‘Heart of the Beast’ review: Brad Pitt-starring thriller is singularly moving

Movie review

A man. His dog. Trapped together in a remote, tangled forest. Struggling to survive.

The outcome is foretold in the opening scene in “Heart of the Beast.”

It’s a bare-bones tale, told with measured deliberation and great skill by director David Ayer. (Cameron Alexander wrote the screenplay.) In it, Brad Pitt gives what’s arguably the best performance of his career. It’s spare. No false moves. Nothing to excess.

And his canine co-star matches his level of achievement. Named Odin, and performed largely by a highly trained German shepherd named Uber (three other dogs are also mentioned in the credits), he’s empathetic and amazingly affecting. His eyes are startlingly expressive.

These two are quite the pair. Their characters are ex-soldiers, wounded warriors, scarred from their time in service together in Iraq, where Pitt’s character, gray-bearded James Belmont, was an Army Special Forces officer and Odin was his combat dog. Now they’re retired and distancing themselves from civilian society. 

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The picture, set in Alaska (mountains of New Zealand standing in), finds them flying over the wilderness in a single-engine floatplane, touching down on a gorgeous lake and reveling in the remoteness. Ayer takes his time introducing these characters, letting the richness of the environment soak into the early scenes (cinematographer Mauro Fiore does extraordinary work). 

An encounter with a backwoods Alaskan played by J.K. Simmons highlights James’ suspicion and reserve. He’s self-contained, and on guard, only warming to the other man gradually over shared beers downed by a lakeside campfire. And then the man paddles away into the morning mist, almost like a wraith, and Odin and James are left on their own in the wilderness.

They fly off (more time for the picture to dwell on the spectacular scenery), but then James is disabled by a heart attack, loses control of the plane and crashes, And then the picture truly begins. It’s man and dog against nature, and nature is harsh. James, a capable man thanks to his military service, knows his way in the outdoors, but his heart ailment limits him. He needs his dog to help him survive.

In addition to their external scars and wounds (Odin has lost part of a leg in combat), there are psychological traumas that afflict them both, inserted at certain points by flashback moments.

The picture is all about this shared, deep bond. Man and dog, kindred spirits and absolutely devoted to one another. James and Odin together plumb the depths of those feelings in a way that’s intensely gripping.

Nature hems them in. From the density of the woods emerge threats: a bear, stalking wolves and the misery of soaking rain and immersion in whitewater mountain streams. 

Ayer, who previously worked with Pitt in the 2014 World War II tank drama “Fury,” never loses focus on the bond between his two principals. Man and dog and their connection are the elements that grip the audience and never let go from beginning to end.

Thanks to that, this “Beast” is singularly moving.

'Heart of the Beast' ★★★★ (out of four)
With Brad Pitt, J.K. Simmons, Anna Lambe. Directed by David Ayer, from a screenplay by Cameron Alexander. 101 minutes. Rated PG-13 for violence, peril, bloody/injury images and some language. Playing at multiple theaters.