Grade: B
Human characters die in movies all the time, but we know those are just actors, and they didn’t really die, so we easily move on. Dogs and other animals in film are also actors, yet people tend to get touchy about their fate in movies — particularly dogs. I was reminded of the end credits to Rust, the infamous Alec Baldwin western, which included the usual “no animals were harmed” disclaimer. Great, thanks for letting us know no animals were harmed. We know some humans were. The thing about Heart of the Beast is that it finds a very clever way to let us know “don’t worry — the dog doesn’t die” up front, via an in medias res opening.
There aren’t many people in Heart of the Beast. Most of the movie is essentially a two-hander, or, rather, a “one hand, one paw.” After a plane crash leaves a man and his dog stranded in the wilderness, the bulk of the movie follows the two of them making their way through the woods, trying to find a road and, ultimately, civilization. The interesting question isn’t “what happens?” so much as “can a movie sustain itself emotionally with essentially one human character and one dog?”
It does. The man is James, a retired Special Forces vet who has found himself stranded in the Alaskan wilderness with his combat dog, Odin. James is played by Brad Pitt, and I learn that Odin is portrayed by four different dogs. Uber does the majority of the scenes that involve acting and emoting, while his three sons handle the stunts. Damien Chazelle served as Executive Producer, which explains why his Whiplash star J.K. Simmons is in the movie briefly, as a fellow traveler, just passing through.
The early scenes do an effective job of laying out how resourceful they are when it comes to clothing, supplies, food, and other items necessary for camping — including things you might not think of. They have. This clearly isn’t James and Odin’s first rodeo. Once his plane has crashed and they are traveling on foot, Heart of the Beast gives us the usual wilderness survival movie sequences. Filling in for the rickety bridge is the downed tree that serves as a bridge, and is not as reliable as it looks.
Director David Ayer has a talent for taking oft-used material and giving it a certain freshness that you perhaps wouldn’t have seen coming. He did it two years ago with The Beekeeper. Pitt is very good here, particularly opposite Uber et al. I know the dogs aren’t aware they are in a movie, and are just reacting to their surroundings, and those reactions are cherry-picked and inserted at the right moments, but they have a screen presence about them.
There’s a letter involved in the last scene. It’s a bit too convenient in how thorough and specific it is, but other than that, I found the ending succeeded in touching our heartstrings without going over the top. It closes with a beautiful cover of “Stand By Me,” which is somehow appropriate, as it mirrors the experience of the film itself as familiar territory presented in a fresh way that will make you appreciate it all over again. I can’t imagine anyone not being taken in by at least some of Heart of the Beast. It’s a love letter to dog lovers, and their devotion to and bond with their owners. If you have one, you’ll want to love on it an extra amount after seeing this.
Grade: B
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