Heart of the Beast is the latest in a long line of films about one man and his dog but this latest is not about Prince Harry. Instead this sees Brad Pitt as James Belmont a former sergeant major in the US Military now retired along with his service dog, Obie who lost a leg in combat. But rather than rename his dog ‘Tripod’ and leave him with his Army corp. the pair spend their days flying in Belmot’s single seater plane across the vast forests and parks of the US, camping down and enjoying the tranquility and natural beauty of the US parks (although the film was shot in New Zealand). The landscapes are often stunningly captured by cinematographer Mauro Fiore and those shots of the small plane against lavish landscapes are far more effectively captured than Ridley Scott’s recent flop ‘The Dog Stars’.
The nature of the beast….
Both man and dog suffer from PTSD that the film recounts in flashbacks and the serenity of their surroundings is a calming influence on their state of mind. Far from other people the only time they do meet someone is a chance encounter with a fellow camper J.K. Simmons who Belmont is unnecessarily suspicious. It’s only Obie that he truly trusts.
But all of this soon changes when Belmont has a heart attack midway through piloting a flight and crashes into a lake leaving the pair having to find their way back to civilization. What should be a straight forward enough task for a former soldier soon becomes increasingly difficult when injuries are sustained and they are at the mercy of the forest wildlife that sees them up against a huge bear and a pack of wolves making their situation increasingly dire and the chance of them ever making it back to civilization less likely.
Is the film a dog?
The last A-list film star and a dog film we had was the disastrous Harrison Ford film ‘The Call of the Wild’ (2020) and its expensive CGI dog that attempted to get audiences to get emotional over a bunch of pixels. Heart of the Beast is far better as directed by David Ayer in what is a small intimate story set against a huge backdrop. Ultimately the film is a fitting tribute to the dogs used in the military that have saved countless soldier’s lives. The film is a testimony to the love we have for dogs and here the wonderfully expressive eyes of the alsatian pulls at the heart strings that is likely to have some audiences doing their best to hold back the tears.
related feature : ‘The Call of the Wild’ – reviewed
related feature : ‘The Dog Stars’ World Premiere: Ridley Scott, Jacob Elordi & cast hit London
Here’s the trailer….
