Into the wild: Brad Pitt and Odin in ‘Heart of the Beast’.
HEART OF THE BEAST ***1/2 (100 minutes) M
The appeal of movies celebrating the powerful bond that can form between man and dog has proven to be well-nigh inexhaustible, the cherished tradition stretching back more than a decade with the debut of battlefield veteran Rin Tin Tin in 1923.
The nobility of that special connection is honoured in Heart of the Beast, a captivating survival drama that is both brutal and poetic, the symbiosis between man and dog verging on telepathic.
As a warrior with a wounded psyche, ailing Special Forces veteran James Belmont (Brad Pitt) finds some respite from his PTSD by flying his seasoned seaplane to remote places that offer scenic solace, his sole companion being Odin, the combat canine he served with and who is also mentally scarred by war.
After a pleasant encounter with a congenially crusty old-timer (JK Simmons) their flight to a new spot goes bad, the plane crashing and sinking into a lake.
With no comms and with supplies restricted to what can be carried, the pair begin battling their way through an Alaskan wilderness that has gone from being soothing and tranquil to downright hostile.
Yomping towards civilisation some 58 miles away, they grapple with tough terrain, wild animals – bears; wolves – raging rivers, injury and sleep interrupted by battlefield flashbacks.
As the world-weary loner living with a ticking clock Pitt is terrific, understated and thoroughly convincing. So, too, are the four German Shepards that portray Odin, his loyal and protective canine comrade.
There are so many films that showcase how photo-realistically digital wizardry can render animals – with the Planet of the Apes films being prime examples – yet director David Ayer (who did Fury with Pitt) opted for the real deal.
Why there is still no Oscar acknowledging such work is mystifying. Even a special award when warranted would do.
This is Pitt’s second venture in which his character’s tight bond with a dog is front and centre, the previous one being Once Upon a Time in Hollywood where the connection between man and pooch was positively fraternal.
SHAUN THE SHEEP: THE BEAST OF MOSSY BOTTOM ***1/2 (80 minutes) G
A sheer delight from first frame to last, the latest adventure in the stop-motion animated TV/film franchise from the Oscar-adored Aardman studio (four doorstops from 14 nods), which gave us Creature Comforts and Wallace & Gromit.
Again opting out of using spoken words in its purely visual, silent movie-like storytelling – talk about brave – this lark sees Shaun and his fluffy friends deal with the fallout as a home-made potion to grow enormous pumpkins for Halloween also turns out to be a hair restorer.
While this seems like a dream come true for the balding overseer of Mossy Bottom Farm, the hair doesn’t stop growing, making him look like a malevolent creature that rouses the mob mentality of the normally placid local townsfolk.
As always, the old-fashioned signature animation is beautiful to behold, with the direction by Matthew Walker & Steve Box fixed firmly on holding your attention with clear through-lines and visual gags aplenty.
A super family film.
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