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There's one thing to note about this movie before anything else: the dog doesn't die.
That's not a spoiler, since we find out almost immediately, and then the movie goes back in time for the main action. Given that and the fact there's a website of trigger warnings called Does the Dog Die?, indicating this is a common vulnerability, it seems worthwhile to reassure people for whom a dog's death, even a fictional one, is just too much to bear.
Director David Ayer is known for writing and/or directing very male-oriented movies, including Fury, Training Day, End of Watch and a couple of Jason Statham outings. Heart of the Beast, scripted by first-timer Cameron Alexander, is another, but balances the action with the tenderness of the friendship between man and dog.
There's plenty to enjoy here for people who like stories of endurance and survival and dogs. And it helps to like Brad Pitt - for most of the running time it's just him and the German Shepherd (technically four dogs share the role) on screen.
It was no problem for me - Pitt, who worked with Ayer on Fury, is a fine and versatile actor and has excellent rapport with his captivating canine companion.
James Belmont (Pitt), a former Special Forces officer, and his combat dog Odin have an unbreakable bond. Both suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and Odie also lost part of his mouth and one leg in the heat of battle. But with a plate and an artificial leg, he's in fine form.
They're in Alaska, with James flying his seaplane around to enjoy the scenery and landing periodically to fish, watch birds, read, sketch, and relax.
But during one flight, James has a heart attack and loses consciousness. The plane crashes into water and he revives and manages to salvage some of his gear.
He also finds Ody, who was thrown from the plane but survived. They're stranded in the Alaskan wilderness and nobody knows where they are. James and Ody will have to walk more than 90 kilometres to get to a road and wait for help.
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The only other actor of note is J.K. Simmons, who turns up early. James is suspicious of this interloper, but he's harmless, a former goldminer who's just keen for some company before moving on. It's a slightly cliched role, but Simmons plays it well, giving a real sense of a man with a past from which he has many regrets. He gives the reserved James someone to talk to besides the dog.
But there isn't much revealed. James is an enigmatic character, a loner with no family ties. This is a movie about survival rather than a character study. Alfred Hitchcock was right: casting a star saves a lot of exposition since the audience is familiar with and sympathetic to them from the start.
The scenario and many of the events aren't terribly original but the movie remains involving throughout.
There are the expected encounters with wildlife, here a couple of CGI creations, a big brown bear and some wolves. The latter is the more effective scene, spookily set at night with the half-seen predators relentless in their attacks on James and Ody.
The movie was shot in New Zealand but this isn't filled with picture-postcard prettiness: the weather is dull when it's not raining and the ground is rough and harsh. There's a scene where man and dog have to walk gingerly over a log between cliffs with raging rapids below. It's another familiar idea but it's well executed and having a dog in it provides added tension.
Heart of the Beast isn't a groundbreaking movie but it's an involving, well crafted story of a man and his best friend having to rely on each other to survive.
