After the 2022 Dog, starring Channing Tatum, and the newly released The Dog Stars directed by Ridley Scott with Jacob Elordi, filmmaker David Ayer chooses Brad Pitt to bring to life a story about the love between a man and his four-legged companion.
Heart Of The Beast begins with the slow days in the wilderness between Special Forces officer James Belmont (Brad Pitt) and his faithful military dog with whom he has shared extreme missions and borderline situations: Odin (played by a dog named Uber). The pooch still suffers from PTSD, but never leaves the sight of his beloved master. They camp outdoors and fly together on a water plane, until a tragic crash turns their quiet routine into a survival adventure. Surrounded by a wild and unforgiving nature, extreme cold, predators, and unpredictable obstacles — that involve bears, wolves and water currents — James and Odin must rely on each other to stay alive and keep going in the Alaskan outback.
Ayer is accustomed to thrilling scenarios, since he made his breakthrough with his screenplay Training Day, directed by Antoine Fuqua, and made his directorial debut with Harsh Times. This time the challenge that needs to be confronted is the mightiest of all: Nature. James and Odin have developed a certain mistrust towards other people, they trust only each other and the joy of isolating from the world of humans becomes their ultimate hindrance. The atmosphere of Heart Of The Beast may evoke the one found in 127 hours, Jungle and Into The Wild, as the adrenaline increases every time the survivors confront a new stumbling block.
Brad Pitt’s talent makes all the extreme circumstances believable, since the fall into the abyss of the two protagonists, at times, becomes way too extreme. In fact, it feels rather inauthentic to see how a man who just suffered a stroke, can manage to dive underwater and retrieve two very heavy suitcases — just to mention one of the mishaps that James confronts better than Chuck Norris, Highlander and Captain America put together. But since it’s fiction and not inspired by a true story, the audience plays along with the absurd to focus on the special bond between Odin and James.
What transpires above and beyond is the delicate love story between two Earthlings who understand each other empathetically because they know the other inside out, after all they’ve traversed together. Both have been consumed by conflict, and they carry the weight of what they’ve lived at war, and seem unable to leave it behind completely. There is no need for monologues to express fear, trust, or affection. The eyes suffice to convey their inner struggle and love for the other. It is not just the dog that would do anything to save his human, equally James would sacrifice his own life to ensure Odin’s chance at salvation. The two exist symbiotically and — without revealing too much — one can perceive the film does not end well.
This intense thriller blends action, tension, and spectacle, to piece together an extraordinary story about courage, endurance, and friendship. Spectators will be moved to tears while watching the unconditional love our pets project on us, without asking for anything in return. Heart Of The Beast is a precious lesson in humanity, within the context of trauma and the possibility of finding oneself through the presence of another being.
Final Grade: B
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