Photo: Courtesy Paramount Pictures
Review by Brad Balfour, Arts Editor
Film: “Heart of the Beast”
Director: David Ayer
Screenplay: Cameron Alexander
Cast: Brad Pitt, Uber, J. K. Simmons, Anna Lambe
In a fairly minimalist fashion, action/adventure director David Ayer transforms film star Brad Pitt into a world-weary special forces veteran trying to cope with his PTSD by flying off in a small Cessna plane for a retreat into the Alaskan wilderness. Though he’s withdrawn from human companionship, he has one fabulous companion with him — his fighting cohort, Odin the dog.
Having done an extraordinary range of testosterone-fueled roles, rising from being a sex symbol to becoming an actor capable of handling lots of contexts and emotional complications, Pitt is at the top of his game. He’s faltered from time to time (fumbling an Irish brogue so it was hard to understand in “The Devil’s Own”) but overall he’s amassed quite a catalog of award winning roles.
And here, in “Heart of the Beast,” he drills down on the damage military service in a war zone has had on him and his partner Odin. Of course, Pitt is upstaged by Uber as Odin (supported by three others). It takes quite a confident star to let himself be supplant the dog, but this animal is extraordinary in his connection to Pitt’s character, James Belmont.
Since Ayer has military experience and intimate knowledge of the mindset, he authentically illustrates the effect of PTSD on both man and dog. While they both share this powerful bond, they also revel in the isolation of the wilderness, where there are also vulnerabilities.
This retired Special Forces Command Sergeant Major and his combat dog land their plane on a remote Alaskan lake where they camp for the night. Suffering from PTSD, both man and beast have nightmares so they find solace in the calmness of night. While exploring the surrounding forest, Belmont cautiously engages with Watkins (J. K. Simmons), an outgoing stranger who sets up camp near them. The two talk into the night sharing experiences some military and otherwise.
The following morning, Watkins departs leaving Belmont a book in exchange for a beer taken from the camp overnight. Belmont and Odin pack up and depart by plane, but the soldier suffers a heart attack mid-flight and crashes into the water below. Odin is ejected from the Cessna Skywagon during the crash. Once Belmont finds Odin nearby, weak but alive, he returns to the wreckage to salvage his gear. When Odin’s condition improves, the pair set out on foot to hike back to civilization which is about 58 miles away, according to Belmont’s calculations.
After the harrowing crash, they find themselves stranded deep in the Alaskan wilderness. Together, they’re forced into a brutal fight for survival against the elements, an enormous bear and a pack of grey wolves. In “Heart of the Beast,” Ayer explores the unbreakable bond between a man and his best friend as they face their greatest battle yet.
Pitt does his contemplative best to show inner thoughts through action and experience. But despite all the survival skills he has, nature is the ultimate conquerer. Rather than behaving like a pet, Odin is more like his soulmate as they have bonded intuitively. This film has a few key action sequences which take them both to task, but it’s Belmont’s determined effort to survive that makes the film stirring. And it’s his bond with Odin that makes this film heartening despite its tragic ending.