Movie Review: Heart of the Beast

The adventure drama Heart of the Beast, directed by David Ayer, follows a Special Forces sergeant major and his German shepherd as they struggle to survive in the Alaskan wilderness. Brad Pitt plays James Belmont, a man suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder following military service. After Belmont suffers a heart attack while piloting a plane, the aircraft crashes, forcing him and his dog, Odin, to trek over 50 miles through the landscape to reach civilization.

John Mulderig of The Record notes that the film draws a parallel between Odin and the historical Hollywood canine star Rin Tin Tin, a German shepherd and World War I survivor. In the film, Odin is also a survivor of recent conflict, bearing physical scars that include a prosthetic leg and titanium false teeth. The script by Cameron Alexander depicts the deep bond between the man and his dog as they navigate the wilderness. Aside from a brief appearance by J.K. Simmons as a stranger, the production relies almost entirely on Pitt's performance.