Movie Review - Heart of the Beast

In a movie like this, what many people will be concerned about is, does the dog die? The director does a smart thing: the first scene is the end of the movie, clearly telling the audience that the dog does indeed survive. Anxiety managed. 🙂

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of tension throughout the movie.

7:42●●● 95%

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Now we can get on with enjoying the movie.

Obviously, the vast majority of the movie is just James (Brad Pitt) and Odin (Uber) traversing through Alaska, but it works. There are a few hiking montages but not so many, or so long, that you feel like you’re watching a documentary. The pace moves along nicely.

Acting

There are probably 10,000 actors who could have played the role of James, but it’s hard to imagine that anyone could have done it better. Brad’s physical acting abilities are top shelf. Not once did I feel like I was watching an actor perform.

Kudos to Uber—Odin’s real name—and his trainers. There are a lot of demanding scenes for Uber, and not just jumping into cold water. The looks of concern he has for James feel like a dog that really cares. I’m pretty sure that Uber didn’t know he was acting.

Message

I’m happy that they kept the story simple. There’s no grand message being pushed, subtly or not so subtly, beyond the love between a man and a dog. That’s it. They didn’t overcomplicate it.

Grade: B+

Plot

After a harrowing plane crash, Special Forces officer James Belmont and his combat dog, Odin, find themselves stranded deep in the Alaskan wilderness. Together, they are forced into a brutal fight for survival against the elements.