17 Nov The Power of the Dog Review

THE POWER OF THE DOG

dir. Jane Campion, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, Kirsten Dunst, Kodi Smit-McPhee

The Power of the Dog, written, directed, and produced by Jane Campion, harkens back to a time when cowboys reigned supreme and the American West was a vast, naked, unsettled land waiting to be tamed. Such is the backdrop for this drama as audiences are introduced to Phil and George Burbank, ranchers finishing up a job and settling down on a Montana cattle ranch. George, a quiet, pensive man suffers the constant verbal tongue lashings of Phil, the very picture of the toxic male that’s evolved its way through the decades to the present day. Phil’s power of influence over the ranchers they employ is nothing compared to his power over George, a noxious dynamic wherein, while never explicitly shown, the audience can infer that Phil’s word is the law. That hold over George changes when the ranchers meet Rose and her son Peter, with George becoming immediately smitten. As Phil’s power over George lessens, his wrath is turned to Rose and Peter, to astonishing consequences.

Succinctly put, The Power of the Dog isn’t what you think it is. At its heart, it’s a story of how much can love triumph over hate and just how often hate wins out against love. In the hands of talented Campion, the film clearly presents its themes and layers and levels without being heavy handed or preachy; the events unfold at a pace that invites the audience to appreciate the story being presented to them. A stark counterprogram to Netflix’s earlier released Western, The Harder They Fall, The Power of the Dog is a contemplative movie filled with detailed, nuanced acting and is guaranteed to leave moviegoers with just as many questions as answers.

Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog’s main strength lies in his performance of Phil Burbank, the antagonizing centerpiece of the film. By far his nastiest role to date, Cumberbatch delivers a mixture of surliness, selfishness, and outright boorish behavior with enough aplomb that within the first minutes of the film audiences will be ready to despise him. This act is wonderfully counterbalanced by Jesse Plemons, who has consistently done his best work when playing sheepish, quiet, demure characters. Here Plemons does exactly that as George Burbank, Phil’s brother and business partner. When sharing the screen with Cumberbatch, Plemons’ voice rarely raises above a decibel, be it agreeing with Phil or at odds with him. Plemons’ performance is vastly different when on screen with real-life wife Kirsten Dunst, who plays George’s love interest Rose. With Dunst, Plemons’ body language is more open, more comfortable and at ease as he’s allowed to be more himself.

Reappearing on the big screen after a four year hiatus, Dunst returns to form like she never left. Her portrayal of Rose, a woman spiraling out of control thanks to the mental abuse heaped on her by Phil Burbank, Dunst plays the levels of struggle, shame, and frustration brilliantly. With the second most screen time aside from Cumberbatch, Dunst makes use of every second to remind us why she’s an award winning talent. She hefts the emotional weight of the film and manages to deliver in spades. Kodi Smit-McPhee is deceptively stellar as well; his performance, while seemingly low energy and laconic, have a number of layers that can only be discovered upon rewatches. Absent for large parts of the movie, Smit-McPhee has the least amount to work with but the largest impact on the overall story.

Directed by seasoned veteran Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog continues to bolster her filmography that’s been firmly centered on identity and gender politics. Adapted from the eponymous novel written by Thomas Savage, Campion manages to use the traditional tropes of the Western genre (bowlegged cowboys, cigar chomping characters, and horses galore) to tell a less traditional story. Running at 126 minutes, the film manages to set a languid, relaxed pace while never feeling slow or uninteresting. Primarily due in part to Cumberbatch’s performance and in part to Campion’s mastery of tension, the film keeps audiences intrigued and engaged throughout.

Overall, The Power of the Dog is a potent story that contemplates longing, loneliness, deceit, and self loathing. Jane Campion weaves these themes throughout the film in ways that are unexpected and thought provoking. Her willingness to let the story marinate, to stay with the characters long enough to show their whole and complete downward spiral is a testament to Campion’s patience and trust in the audience. By far the best performance we’ve seen from Benedict Cumberbatch, the actor leans fully into the malevolence and venom of Phil Burbank, allowing him to tap into a side we haven’t quite experienced from him. A western tale that could’ve been just as impactful in any era, the story Campion tells is a timeless approach to the lengths we’ll go to in order to protect the ones we love. The Power of the Dog hits theaters in a limited release on November 17th and streaming on Netflix December 1st.

Review by Darryl Mansel