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THE POWER OF THE DOG – Review – We Are Movie Geeks

Review

THE POWER OF THE DOG – Review

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THE POWER OF THE DOG BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH as PHIL BURBANK in THE POWER OF THE DOG. Cr. KIRSTY GRIFFIN/NETFLIX © 2021

Just a few weeks after THE HARDER THEY FALL, Netflix gives us another sprawling Western. Ah, but there are a few big differences. The West is still pretty wild, though the entry is a tad “milder’. The former was filled with desperate shoot-out and showdowns, I don’t believe anyone in this story “throws down” on anybody, other than some “target practice. Yes, there’s lots of violence but it’s more of the verbal and psychological nature. Oh, and the new one is set nearly fifty years after FALL, so them “new-fangled” cars are spookin’ the horses. Its gorgeous cinematography highlights the “wide-open spaces” which helps to amplify the big distance between the two brothers, with one of them channeling THE POWER OF THE DOG.

In 1925 Montana we meet the Burbank brothers, who have taken over the sprawling cattle ranch from their parents. Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) prefers to get down and dirty with the hired cowhands. His brother George (Jesse Plemons), who Phil dismissively calls “Fatso”, quietly does the books and tends to the big house that they share. He does join Phil for the big cattle drive to the market, perhaps because of a stop on the trek. In the tiny town of Beech, young widow Rose Gordon (Kirsten Dunst) runs the inn and restaurant, with help from her lanky intellectual son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee). Settling in there for Dinner, Phil is miffed that George is late for his toast to the memory of their mentor, the late ranch foreman “Bronco” Henry.. George is back in the kitchen conversing with Rose. Phil takes out his anger on Peter, their server, and amuses his men by taunting the lad for being “soft’ and “dandified”. Weeks later, George stuns Phil with the news that he has married Rose and he’ll be bringing her there to live with them in the estate. After sending Peter off to medical school, Rose arrives and is given an icy “welcome” by Phil. Thus begins their war over the stoic George. When Peter arrives during his Summer break, it seems that Phil has another target for his cruelty. But when Peter accidentally stumbles upon Phil’s secret “retreat’, the tables are turned. A friendship slowly begins to build. Does Phil really like the lad, or could he have an ulterior motive?

Anchoring this near-century old saga is the masterful performance of Cumberbatch, playing the type of role we’ve never seen from him. Truly going “against type”, Phil gives us a hint of the actor’s versatility. We’re told that Phil dropped out of Yale, which gives us a hint of his inner conflict. He rejects the “book-learnin'” to become one with the dirt, grime, and sweat. Cumberbatch conveys that self-loathing which strikes out at others, instead of internalizing. He wants to be one with “the help”, but can’t indulge in their basest pleasures. Perhaps Cumberbatch’s most telling moment happens when George tells him of his secret nuptials. In those few seconds, Phil’s face is a mix of anger, resentment, and sadness. His Phil should repel us but instead draws us in. Nearly as compelling is Dunst as the “wedge” between the Burbanks. Rose is worn down, not only from kitchen drudgery but from the source of her widowhood (Mr. Gordon hung himself). Her need to survive, to fend for her and her son, has superseded her psyche’s need to heal. The attention from George is a lifeline, letting her feel desired once more. Dunst shows us the inner light shining through those dark, tired eyes. And with meeting Phil, we see those eyes dimming, as she plunges back into despair. Plemons gives George quiet dignity, much like his recent role in ANTLERS. He’s eager to start his own life, away from his suffocating brother (his taunts of “Fatso” seem to pierce him like tiny poisoned darts). George’s quiet demeanor masks an inner strength, as Plemons shows us in his body language, lifting his posture and quickening his lumbering step. The other part of this quartet is Smit-McPhee who imbues Peter with an aloof unfazed bravado, not wishing to hide his “smarts’ in order to blend in. The same can be said of his sensitivity, though his later actions show that his pursuit of knowledge truly guides him. But there’s more to him than his thirst for a doctor’s degree, though Smit-McPhee plays him often as a “blank slate’. In smaller roles, we’re treated to work from one of our busiest young actresses and an Oscar-winner who’s part of an acting dynasty.

The scope of the breathtaking scenery never overwhelms the intimacy of this family dynamic thanks to the skillful, subtle direction by Jane Campion, who also wrote the screenplay adaptation of the novel by Thomas Savage. She perfectly captures the eerie quiet of the old West, almost making the rolling hills and flat plains another character in the story. The mundane everyday tasks are captured which gives extra power to the unexpected confrontations (piano vs, banjo). In some sequences, it appears that Phil is almost an avenging ghost, banished from his home by the “schemer” Rose. We’re almost lulled into a languid pace until the third act throws us a “curve”. Being unfamiliar with the source material, I can honestly and enthusiastically say that I did not know where the plot was going. How refreshing. And what a rarity, indeed. Coupled with the superb performances by the gifted cast, THE POWER OF THE DOG holds us in its own powerful grip.

3.5 Out of 4

THE POWER OF THE DOG opens in select theatres on Wednesday, November 17, 2021

Jim Batts was a contestant on the movie edition of TV's "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" in 2009 and has been a member of the St. Louis Film Critics organization since 2013.