'Heart of the Beast' review: Brad Pitt's new movie is clumsy, but the dog gives it heart
'Heart of the Beast' review: Brad Pitt's new movie is clumsy, but the dog gives it heart
Elisabetta BianchiniSun, September 27, 2026 at 10:32 PM UTC
0
Brad Pitt and director David Ayer have reunited after the 2014 film Fury for the survival drama Heart of the Beast. A story centred around a man and his dog surviving in the Alaskan wilderness.
No, the dog doesn't die, which will be a relief for many. But while the film has achieved a healthy 87 per cent Rotten Tomatoes score from critics, it's ultimately a predictable story that feels clumsy and heavy-handed in its drama,all while trying to tug at your heartstrings.
Heart of the Beast: In theatres Sept. 25Director: David AyerCast: Brad Pitt, J.K. Simmons, Anna LambeWriter: Cameron AlexanderRuntime: 1 hour, 41 minutes
What is 'Heart of the Beast' about?
In Heart of the Beast, Pitt plays retired U.S. Special Forces officer James Belmont, who's flying with his German Shepherd, Odin (Uber), a retired combat dog, for their camping trip in Alaska.
Both James and Odin have their own PTSD and physical scars from the military, including both suffering from nightmares, and they're very much each other's support system.
When James has a heart attack while he's trying to fly home, James and Odin are stuck in the wilderness and need to rely on each other to survive.
Brad Pitt plays James Belmont and Uber plays Odin in Heart of the Beast (Paramount Pictures)'Heart of the Beast' struggles to earn your tears
James is a man who makes a lot of mistakes, but what keeps Heart of the Beast going is that he has a sort of MacGyver-level ability to be resourceful, getting him and Odin out of danger.
Advertisement
Where things fall flat is that we really only see James as this stoic man. We're never given to glimpse into his personality. Everything we know about him tied to his past military service, including a few sporadic flashbacks, which really don't do much to elevate that element of his backstory.
The film also lacks levity, which makes it dive heavily into melodrama, paired with almost propagandistic pro-military messaging. In addition to leaning into all the most traditional displays of masculinity.
Even for Pitt, his performance felt more one-dimensional than it should have been, because his character is crafted with a lack the dynamic shifts he could play with in the film.
But seeing James and Odin together are among the best moments of the film, the intimate moments between them are certainly highlights. Those are the scenes where you may need to bring out the tissues, even if the film has minimal character development.
Ayer does find moments that feel more thrilling, but much of what sustains this movie is Odin, the character that really does the heavy lifting in helping us understand the bond between Odin and James, and feel invested in their relationship.
And while having Odin being played by a total of four real dogs for the film, Uber and his three sons, was a welcome departure from other movies, the CGI that's used in other elements of the film, while utilized sparingly, weren't convincing in the least.
Overall, we're left with a predictable film, but it will still make you want to rush home and cuddle your pets.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
