Heart of the Beast
Brad Pitt and his canine pal survive the wilderness and PTSD in this typically muscular action film from David Ayres, which is elevated by the tangible chemistry between Pitt and his four-legged co-star
David Ayer’s cinema is a study of masculinity in extremis. His films put their male protagonists into intense, dangerous situations, and then we watch as they try to fight their way out. Heart of the Beast fits squarely into that mould, but there’s a twist. While Ayer has often shown a sharp ear for the banter of male-dominated spaces and the way characters verbally negotiate their way through a hostile environment, the conversations in Heart of the Beast, which was written by Cameron Alexander, are much more limited and one-sided. For the majority of this film’s tight 97 minutes, the only characters on screen are James Belmont (Brad Pitt) and a German Shepherd named Odin.
We meet Odin first. Heart of the Beast opens with a young woman (Anna Lambe) discovering the dog alone in the Alaskan wilderness. The story is starting at the end, with what might be considered a major spoiler, although perhaps it’s simply a shrewd choice from the filmmakers, knowing their film may be too tense to enjoy with the dog’s life permanently in the balance. Flashing back to one week earlier, we meet Odin and Belmont as they set up camp miles from everywhere. Placing a distance between himself and civilisation is clearly Belmont’s goal, and he bristles when a fellow hiker (played by a garrulous J.K. Simmons) crosses his path. This rambler ekes some backstory out of Belmont, but Pitt plays him as a man in a permanent state of wariness and defensiveness.
We learn that Belmont and Odin served together in the military, and both carry the trauma of war with them. Odin is stricken by nightmares, while Belmont has an increasingly weak heart, which fails him terrifyingly while piloting his light aircraft, causing them to crash into a lake. From here, Heart of the Beast becomes a survival thriller. The pair must find a way through the mountains and the woods, navigating through a series of threats, including an encounter with a bear, a precarious bridge across some rapids, and a pack of ravenous wolves. This may sound rather familiar and straightforward, but Ayer knows how to put together a compelling action sequence, and Heart of the Beast has a couple of exceptional set-pieces which are always rooted in reality and detail, with Ayer making us feel the toll every moment takes on both Belmont and Odin’s bodies.
Belmont’s frail heart is a manifestation of the physical and emotional pain he has carried from his Special Forces days, and what’s remarkable about Pitt’s performance is how vulnerable he makes himself. It’s clear how much Belmont and Odin need each other, and having already established a memorable canine companionship in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood…, Pitt again has a tangible chemistry with his four-legged co-star. Their bond gives the film its heart and soul, and while Ayer is liable to tip into sentimentality towards the end, the genuine emotion that this story ultimately stirs in the audience feels earned. These characters have gone on an extraordinary journey, and we feel as if we’ve been with them every step of the way.
Released 23 Sep by Paramount; certificate 12A