Heart of the Beast Review: A Gripping and Harrowing Tale of Resilience, Heroism, and Friendship

Some films come along that make the hair on your arm stand up while putting a big old lump in your throat. Heart of the Beast, the new adventure film starring Brad Pitt, is that kind of film. A gripping and harrowing tale of resilience, heroism, and friendship, it will surely generate buzz with mainstream audiences after the credits roll and through word of mouth around the water cooler.

Heart of the Beast is an emotional tour de force, not just about the powerful bond between a man and his dog, but also about friendship and shared collective scars.

What is Heart of the Beast about?

The story follows James Belmont (Academy Award nominee Brad Pitt), a retired Army Special Forces veteran. James and his trusted German Shepherd, Odin (played by the adorable Uber), are on a hunting trip in the stoic Alaskan wilderness. Odin is also a retired veteran of the armed forces, serving alongside James as a military combat K-9.

James and Odin both experience shared trauma stemming from their service overseas. You could say their trip into the wilderness is a self-imposed exile, retreating from a world that no longer makes sense to them. It’s easy to see when they come across a woodsman (J.K. Simmons) kayaking down the river and befriending them.

Both James and Odin are on high alert around him. For all we know, this is one of the few human interactions either of them has had in years. The next day, James and Odin pack up their gear, ready to fly out before thunderstorms surround the riverbed. However, during their trip, James suffers a heart attack. The plane crashes deep in unforgiving terrain, with savage wildlife.

Heart of the Beast Review

David Ayer‘s Heart of the Beast starts with an evocative, thrilling first act, then turns into a white-knuckle survival adventure. It’s also a race-against-time thriller: Pitt’s character suffers a cardiac incident, making every moment critical. The result is a gripping, almost grueling experience for the audience, watching combat veterans trek 58 miles to safety, with no hope in sight.

Cameron Alexander wrote the script, and it is his first feature film—and a good one. Some comparisons will inevitably be made to a more visceral man-versus-the-wild movie, like Joe Carnahan’s The Grey or Sean Penn’s coming-of-age film Into the Wild. However, neither film has the emotional core that Alexander’s script builds here, which is riveting from start to finish.

Ayer and Alexander ensure that by grounding the survival tale in shared trauma, military service, and the enduring bond between James and Odin—a Hollywood tale as old as time: a man and his dog. Think White Fang, Where the Red Fern Grows, and more recent hits like Arthur the King. The difference here is that Odin is a veteran who carries his common wounds as well.

Is Heart of the Beast worth watching?

There is little emotional difference between James and Odin. Species, not experience, separate them, as the trauma they carry is strikingly alike, almost human. I would also argue this is hardly manipulative; the story wants to put the lovable, loyal pooch’s backstory on screen. Ayer and Pitt try to go beyond the symbol of loyalty and heroism in an exciting, gripping way.

The filmmakers build that bridge through flashbacks and an emotional letter narrated by the film’s star, bringing the film’s experience full circle. Pitt gives the film its emotional weight in a survival story that has mettle in its bones. The result is Heart of the Beast, a gripping and harrowing tale of resilience, heroism, and friendship.

You can watch Heart of the Beast exclusively in theaters starting September 25th!

Heart of the Beast Review: A Gripping and Harrowing Tale of Resilience, Heroism, and Friendship