FLUKE is a typical Hollywood dog adventure movie with a twist - it's based on a novel of the same name by British author James Herbert, commonly described as "Britain's answer to Stephen King". Herbert left the horror genre behind to create something quite different, a whimsical story of a man reincarnated as a dog and striving to find purpose in his life. I normally hate sentimental family fare such as this, but I also happen to be a massive dog lover so the idea appealed to me. The film is cheesy on occasion, such as the scenes with Samuel L. Jackson's comedy relief character, but the dog performances are exceptional and the movie puts across some good ideas; there's also a surprisingly mature and non-sentimental ending which works a treat. My favourite scene is the animal breakout in the laboratory, which is sheer genius.

"Waking up on his very first morning, 'Fluke' - a newborn puppy - discovers a wondrous world of excitement and fun. Whether romping and wrestling with his brothers and sisters or curling up by his mother for a nap, Fluke is as contented as any young pooch can be. But when recurring dreams and a series of mishaps trigger memories of a very 'different' world, he slowly realizes that he once had a very different life - as a man! (and, that man would be Matthew Modine)

"Convinced of his previous identity, Fluke sets out on an extraordinary journey that leads him back to his human family… and shows him more through the eyes of a dog than he could ever see as a man," according to the DVD sleeve description.

As far as pooch pictures can run, this one has some bite - thanks to great dog's eye direction from Carlo Carlei and gorgeous color photography by Raffaele Mertes. The premise - that dogs (and other animals) are reincarnated as people - is sweet, but the film's structure takes too many leaps. We begin by having Mr. Modine roll over and play dead, in an apparent "two-lane country road" conflict with sexy Eric Stoltz (as Jeff Newman). For a long time, you're left wondering what this was about…

After romping around with velvety-voiced Samuel L. Jackson (as "Rumbo"),the story becomes Fluke's search for his human family - beautiful widow Nancy Travis (as Carol) and their cute son Max Pomeranc (as Brian Johnson). Then, Fluke's stated mission to "somehow" reveal his true identity. Now, they establish this really, REALLY smart dog can actually phone home - so, you could expect that he will eventually knock over a pot of alphabet soup and spell out, "Doggone it, I'm Tom!"

In the end, Fluke's spotty memory accounts for some dangling plot threads, likely woven better in James Herbert's original novel.

But, it's still a fun movie.

******** Fluke (6/2/95) Carlo Carlei ~ Max Pomeranc, Nancy Travis, Eric Stoltz, Matthew Modine

Fluke is directed by Carlo Carlei who also co-adapts the screenplay with James Carrington from the novel written by James Herbert. It stars Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz, Nancy Travis, Ron Perlman, Bill Cobbs, Jon Polito and Samuel L. Jackson. Music is scored by Carlo Siliotto and cinematography by Raffaele Mertes.

Workaholic Thomas Johnson is killed in an auto accident and is reincarnated as a dog. As he grows from pup to adult dog he starts to remembering things from his human life and sets about piecing together exactly who he was and what happened to him.

It was a box office flop, a hard sell anyway with its cross genre themes, but MGM didn't know how to market it. Was it an animal adventure for the kids? A family drama message movie? Or a metaphysical bit of dalliance? Truth is is that it is all three, an engagingly thoughtful movie that is flavoured by fantastical whimsy whilst also beating a poetic heart. There's humour in here, too, especially when Fluke teams up with the wise and shaggy Rumbo (Jackson). But predominantly picture is about emotional beats, sitting in that void between genuine warmth and tragedy. It's unashamedly sentimental, but that's a good thing, and it's not just confined to the animal aspects of the story, this is still a very real human drama. The messages within are handled with care, there's no beating us over the head here.

Director Carlei disappeared from Hollywood after the failure of Fluke, which is a shame since he crafts a great picture of strength. His dog POV camera work is smart in bringing us into Fluke's world, and many shots are gorgeously framed and filmed by director and photographer alike. It's also admirable in how he handles the excellent canine actors (Comet as Fluke is mightily impressive and expressive),it's no disgrace to the human actors to say the canines own the movie. There's some implausibilities, obviously, and one or two moments are too surreal for their own good; a laboratory break out sequence is cheer worthy but Carlei overdoes it, but this is still a lovely and interesting movie. Just like the great John Herbert's novel is for adults, so is the film. You can watch it with the kids for sure, so long as you have the fortitude to discuss with them the film's inner workings. 8/10