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The Tangible Fuel of Heart of the Beast

The star power of Heart of the Beast comes not from Brad Pitt’s rather bland special forces army veteran, but from the film’s true protagonist -his loyal German Shepherd Odin. And the big reason for that is that Odin actually has screen presence and charisma because Odin is real. In this time when most movie animals (including the rest of the wildlife that appears in this) are rendered digitally, thus feeling spatially and tangibly removed from the human actors they interact with, Odin is a real dog -or rather several (Uber, Seeka, Ryker, and Hondo are credited as his actors) and that carries weight especially when he is the character the movie’s premise rests on. And whatever else, he is compelling to follow here.
The movie is directed by David Ayer, fresh off a pair Jason Statham vehicles, and it would appear to be a bit of an effort to diversify his directorial image, if still occasionally touched by his particular tiresome masculine tropes and dim characterization. But it is at least a different flavour of survival film than we have seen in a while and some of its set-pieces and stark developments are genuinely thrilling at times. And at least unlike The Dog Stars, it does actually feature a dog and heavily through its action beats.
Set in the Alaskan wilderness, Pitt’s James Belmont is a loner war veteran privately camping with his combat dog Odin, flying to various isolated spots in his small airplane, setting up camp, fishing, and exploring. Unfortunately while flying, Belmont suffers a bout of PTSD that manifests in a heart attack and loses control of the plane -Odin is flung out and the craft crashes into the water. Nonetheless Belmont revives and drags himself to shore, ultimately reuniting with Odin as the two venture out in search of civilization, relying on each to survive off of limited resources and supplies.
It is a very focused man and his dog movie. Only two other actors appear in the film -J.K. Simmons as another camper Belmont encounters before the crash with whom he briefly connects, and Anna Lambe as a young woman at the end of the journey. And even these characters are not strictly necessary for this very intent and grounded survival story (they are receptors to exposition perhaps more than anything). There are few flourishes and outside influences throughout the film -even the flashbacks to Belmont and Odin’s military service are fairly slight, reigned in notably by Ayer’s standards as the immediate narrative and its naturally compelling stakes take the most precedent.
This softens what threatens to be a patronizing -even jingoistic film where it concerns the subject of the military, military trauma, and military masculinity, and it isn't totally averse to that as an end montage adorned in American flag imagery proves. But the military context is just as much a plot device to account for the sturdiness of Belmont and Odin in particular. To this degree there are a few bits that strain credulity, but for the most part the film portrays their survival in feasible terms. What helps this is the fact that Odin's casting very much proves the validity of most of his actions. Obviously if a dog can be trained to perform these feats for a movie it stands to reason one can be trained to perform them for real. And the movie comes up with new scenarios to showcase this, such as in moments where Odin rescues Belmont from water or assists in a physical task his master is incapable of, such as tightening the strap for a tourniquet.
Just like in The Weight, there is a notable set-piece involving a frail bridge -in this case it is merely a couple logs over a ravine and rushing rapids. It is played with appropriate anxiety, especially from Odin, who acts as a gauge for the audience through parts of the film like this. Pitt is good too, it is perhaps his most physically demanding role in some time. But while his character is highly competent and capable the movie makes sure to emphasize how much his survival depends on Odin, and he's a little less of a standard survivalist hero for this. The movie has a lot of aesthetics of tough, rugged individualism, but in practice it is not so banal. It has as much in common with Homeward Bound as with Rescue Dawn or The Edge -and perhaps a little hint of The Call of the Wild; an untapped region of the film being Odin's curiosity toward the wolves they see attacking the calf of a moose.
The wolves are one antagonist, a rushing grizzly bear is another, and the movie briefly takes on an atmosphere of horror when they show up -though these sequences can't help but feel a touch muted by how comparably intangible the threats are. Belmont getting trapped underwater by a gnarly log when wading through a shallow swamp is much more visceral than a pack of CGI wolves attacking in the dark -the one action beat of the film that feels wholly contrived. The harrowing, palpable plane crash while Belmont is incapacitated and the tension of another heart attack while in a precarious situation resonates so much more than the obligatory wilderness survival beats the film occasionally engages with. It is those bits, lacking in imagination or distinctive filmmaking that bring down the movie and make it a touch dull. In which case Ayer is only able to course-correct by refocusing on Odin and the unshakable bond between him and Belmont. It is something that he never feels like a "movie dog" and you don't disbelieve his comfort in the environment, which it is worth noting is also refreshingly real.
Still, these choices by Ayer being above an often pitiable industry standard are not worthy of excessive praise. Even with some exemplary intense sequences, Heart of the Beast is at its best an adequate version of itself, delivering on the expectations of its premise with skill but not a lot else. A sufficient middle-of-the-road survival drama with occasional gestures to themes of war trauma and military romanticism; yet it at least does well by its alternative angle, recognizing the value and emotional weight of employing a canine star. Odin is a good boy.

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