"Dog" Movie Review - Channing Tatum's Life-Affirming Directorial Debut
Former paratrooper Jackson Briggs and a working dog discover new sides of themselves on an unusual journey.
Channing Tatum hasn't appeared in a movie since 2017, with the release of the crime comedy Logan's Luck. The former dancer and star of the already full-fledged Magic Mike trilogy, for the most part, was distinguished by the choice of standard roles, managed to appear in cameo positions with Tarantino and the Coens, gave out unexpectedly serious work in Bennett Miller's Foxcatcher.
He had a couple of failures (especially the "Jupiter Ascending" of the Wachowski sisters stands out), but in general he regularly maintained his reputation as one of the main Hollywood men. He decided to return to the screens with a banal, but in some ways very timely story about the “smaller brothers” and for the first time stood on the other side of the camera, sharing directing duties with Magic Mike co-author Reed Carolin.
The film itself is a fairly typical and non-biting road movie, where the comedic attempts of the two title characters to establish communication, manifestations of post-traumatic stress disorder, Briggs pretending to be a blind veteran for a free hotel room, and other funny and touching situations fit in. Tatum and Carolyn act cautiously, not relying on dramatic heights and winning at the expense of modest ambitions.
In the original, the tape is called Dog - probably continuing the glorious traditions of last year's and just as monosyllabically named "Pigs" with Nicolas Cage. Who exactly is the dog here, the authors argue throughout the film, focusing on Briggs' military past, as well as his complete loss in life and among the abstruse, as it seems to him, woke terms in an ordinary roadside bar. A one night stand attempt turns into a yoga session interrupted by an aggressive Lulu locked in a car. As time passes, Briggs realizes that he himself is locked up in the same way, and only a dog with sensitive ears due to service will allow him to get out to real freedom.
Around the third act, the film effectively turns to the idea of the mercilessness of wars: a drug-addicted ex-soldier steals everything from Briggs' car, Lulu goes to look for him, finding him in a den under the bridge. He could not embark on the path of recovery - he did not have the same Lulu or at least some support. Except for this episode, the directors do not decide to move deep into the controversy, but even the remaining timing is directed to a compassionate channel.
Tatum gives out a strong, but not particularly remarkable image of a war-chewed man, but all acting bread is rightfully taken away from him by three Belgian shepherd dogs at once, who played Lulu with genuine grief for the deceased owner, compassion and revival. Comedian Bill Burr appears in a tiny role as a police officer, testing the strength of the hero Tatum.
With Lulu and Briggs, their recognizable plot, dialogues and animal therapy, it is possible to escape from reality, constantly returning to it. A furry and faithful creature, whose love and affection took so long to achieve, ultimately should not die at all. And the film benefits greatly by moving away from the usual structure of animal films and providing a happy ending story (it has to be somewhere).
This article was sponsored by Dina Murphy
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