“Heart of the Beast,” a survival thriller following one man’s heartfelt relationship with his loyal dog, is gleeful in its sentimentality, yet this wannabe tearjerker offers very little in the way of memorable adventure or compelling drama.
James Belmont (Brad Pitt) is a retired Green Beret who has seen the worst of humanity and finds joy only alone with his canine companion, Odin. Belmont and Odin suffer from PTSD after their shared combat experience, and find peace in the isolation of nature, with Belmont piloting a small plane on increasingly remote trips. During one such excursion into the Alaskan wilderness, Belmont suffers a minor heart attack and crashes the plane. Injured, isolated and miles from civilization, Belmont and Odin must work together to overcome all the threats of the wild to survive.
“Heart of the Beast” is a thriller in which the stakes are remarkably uninteresting. It’s like the writers saw “127 Hours,” understood that superior film’s optimistic messaging, its belief that life is more valuable when you let other people in, and said, “Nah, I don’t think so.” Belmont begins the movie wary of humanity, loyal only to his dog and nature, and ends the movie the exact same, never being challenged in any dramatic way.
As Belmont and Odin encounter challenges along their journey, there isn’t much in the way of creative problem solving or impressive survivalist skills on display. Rather, these obstacles are overcome through pure luck or, in one nauseating moment, an intimidating stare from Odin to scare off would-be predators. All of the wildlife they encounter is composed of horrible CGI, made all the more galling by the abundance of otherwise natural beauty on display throughout the film.
With such a small cast, the performances are thankfully strong. Pitt downplays his movie star charisma, rendering Belmont believably gruff and vaguely off-putting for somebody unable and unwilling to engage in human connection. J.K. Simmons is a delight in his brief role as Pitt’s foil, a nature enthusiast who nonetheless delights in the company of others, even if his character does nothing to enrich or advance the thematic material. Finally, the dog playing Odin does some wonderful dog-acting, carrying so much of the dramatic weight of the film.
In its conclusion, with a treacly voice-over from Brad Pitt espousing the superiority of dogs to people, “Heart of the Beast” reaches its schmaltzy nadir as a film desperate to tug at heartstrings but succeeding mostly in fraying nerves.
A version of this review was posted at Curt On The Movies.
“Heart of the Beast” Directed by David Ayer. Written by Cameron Alexander. Starring Brad Pitt and J.K. Simmons. Running time: 101 minutes. Genres: Action, Adventure, Drama, Thriller. Rated PG-13 for violence, peril, bloody/injury images and some language.
