“It was supposed to be a field.”
The level of defeat in Brad Pitts’s voice was palpable. In Heart of the Beast, 58 miles of rough terrain separates his character and salvation. Luckily, he is not alone. He is joined by his four-legged companion, a battle seasoned warrior named Odin. Actually, Odin was played by four German shepherds by the name of Uber and Uber’s three sons, Seeka, Ryker, and Honda. Uber served as the main dog, a retired search-and-rescue dog from New Zealand who handled standard scenes. Meanwhile, his sons, were used as stunt doubles and specialized doubles for specific tasks like swimming, running, or working at heights on wires. It takes a lot to steal the stage away for a top tier talent like Brad Pitt, but I feel comfortable saying that Uber and his sons were the undisputed heart of the film.
That is not to suggest Brad Pitt was a slouch in the movie. In fact, his performance was impeccable as retired Special Forces veteran James Belmont. James is quiet, tough, and deeply loyal. He is a classic lone-wolf type who says very little, relying instead on presence, quiet grit, and strong survival instincts. This is showcased in his only other interaction with another human, which was prickly to say the least. Even so, it was funny, and very telling about the character’s only true connection to the world and motivation. His core motivation was his undeniable blood-brother bond with his combat dog, Odin. Odin saved his life in the past, and James looks after the dog with immense tenderness, treating him as his truest companion and equal.
“I showed him war; in return he only showed me love.”
And despite not being the same species, the connection is not one-sided. Odin’s connection to James goes beyond standard companionship. He is fiercely devoted and operates under a baseline instinct to guard James at all costs, even willing to sacrifice himself in a heartbeat for James on more than one occasion. Their bond comes from shared trauma. Just like James, Odin carried the invisible wounds of war. He suffered from canine PTSD and experiences trauma from his past combat operations, yet he remains remarkably resilient under extreme stress.
“We’re just going to have to do this the hard way … We can still do this. We’ve been through worse.”
The pair’s journey is a grueling 58-mile trek across the Alaskan wilderness, which took both a physical and mental toll on Pitt’s character. Through his eyes we get to see what it takes to overcome adversity. His character is knocked down more than once and sustains some injuries that made me cringe more than once. But despite it all, his determination never wavered. What I really enjoyed was the matter-of-fact way that James got down to business. He didn’t waste time feeling sorry for himself. He essentially accepted things how they were and got right down to business without wining or self-deprecation. Slip and fall down the hill, get back up and keep pushing. Fall into water rapids and smack your head on some rocks, rub some dirt on it (not literally). That isn’t to say that the character didn’t also engage in some reckless endeavors that further complicated the journey. Some of the adversity could have been avoided, had James been willing to be a bit more patient and deviate from his route. He’d shown he was willing to do that a few times in the film, but only when it pertained to predators. Even so, watching the character get knocked down and immediately pick himself back up and keep at it was nothing short of uplifting.
Not to give away any vital story points, but when you’ve seen many movies of this similar variety, as I have, you come to suspect that not everyone is going to have a happy ending, i.e. not everyone is going to make it out alive. And with this movie, given its cast size, it’s a pretty short list of candidates. Also, you are given some foreshadowing very earlier on in the movie that makes it pretty clear who does and who doesn’t. However, that foreknowledge does not diminish the story’s quality in any way. I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish, even though I was very sure how it was going to end. The film holds true to the old adage, “it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey.”
I’m not sure if this film is going to get Pitt any award recognition, but it absolutely deserves some in my opinion. You needn’t look any further than his final monolog to see that. So do Uber and his offspring, but pretty sure there isn’t a category for that. Yet. Either way, Heart of the Beast delivered a very impactful story about overcoming adversity and the importance of connection, even if that connection was between a man and an animal. The film also marked the second collaboration between director David Ayer and actor J.K. Simmons, following Harsh Times. It is also the second collaboration between Ayer and actor Brad Pitt, following Fury. I would have loved to have seen more J.K. Simmons, because he is criminally underutilized in Hollywood in my opinion, but even with the limited time he had on screen, he made an impression, so I can’t complain.
