It is said 'The Power of the Dog' covers themes such as love, grief, resentment, jealousy, masculinity, and sexuality. Homosexuality, to be exact. Or should I say, the film is very open to the suggestion of homosexuality, but it never really surfaces - almost like a 70's movie.
I generally don't favour drama films, and the only reason I decided to watch 'The Power of the Dog' is because it received an amazing 562 award nominations (winning 250 so far),and because I like Benedict Cumberbatch as an actor. The film received an incredible 12 Oscar award nominations. So let's look at this film.
Benedict Cumberbatch stars as a rancher, Phil, who runs a ranch together with his brother, George (Jesse Plemons). Phil is insensitive, rude and crude (lets just call him butch!),while George is quite the opposite. George falls in love and eventually marries Rose (Kirsten Dunst). Her son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is gay - or a faggot, as they call him in the movie. This causes Phil to constantly mock him in front of his workers.
The film does have significant character development and there's lots to read between the lines, since the film tells its story in a very subtle manner. I must be honest, from an entertainment perspective, I wasn't all that entertained. In fact, I was pretty bored for the first 40 minutes. It moves along too...darn...slow...
It really also is uneventful until the final reveal. (well, also not much of a reveal, as you sort of have to guess what they're trying to convey.) Apart from character study, there's hardly anything significant happening here. I was bored - just as I was with the highly acclaimed 'Brokeback Mountain' (although 'Brokeback' was a lot more in your face and not as toned down as 'The Power of the Dog'.)
I can't help but wonder what prompted critics to adorn the film with so many awards. Is the high acclaim truly justified? Or is this overrated? For me, definitely. I agree, the film is beautifully shot with stunning cinematography. The set decoration is also incredibly well done, and the costumes are great. But is it that great a movie? Not for me....
Would I watch it again? No.
The Power of the Dog
2021
Action / Drama / Romance / Western
The Power of the Dog
2021
Action / Drama / Romance / Western
Plot summary
Severe, pale-eyed, handsome, Phil Burbank is brutally beguiling. All of Phil's romance, power and fragility is trapped in the past and in the land: He can castrate a bull calf with two swift slashes of his knife; he swims naked in the river, smearing his body with mud. He is a cowboy as raw as his hides. The year is 1925. The Burbank brothers are wealthy ranchers in Montana. At the Red Mill restaurant on their way to market, the brothers meet Rose, the widowed proprietress, and her impressionable son Peter. Phil behaves so cruelly he drives them both to tears, revelling in their hurt and rousing his fellow cowhands to laughter - all except his brother George, who comforts Rose then returns to marry her. As Phil swings between fury and cunning, his taunting of Rose takes an eerie form - he hovers at the edges of her vision, whistling a tune she can no longer play. His mockery of her son is more overt, amplified by the cheering of Phil's cowhand disciples. Then Phil appears to take the boy under his wing. Is this latest gesture a softening that leaves Phil exposed, or a plot twisting further into menace?
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Well made film, but way overrated...and rather boring
The power of The Power of the Dog is somewhat exaggerated
The Power of the Dog was interesting, however I couldn't decipher what it was trying to say. And while the acting from Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, and the rest of the cast is solid, the film seems a little pretentious. I also was distracted by some directorial choices. Perhaps it's because I heard so much buzz about it, but I just feel like The Power of the Dog is overrated.
Watched it in 4 Chunks as it's so Slow and Boring !!!!
The longest I watched it was just over half an hour as it's so slow and boring, each time I watched a bit more I thought it must get better but no it didn't.
The whole film just seems pointless, don't think I've ever watched anything so slow and boring as this film.
Visually stunning is the only positive I can make from this, I just cannot understand why it's up for any awards, do they get to see a completely different version to us ???
This must be the worst western I have ever watched.
With so many subscription services wanting our hard earned cash, Netflix you must do better than this if you wish to keep your subscribers, if the increase in subscription fees was to pay for garbage like this you must do better parity quickly.
Do yourself a favour to save a couple hours of your life and give this a miss as my two stars are just for the cinematography and nothing else.