Shadows on the Wall | Heart of the Beast

Heart of the Beast

dir David Ayer
scr Cameron Alexander
prd David Ayer, Brad Pitt, Olivia Hamilton, Marty Bowen
with Brad Pitt, JK Simmons, Anna Lambe
release US/UK 25.Sep.26
26/US Paramount 1h41

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Set in Alaska but filmed in spectacular locations in New Zealand, this survival thriller is assembled from set-pieces that are carefully designed to convey a specific threat or obstacle. So while it looks terrific, and centres around a lovely connection between two damaged souls, a man and his dog, nothing about the film feels organic. Even if it's never believable, director David Ayer keeps the action clipping along.

Flying his seaplane into the wilderness, James (Pitt) looks forward to quiet time with his faithful dog Odin, both scarred from their military service together, and fiercely loyal to each other. As they campe by a picturesque lake, they are startled by passerby Walter (Simmons), who sticks around long enough for James to tell his story. Then as they fly out, James has a heart attack, crashing the plane into an even more remote lake nearly 60 miles from the closest road. So they start hiking through the forest, crossing rivers and facing dangerous predators.

Each event is staged as a separate sequence in which James and Odin (mainly played by a German Shepherd called Uber) face something new, including a bear, a pack of wolves, a raging river ravine and a flooded field. Each of these takes something out of them, leaving James weaker or injured while he relies on Odin for help, and vice versa. Some of these segments are suspenseful action beats, others have a horror-style intensity. And everything is accompanied by flashbacks to their military service, plus a soaring score that reminds us what to feel.

This kind of unsubtle filmmaking doesn't leave much for an actor to do, and there's very little dialog; after the visit with Walter, James only ever speaks to Odin. So Pitt delivers a strongly internalised performance that echoes James' trauma, tenacity and his deep affection for this loyal dog. It's a magnetic turn that's thoroughly involving to watch, even if the film gives away the ending in a prolog.

When focussing on the close bond between this man and dog, the film finds some intriguing textures relating to the nature of war and its impact on people who have made a living out of killing people. Both James and Odin are covered with scars from their service, and of course the worse injuries are those we can't see. These have driven them far from society, to the point where they struggle to trust anyone they meet. And it's only in the final moments that there's a glimmer of hope.

themes, language, violence 17.Sep.26

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