A One Mann’s Movies review of “Heart of the Beast”. (2026, 3*, 15).
I must be about the last person in the UK to see Heart of the Beast before it exits cinemas. But it’s had a pretty good run, having lasted a month. The matinee performance I was in today still had about a dozen people in it though, so – who knows – perhaps it will play into next week as well.
The format feels familiar, but Brad Pitt’s star power, a cute dog and magnificent scenery make it very watchable.
One Mann’s Movies Rating:
Plot:
Special Forces veteran James Belmont (Brad Pitt) is flying his seaplane up to a remote Alaskan lake with his combat dog, Odin. But when disaster strikes, the pair find themselves stranded deep in the Alaskan wilderness and over 50 miles from the nearest road.
Certification:
UK: 12A; US: PG-13. (From the BBFC website: “Moderate injury detail, threat, violence, language.” Moderate?! I’d say pretty f-ing hardcore! I rather expected this to be a 15 rather than a 12 because of it.)
Talent:
Starring: Brad Pitt, J.K. Simmons, Anna Lambe.
Directed by: David Ayer.
Written by: Cameron Alexander.
Running Time: 1h 41m.
Review:
Positives:
- This is a film that lives and dies based on its star. Fortunately, this has Brad Pitt, and he is very good. Even though only having himself and the dog to talk to, he manages to keep things real.
- Just like the recent The Dog Stars, one of the stars of the show is the wonderful landscape which is just jaw-dropping. I’d like to say it was Alaska… but no, it was actually shot in New Zealand. Cinematography is by Mauro Fiore, but to be honest, just about anyone could point a camera at that and make it look good!
- The action scenes are well done and the dog training is extraordinary. There are some genuinely on-the-edge-of-your-seat moments.
- The introduction of JK Simmons to the mix as a fellow traveller that James just happens to meet, allows for a bit of subtle mansplaining of the wartime backstory. Simmons is always good value.
Negatives:
- This feels like a familiar mash-up of a bunch of films we’ve seen before. The relationship between the former army vet and his dog was done – and done well – by Channing Tatum in Dog from 2022; getting stranded in the Alaskan wilderness was done in Peaks and Valleys; and the closest match must be Liam Neeson trying to find rescue, in Alaska, following a plane crash, in 2011’s The Grey. It even involves wolves as key antagonists.
- Surely an experienced professional like James would take some form of waterproof satellite phone or similar with him, flying over wilderness?
- A human body can surely only take so much of a battering: poor old James is almost ripped apart and then glued back together again in this film. It strains credibility. The initial plane crash strains that credibility to breaking point. Can you really survive an impact when your head is already resting on the dashboard and you plough into a lake? (Thank God he had aspirin!) Ditto for the dog, particularly after the traumatic events shown in the crash, which is quite shocking to watch.
- It’s a bizarre decision of the writer to give away the ending of the film – or at least, a good chunk of the ending – as the very first scene. I guess it gets the question of “does the dog die” out of the way early on, so animal lovers are not fretting for the whole film. (For the answer, see the Trigger section below.) But it squashes flat much of the tension that the film could have eked out.
Triggers
SPOILER WARNING: As regular readers of this column will know, one of the 2026 stats I have been tracking, in what is turning out to be a terrible year for canines, is whether the dog dies or not. (My viewing of The Long Winter at the LFF brought that tally up to 10.) I’m sure some animal lovers will avoid watching this film, given that in many similar films the dog does normally die. So let me tell those viewers that here – NO, the dog does NOT die. That is not to say that the dog doesn’t suffer a lot of distress and suffer injuries, so brace yourselves if you are a dog-lover.
Summary Thoughts:
A very watchable adventure movie, with brutal elements that (I think) stretch the 12A certificate to breaking point. But we’ve been here lots of times before and there was little new to see.
Where to watch?
Trailer:
The trailer for the film is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFQcDFhNh4o.
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