Film Review: Heart of the Beast
A PTSD-stricken Army veteran and his service dog face nature’s wrath after crash landing in the remote Alaskan wilderness. Heart of the Beast will tug at your heartstrings in an immensely moving tale of friendship and harrowing survival. You can’t help but fall in love with the fierce and affectionate German Shepherd Odin. Everyone who’s had a pet will immediately understand the strength of their unbreakable bond, which the film beautifully captures. That warmth, and the amazing landscape cinematography, help to overcome several issues that unfortunately plague the narrative throughout.
An epic Alaskan mountain range comes into view as a small plane lands on a serene lake. Former green beret James Belmont (Brad Pitt) emerges with his trusty companion Odin (Uber). The pair haul a significant amount of gear from the plane before setting up camp on the lakeshore. James immediately takes out his fishing rod as Odin plunges into the water to get a salmon. These close-ups allow our first look at Odin. He’s heavily scarred on the snout and has a titanium front right leg.
A flashback sequence of James and Odin in a deadly firefight awakes the frightened dog in the middle of the night. James holds him dearly and strokes Odin to calm his nerves. This moment of tenderness helps to heal them before an unexpected visitor (J. K. Simmons) interrupts their solace. James isn’t fond of company, but does appreciate the news of an incoming storm. He decides to pack up and leave with Odin as ominous clouds rumble in the distance.
Heart of the Beast is very much Odin’s story. Pitt is the human lead, but this is a tale of how war affects the service animals trained for dangerous duty. They also suffer catastrophic injuries and suffer mental breakdowns in tragedy's aftermath. Director David Ayer (Street Kings, Suicide Squad), who also worked with Pitt on 2014’s Fury, takes the time to focus on Odin’s psychological state and combat wounds. Scenes of James rubbing Odin’s amputated paw and stroking his sliced face are deeply poignant. We understand these two have been through hell, and are still trying to process living as survivors.
The film’s second act takes predictable turns as they’re forced to navigate treacherous terrain, predators, and the brutal cold in a daunting trek to a distant road. James and Odin are obviously up to the task more than others, but unrelenting misfortune will test their willpower and resolve. Ayer and co-screenwriter Cameron Alexander skillfully use optics as your guide. There’s little dialogue as James and Odin’s perilous struggle surpasses anything they faced on the battlefield. The audience feels their pain, anger, and desperation, but willing suspension of disbelief becomes a hurdle the film can’t surmount.
Let’s tread carefully to avoid spoilers, but James has a significant problem that would usually mean game over. We can buy what he initially does to rectify it, but then watch with growing skepticism as he performs Herculean tasks that should be impossible given the conditions. It doesn’t help that all the wildlife they encounter are clearly CGI. There’s no reason to be terrified of a snarling grizzly bear when it looks like a video game character. You’re taken out of the action when realism becomes a question.
Ayer’s flashback structure hinders the plot while providing necessary exposition. We learn what happened to James and Odin in shaky, off-color montages. Ayer doesn’t want to depict a clear memory because war is jarring and should be shown as such. That’s sound and logical reasoning, but these scenes don’t honestly don’t mesh well. They provide insight at the cost of taking you out of the present calamity in a distracting way. The fighting needed a more fluid integration. It feels awkward and uncinematic when it should contrast the beautiful surroundings in a thoughtful, compelling way.
That said, raw emotion does go a long way when it hits the mark. Heart of the Beast achieves its most important goal. You care for Odin and James, empathize with their plight, and root vigorously for their escape. No one leaving the theater will take a combat service dog for granted. These contributions are invaluable, and it’s great to see Hollywood shining a light on their tremendous impact.
Heart of the Beast is a production of Wild Chickens Productions, Temple Hill Entertainment, and Kino World. It will be released theatrically on September 25th from Paramount Pictures.
