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The Power of the Dog (2021)

Rating: 8.5

Where were all the dogs in this movie? For a movie with the word dog in the title it was pretty disappointing to see that there weren’t any dogs in it. Jokes aside, this was a very well crafted and thought provoking drama from Jane Campion. It’s a very slow burn, but I liked the explorations of the effects toxic masculinity has on a person and their relationships. It’s well written and brilliantly directed, but my absolute favourite part about it was Benedict Cumberbatch’s stellar performance. This is a whole new side of Cumberbatch that we haven’t seen before, and Campion really uses his talents so well. He really showed off the excessive masculinity so well, and I loved how the story explored how male macho postering and bullying is usually a desperate attempt to hide feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy. It’s a brilliant and thematically rich screenplay. The visuals in the film are remarkable and the production design is also exceptional. It’s quite the fascinating film and such a wonderful return to the medium for Campion, as this is her first film in over 12 years. It was slow but the thematically rich story, stellar filmmaking and brilliant performances really made for quite the excellent film!

IMDb Rating: 7.0/10

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

Metacritic Score: 88

Netflix

Written & Directed by Jane Campion

Based on the novel by Thomas Savage

Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, Kirsten Dunst, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Thomasin McKenzie

Runtime: 2hr 5min

Rating: 14A

Drama, Romance, Western

Charismatic rancher Phil Burbank inspires fear and awe in those around him. When his brother brings home a new wife and her son, Phil torments them until he finds himself exposed to the possibility of love.


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