Sleeping Dogs

Following the breakdown of his marriage due to his wife's affair with Bullen, Smith moves to an island off the Coromandel Peninsula owned by a Maori tribe. He seeks isolation from the mainland turmoil and social upheaval. The setting establishes his peaceful life in stark contrast to the coming conflict.

A national oil embargo triggers an energy crisis that escalates political tensions across the country. Shortages strain the government, military, and rebels alike, fueling clashes and instability. The personal story is set against a backdrop of nationwide upheaval.

Civil conflict erupts and guerrilla groups operate more openly as the government struggles to maintain order. Smith's island sanctuary becomes a reminder of what is at stake beyond his own life. The war's reach begins to touch everyday life on the mainland.

A bomb detonates in a nearby town, drawing police to the island and triggering a search for illegal weapons. Smith is arrested, and officials begin a high-stakes investigation into his alleged guerrilla ties. The threat to his freedom becomes immediate and personal.

In a police station, Smith is interrogated and tortured as authorities press for information. He learns that the government views him as a key guerrilla leader and is offered expulsion from New Zealand or a military tribunal with a likely death sentence. The interrogation exposes the brutal calculus of wartime justice.

During a transfer, Smith feigns illness and vomits to confuse his captors, enabling a daring escape. He flees the city and disappears into the countryside. The escape rekindles his longing for ordinary life even as danger closes in again.

Smith hides in the countryside and finds work at a small campground, seeking a quiet, normal existence. He briefly enjoys the stability of civilian life away from the conflict. The arrival of unfamiliar forces soon disturbs this fragile calm.

A US Army unit arrives and takes over the campground, inserting a new authority into Smith's life. Willoughby, the commander, suspects Smith of rebel sympathy and confronts him over loyalty and allegiance. Tensions rise as the military presence reshapes his surroundings.

Bullen, now a senior guerrilla leader, reemerges and complicates matters for Smith and the US forces. His return reopens old loyalties and raises the stakes of every move on the battlefield. The insurgent network appears more dangerous than before.

As US troops press their campaign against rebels, Smith is pulled into an attack orchestrated by Bullen, despite his reluctance. The clash drags him deeper into the war and tests his resolve. The violence blurs the line between survival and complicity.

Following the attack, government forces pursue Smith and Bullen through rugged terrain. They are cornered in a forest, and the chase heightens the sense of peril and inevitability. The landscape mirrors the moral confusion of the protagonists.

Jesperson and his elite squad corner Smith and Bullen. In the climactic moment, Bullen is fatally wounded and Smith deliberately provokes Jesperson into shooting him. Smith's decision ends his immediate involvement in the violence while leaving his fate uncertain.

The dog is last seen swimming after the boat that carries Smith away, a poignant image of loyalty and isolation. The scene implies Smith's uncertain fate and the continuation of conflict beyond his personal story. The ending lingers on the dog's pursuit as the larger civil war persists.