Heart of the Beast, directed by David Ayer, is in cinemas now.
Brad Pitt handles himself and his canine co-star well in this rollicking if formulaic survival thriller, in which various scenic bits of the Southern Alps are used as a stand-in for the wilds of Alaska.
It’s a deceptively simple tale of man and dog against hazardous terrain after their floatplane crashes during a fishing trip. But the pair are, theoretically, up to the challenge. After all, they are both US special forces veterans with the nightmare flashbacks to prove it, and yes, the only other person to speak to the pair does say, “Thank you for your service.”
It’s a film that might have you googling odd things afterwards: Are you allowed to fly in Alaska without an emergency locator beacon? Should a pilot who has survived a heart-attack-induced plane crash into a chilly lake then dive down to the wreckage to retrieve his gear? From what altitude can large dogs survive a drop?
But if you can suspend your disbelief over the set-up – and you’ll need more of it when the CGI-created wildlife turns up – Heart of the Beast becomes a fairly exciting ride, and an affecting depiction of human-canine bonding.
The story can start to feel it’s just one thing after another, but director David Ayer makes a virtue out of almost all of it being focused solely on Pitt and a pooch named Odin – yes, a dog of war named after the god of war – played by a local former search and rescue dog named Uber. Their double act makes Heart of the Beast compelling.
Rating out of five: ★★★