and car chases are particularly impressive, with the action choreography and camerawork coming together effectively. There is a genuine sense of scale to the production.
At times, however, the film tries too hard to show everything it can do. Line art animation, 2D animation, slow motion and different camera techniques are packed into the same narrative. Many of these ideas work individually, but together they can feel less like a consistent visual language and more like a showcase of filmmaking tools.
The Guinness World Records stunt explosion is a good example of that excess. The achievement itself is remarkable, with the production setting a record for the largest film stunt explosion. Yet within the film, the sequence does not seem to add enough to justify its extraordinary scale. It is an impressive production feat, but not necessarily an equally impressive piece of storytelling.
The writing remains the film’s weakest link. The story keeps the action moving, but the characters and the international criminal network rarely acquire enough depth. There is always something happening, but not everything happening feels important.
Thankfully, Ahmed Ezz and Karim Abdel Aziz give the film its personality. Their pairing occasionally has a Main Khiladi Tu Anari kind of energy, with two contrasting characters thrown together and forced to work towards the same goal. Abdel Aziz, in particular, has an effortless screen presence and frequently steals the scene.
The international cast adds to the film’s global appeal, although Monica Bellucci, Giancarlo Esposito and Martin Lawrence are not always given enough material to make a lasting impact. Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt‘s appearances will naturally attract attention in India, but they are essentially supporting elements. Their portions feel more caricaturish than serious or aggressive and do not significantly alter the film.
What may ultimately prove more important than the film itself is what 7 Dogs represents. Riyadh is presented as a modern, capable production destination, and the film demonstrates that Saudi Arabia now has the infrastructure, locations and resources to support an action spectacle of international scale. That could encourage more filmmakers and studios to look towards the region.
So, is 7 Dogs a good film? Not quite. Is it a bad film? Not really. It is an entertaining, technically accomplished and visually ambitious film held back by uneven writing and a tendency to overdo its own spectacle. But there is something genuinely encouraging about watching an Arab production attempt cinema at this scale and largely deliver on the technical front.
7 Dogs feels less like an arrival and more like an announcement. The makers have shown that they can make a big international action film. The next challenge is to make the story as big as the spectacle.
Movie: 7 Dogs
Directed by: Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah
Featuring: Ahmed Ezz, Karim Abdel Aziz, Monica Bellucci, Nasser Al Qasabi, Sayed Ragab, Tara Emad, Sandy Bella, Giancarlo Esposito, , Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Menna Shalabi, Hana El Zahed
Cinematography: Robrecht Heyvaert
Edited by: Pieter Smet
Theatrical Release Date (India): 21 August 2026
Run Time: 2hrs 5mins
Languages: Hindi (Dub)
7 Dogs
2.5