Normally, solo pilots who get heart attacks while flying … die. Yeah. I’d say that’s a pretty universal truth. Of course, he wasn’t alone. Heart of the Beast needs us to know the pilot was with his dog. Sadly, the highly trained and very intelligent dog didn’t fly the plane to safety. Apparently, however, crashing into a lake was exactly the pick-me-up James Belmont (Brad Pitt) needed to get him back in the game after the heart attack. The dog was thrown out when the wing came off.
Given the choice of another namby-pamby Dog’s Purpose and another macho Dog, the powers that be opted for Dog. Heart of the Beast is about human and canine companions both suffering from PTSD going about life in the Alaskan wilderness. I dunno about the dog, but James isn’t good with anybody else. And he knows it. He flies his seaplane to the middle of nowhere, camps a mountain range away from the nearest sign of civilization and hangs out by a stream catching fish and cooking bacon. His thumb-challenged, and leg-challenged (Odin lost a forepaw in Iraq) friend isn’t up to cooking.
When a stranger comes by, James is downright hostile. Nope. Not his thing. I wonder if all libertarians greet each other at gunpoint. Seems to fit, I think. These two strangers come to a mutual understanding over a beer and a game of who can stay the quietest. And the next day, James has a heart attack while flying his plane. We don’t ask how this passed out guy resurrects and saves himself from the bottom of a lake. Maybe he doesn’t. Maybe the last hour of the film is all fantasy. That would explain a few things.
The dog is thrown out of the plane and presumably injured. If you take nothing else from this film, take the part where James would rather die than let down his
prosthetic-legged German Shepherd companion, Odin (“Odie”). Funny how one can go from “king of the Norse gods” to “Garfield’s idiot cartoon playmate” in just one letter, huh? First thing’s first, James has gotta find the injured Odie, and then James and the giant leech have to figure out everything else. It is worth note that the plane crash leaves James without transportation, rifle, or shelter. Also, he’s injured, running low on food, and has a dog to nurse back to health. And he’s treating his heart attack and plane crash with aspirin. Finally, he estimates being 58 miles from the nearest road. Good luck, soldiers.
Heart of the Beast is an eye-popping watch. The wilderness is cruel and holds many dangers. Is this all a bit sensationalistic? Yes. A lot. Contrived? Maybe a little. Will you root for Brad and his dog anyway? You sure as Hell will. And if a Green Beret and his battle-scarred, three-legged literal dog of war can’t survive on their own, who can?
There once was a mid-east war vet
Who acquired a service dog as a pet
Both had PTSD
Which was fine, cuz you see
Neither being goes much for etiquette
Rated PG-13, 101 Minutes
Director: David Ayer
Writer: Cameron Alexander
Genre: Another dog tale
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Dog lovers, survivalists
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Intervention advocates
