Never really understood the appeal of a dog as a pet. Yes, they’re all vey loveable and devoted to their owners but in return you’re obliged to take them out for a walk twice a day during which they squat down squeezing out goodness only knows what hellish concoction has been fermenting in their stomachs and then expecting you to pick it up in a plastic bag and take it home. It’s not unheard of for owners to forget about the bag only to later plunge their hands in their pocket and ending up like they’ve been involved in some canine dirty protest. That is if they do take it home because it’s not unusual to also find the owners rather than disposing of their bag of shite in a doggy bin but instead tie it to the branches of a tree turning the park into some sort of Satanic winter wonderland…..but I digress. The dog in Good Boy is very much a good boy.
Named Indy he is clearly obedient and fearing for this master Todd (Shane Jensen only ever seen from the chest down) who we find unconscious in the opening scene and found by his sister. Having discharged himself from the hospital he flits away to his late grandfather’s remote home. Shot almost entirely from Indy’s point of view his doggy sensibilities pick up the fact that there’s something otherworldly in the house that Todd cannot see and is initially unaware. It’s these moments that give the film its edge on similarly haunted house movies because it draws you in right from the start. And it gets worse for Todd as he begins to succumb to worsening health and lies in bed watching old VHS tapes of his grandfather and his DIY woodwork tips. But all the while Todd is watching TV something is watching him and in turn this entity is watched by Indy doing his best to somehow warn Todd that all is not well for either of them.
The simple concept of a ghost story seen from a pet dog’s point of view is a simple one but works quite brilliantly as director and co-writer Ben Leonberg ratchets up the increasing sense of unease with a number of scenes that really do send chills through you. There’s a sense of dread and foreboding that builds and builds as Indy does what he can to save Todd with ever more urgency. It’s at times like these you need someone from the Lassie films to be present because whenever that dog came across trouble his owner was always able to interpret what the dog was saying, ‘What’s that Lassie? An eight year old boy was playing in the woods near a disused well when he fell down it and is now unconscious having sustained heavy bruising, two broken ribs, and a dislocated shoulder and we should call for assistance from the emergency services especially as the boy has Type 1 diabetes and may pass into a coma!’ But Todd doesn’t speak dog and is oblivious to Indy’s attempts at trying to warn him.
Running at only 75 minutes there’s a very effective first half but what initially are effective and often highly unsettling set pieces start to become monotonous and the film deserves a better pay off but until then this is good show reel for director Leonberg’s future projects within the genre and with Indy he has found the most expressive and relatable dog we’ve seen on screen in years.
related feature : The CATS arse is the dog’s bollocks……
related feature : Dog Soldiers director Neil Marshall chats about his latest monster movie, ‘The Lair’
Here’s the Good Boy trailer…..
