A One Mann’s Movies review of “Dog” (2022).
There are some movies where my expectation is so low that I think, on leaving the house, “do I REALLY want to spend 30 minutes in the car driving to #Cineworld to watch this one?”. Often my expectations are completely met and my answer to that question SHOULD have been a big fat “No”! But once in a while, a movie thoroughly surprises me by being way better than I thought possible. And “Dog” is one such movie.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
Briggs (Channing Tatum) is a US Army Ranger who’s been severely injured in combat. Although secretly still having sight disturbance and occasional seizures, he is fed up with doing menial burger-bar jobs and is still desperate to get back on the front line.
He pleads with his superior Sergeant Turner (Darin Keith Martin) to bend the rules to get him back into the game. Turner agrees but on one condition. He must transport an ex-army dog Lulu, a Belgian Malinois, down the Pacific coast to attend the funeral of his previous handler. And a shell-shocked Lulu has become less than cooperative!
Certification:
Talent:
Starring: Channing Tatum, Darin Keith Martin, Kevin Nash, Emmy Raver-Lampman.
Directed by: Reid Carolin and Channing Tatum.
Written by: Reid Carolin and Brett Rodriguez.
Twitter Handle: #DogTheFilm .
Dog Review:
Positives:
- As a ‘road movie’ featuring a man and a dog, this one has genuine heart. It’s not gooey and gelatinous like a “Marley and Me” dog story: it actually has a moderately hard edge to it. This is helped along by Channing Tatum who delivers a really nice and believable performance as the injured vet.
- Given this is the directorial debut of writer Reid Carolin and Channing Tatum (sharing the seat), it has a really nice pace to it. At 100 minutes long it doesn’t outstay its welcome. And any time that the pace does slacken off, it’s for meaningful relationship-building between Briggs and Lulu. (A stormy interlude in a barn is particularly engaging).
- The cinematography by Newton Thomas Sigel is gorgeous, making full use of California’s wonderful golden light and with some impressive drone footage along Highway 1.
- Given the low-budget cast (Tatum is the only big name), they’ve wisely invested in a scoring master (Thomas Newman) to write the music. And its lovely: understated, but when it does come through it adds considerably to the pictures.
Negatives:
- There’s a lot of “thank you for your service” type messaging in here, which might cloy a bit with non-American audiences.
- It’s also worth saying that this is a 12A for a reason, and parents thinking to take little ones along to see this in half term as a ‘happy clappy dog movie’ might want to check the BBFC comments here. I attended an afternoon showing, with a number of parents and kids in the 8 to 10 sort of age-range. The parental squirming evident during the “threesome scene” (nothing actually proceeds) was self-evident, as a portent for those questions in the car home!
Summary Thoughts on “Dog”
A solid and enjoyable tale that – and there is no one more surprised at this than me – I would recommend.
Trailer for “Dog”
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4tAtp-TyzQ.
