In spirit it's not far removed from an old Disney movie, but Pitt gives a true performance, and so does the canine actor playing his trusty companion.
Plus IconOwen Gleiberman
Chief Film Critic
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Scott Garfield In “Heart of the Beast,” Brad Pitt does something a lot of actors might not quite bring off in a man-and-his-dog-in-the-wilderness saga: He gives a true performance. His character, James Belmont, is a retired Special Forces officer who has been through a great many deployments. (There are combat flashbacks to what looks like Afghanistan, though the war isn’t named.) In the opening sequence, he’s piloting a small plane through the spectacular Alaska mountains, his trusty German Shepherd, Odin, by his side. Odin is battle-scarred, with titanium teeth and only three legs (he wears a prosthetic one). He’s a combat dog, raised by James since he was a puppy; having been through so much war together, the two have an animal closeness you can just about touch. Pitt shows you the love and trust James and the dog share, and also the veteran James is: alert, grizzled, taciturn, resourceful, a little too content to be by himself — but he’s that way because war has formed him, and how many others would understand?
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