"The Power Of The Dog": Movie Review
Written By Alex Greenbaum
"The Power Of The Dog" is an example of a film with a promising conceptual framework that in execution fails to live up to its deep premise. A sure fire Academy Award nominee that ticks all the Oscar bait boxes we have come to expect. That's not to say director/writer Jane Campion's ("The Piano") first movie in 12 years is a total disaster, but it constantly gets in its own way with contrived characterizations that only damper its interesting premise. Benedict Cumberbatch and Jesse Plemons are both at their best, but it's not enough to ignore the heap of issues that persist.
Based on the 1967 novel by Thomas Savage, two wealthy brothers living on their childhood ranch start to butt heads as their life decisions begin to create conflict. Plemons plays the quietly reserved and polite rancher with such ease, while Cumberbatch plays the polar opposite with his most visceral onscreen performance to date. But others struggle to make any lasting impression including Kirsten Dunst who has done better work, and an oddly miscast Kodi Smit-McPhee whose performance is comically bad for more than a few moments.
An even stranger decision is to film the entire movie in New Zealand and have the story take place in Montana. This is possibly due to budget constraints or an artistic expression by the native New Zealander in Campion; either way it's a distraction.
In any case, the film handles its subject matter with almost too much care. There's an overabundance of sexual implication but never does it fully address what in reality is going on. Oftentimes, this creates dramatic intrigue, but during the last quarter of the film, a flurry of contrivances persist.
"The Power Of The Dog" fails more often than not. Two exquisite performances by Plemons and Cumberbatch makes it a less painful experience but my frustration lies in the films powerful potential that was never quite attained.
Comments
Post a Comment