Heart of the Beast Movie Review

​This is a thoroughly brilliant example of the beauty between man and beast, and it tugs at the heartstrings.

If your movies need a lot of dialogue and characters running around all over the place, this might not be the best film for you, but I do recommend it for what it has: heart. In case no one else does, I’ll be straight with you. This is a sad movie. I’m not going to lie and tell you differently; bring some tissues. The relationship between the two stars, Brad Pitt, who plays a retired Special Forces veteran named James Belmont and his bestie, a military combat canine, a German Shepherd named Odin, (Uber is the main dog used) is set up beautifully. This survival drama opens in Alaska one week earlier. Then…

We meet the scarred Odin and James. You will fall instantly in love with the dog who loves James. He’s trained with fifty commands to make sure James’ needs are met. When you look into his eyes, you can tell he’s intelligent and loves unconditionally. They both suffer from PTSD and, sadly, they often find it hard to get proper rest. We see several scenes where they’re in action. While dreaming, you can easily see that Odin is just as tormented by his nightmares of the past as James is.

There’s not much dialogue to tell this story, but eyes, facial expressions, and tension keep you more involved than you’d think. James does happen to come across an old, cranky but wise miner named Watkins, played by J.K. Simmons. Luckily, we get the chance to learn a bit about him, and about Odin through the use of this character. Unfortunately, he’s not around long. He warns James that a storm is coming and that he’d better get moving. Would it be a thrilling movie if James listened to what he was told?  

He finally does leave, but he should have left sooner. Something happens that forces his plane down, and they crash in the river. They both survive, but it isn’t pretty. Where they are is far from civilization, but James has a map, a walking stick, weapons, and one hell of a tough dog with him to help. He starts off on foot to try and make it to a road. Any road. Of course, it’s winter, and he’s injured.

The cinematography takes you through the journey, capturing the harsh conditions perfectly while also showing off the beautiful terrain of New Zealand’s South Island. Yes, the story takes place in Alaska, but even locations have stand-ins, and this was a good one. There are a few action scenes that will put you in the thick of it. You cringe when the dog is involved, not so much when it’s Pitt, even though he’s going through a lot to get the shot.

Odin and James run into a brown bear, not something you ever want to do, as it’ll be your last moment on earth. Odin gets the command not to challenge the bear by looking him in the eye. James wants the dog to lower its head. However, the bear and the shepherd have been through similar trauma and bare similar scars. They stare directly into one another’s souls through their eyes and share a moment no human could understand.

The ending is spectacular. I don’t want to say anything more about it except that you’ll love the letter. See this if you can handle it. Allow me to add that after some digging, I found out that Odin is played by four dogs. After learning this, I couldn’t help but try to spot their differences while watching. It wasn’t all that hard to do, so don’t do it… just watch the film and enjoy what each has to offer, which is a lot.