Heart of the Beast
The first time I saw a trailer for “Heart of the Beast,” two words came to mind:
Old Yeller.
(Bet you thought I was going to say, Brad Pitt, right?)
You can tell from the outset that the story of two survivors of a light plane crash in the Alaskan wilderness – one a retired Green Beret combat vet, the other a three-legged German Shepherd who served with him in the K9 corps – has a good chance of bringing tears before the final credits.
Rugged and spectacularly beautiful, it’s a tale of Hemingway proportions. Ably directed by David Ayres, the intense action is as breathtaking as the landscape.
Acting-wise, it’s essentially a one-man show. Well, one man and one dog. The dog, Odin, is actually played by four canines in the credits. Many of the emotional two-shots leave you wondering who’s the better actor – Brad or Odie?
Has a German Shepherd ever been nominated for an Oscar before? Maybe now’s the time.
Which isn’t to say Pitt’s performance isn’t also, uh, incredible.
Reminiscent of Robert Redford playing Jeremiah Johnson early in his career and the solo sailor who comprises the entire cast of “All Is Lost” near the end, Pitt has the confidence, not to mention the chops, to command the screen when the power and grandeur of Nature are his co-stars.
Covered with tattoos, his hair shorn, his face worn, his raw talent never makes it look like acting.
Both man and beast suffer from PTSD among their other battle scars. They regularly are jolted awake by nightmares.
Cameron Alexander’s screenplay, elegant in its simplicity, is interspersed with flashbacks to the brutal combat they have come to this remote setting trying to escape.
The story takes place over a week, in which the pair go through one monumental ordeal after another. It’s like this summer’s first big hit, “The Odyssey,” only with a cast or three instead of thousands.
Make that three humans.
And Odin.
Piloting his own seaplane, equipped with the latest hunting weapons and high-tech gear when the story begins, Pitt’s Command Sergeant Major (Ret.) James Belmont is reduced to a broken man with a spear after the plane crash.
Grizzlies and wolves, raging rapids, unforgiving weather across savage landscapes – each take a toll, breaking one part of his body after another. By the end, after he has exhausted the bottle of aspirin he eats like peanuts, his spirit is all he has left to run on.
Man and beast have taken turns saving each other’s lives since their combat days. Their shared gratitude to each other form the bond of what is not only an excellent wilderness adventure movie, but a great love story.
Modest in scope, meticulous in its screen craft, “Heart of the Beast” has the same effect as the wonderful adventure movies of our youth. It is, by turns, heartbreaking and thrilling, a deep visceral experience, its minimal dialogue easily translatable and understandable in any language.
By the end, the expected tears have come from an unexpected place.
Those tears were hard-earned, rather than cheesy and manipulative, courtesy of Mr. Pitt and company’s emotional honesty and artistic power.
Not to mention his incredible co-star.
Good boy, Odie.
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