A One Mann’s Movies review of “The Power of the Dog” (2021).
I’ve been late to the party in watching the Netflix movie “The Power of the Dog”: partly due to me catching up on my post-Covid-lockdown cinema-going and partly because… frankly… it really didn’t much appeal to me. The only clip I saw was of Benedict Cumberbatch’s rancher viciously bullying a teenager.
But I have to say, Jane Campion’s movie turned out to be a gripping watch and well worth my time.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
It’s 1925 Montana. Rough-and-tough rancher Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch) is running a ranch with his more refined brother George (Jesse Plemons). When George falls for the widowed Rose Gordon (Kirsten Dunst), the dynamics of the ranch are thrown into turmoil as Rose and her sensitive and effeminate son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee) move in.
Certification:
Talent:
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, Kirsten Dunst, Kodi Smit-McPhee.
Directed by: Jane Campion.
Written by: Jane Campion. (Based on the novel by Thomas Savage).
“The Power of the Dog” Review:
Positives:
- There’s a real depth to the characters portrayed here. Through watching the film, you have expectations about who these people are and their backgrounds. But then the script turns those expectations on their heads. (No spoilers, but there’s one about the education of a character and another about the presumed squeamishness of another). It’s a script that constantly wrong-foots you.
- Benedict Cumberbatch is so utterly unlikeable that it’s a great tribute to his acting performance. There has been a lot of Oscar buzz about Cumberbatch being nominated for Best Actor (we have to wait to February 8th to find out) but I certainly wouldn’t argue with it.
- The ever-reliable Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst are also wonderful in supporting roles. But its Kodi Smit-McPhee that I suspect will be a front-runner for the Best Supporting Actor award (although I would personally give it to Ciarán Hinds for “Belfast“).
- And while we’re talking Oscars, surely Jane Campion will get a nomination for “Best Director” here. I could see this being a two-horse race this year between Campion and Kenneth Branagh for “Belfast“, but given that its been ten years since the award was last given to a female (Kathryn Bigalow for “The Hurt Locker”), this might sway the voting.
- I’m going to restrain myself from going on and on about great cinematography because I KNOW I do often go on about great cinematography. But here Ari Wegner’s is truly great. Wegner beautifully captures the wide-open spaces of Montana with some breathtaking wide shots.
- Edit: My thanks to Mike Francis, an old work colleague of mine from New Zealand for pointing out that the “wide-open spaces of Montana” are in fact the Central Otago area of New Zealand where the movie was in fact filmed. I stand corrected. It again shows what an incredible pallette of scenary that NZ has for movie-making.
Negatives:
- No spoilers, but there’s an abrupt “change of heart” midway through the film that didn’t quite sit right with me. I understand a rationale for it (and it certainly helps with the plot), but I don’t think it’s a good enough reason. If anything, I would have expected it to exacerbate the issues.
- It’s not a negative for me. But Cumberbatch is SUCH an unlikeable character – with manipulative and bullying behaviour bordering of the psychopathic – that those who get anxious about conflict in film (I’m thinking in part here of the illustrious Mrs Movie Man) will not last through the first reel.
Summary Thoughts on “The Power of the Dog”
Jane Campion’s movie didn’t look good to me on paper but was a mesmerising watch. I can finally understand what all the Oscar buzz has been about. Netflix has another winner on their hands.
One interesting aspect here is the certification of this film on both sides of the Atlantic. In the States, it gets an “R” (Restricted) certificate. Over here, the BBFC have given it a “12A”. The US certificate is for “brief sexual content/full nudity”. And yes, you do get about a 2 frame subliminal shot of the Cumber-Sausage, and a range of creek-swimming butt-shots. But it really brings into sharp contrast the gap between how the US handles nudity compared to the UK (and we are prudes compared to many European countries).
Trailer for “The Power of the Dog”
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRDPo0CHrko .
Err… Chloé Zhao won a best director Oscar last year for Nomadland….
I still don’t have Netflix, so I’m not sure if I’ll get to see this one, but I hope so.
Ah, well done. I just added that to see if anyone ACTUALLY read these reviews! 😉 (Big D’Oh!!!).