The Power of the Dog

Burbank, played by Benedict Cumberbatch in a devilishly nasty yet hypnotically appealing performance, is a character that hasn't appeared in a film since perhaps 2007, when There Will Be Blood and the oil-soaked Daniel Plainview, played by Daniel Day-Lewis, burst into cinemas. The Power of the Dog is a fascinatingly odd film, where you suspect every minute that something terrible is going to happen, and it usually does. Those who want a classic western, or even a modern western, go elsewhere. Those who want a dense, ruthless, ugly and dusty showcase of madness should wait for the right mood and put on Power of the Dog. (05/12/2021)

In this slow chamber drama in a cold autumnal setting, feelings are hardly spoken of and only simmer between the characters, supported by dramatic music that in places is reminiscent of that used in a thriller. Jane Campion again sits down at the piano and this time avoids all of the narrative clichés that occur to the viewer while watching. And with a careful psychological study of the characters, she transforms the film into a work of art that poses more questions than it answers. The Power of the Dog is interesting and distinctive, with the nature of a festival film. But it left me cold. Cumberbatch is brilliant. (09/12/2021)

Humble, beautifully filmed, full of dramatic scenery and subliminal tension, which is, however, quite forcefully injected by Johnny Greenwood's sometimes shallow underscore. Campion's script is unfocused and the plot, divided into fragments, doesn't create coherent dramatic tension, and in the end it kind of depends on the power of chance, and I therefore struggled with the point rather than lived it. The strongest motif is not the son's love for his mother or the misalignment of the two reclusive characters, but rather the relationship between the two brothers, which quietly fades from the plot after about half an hour, much like Jesse Plemons outplaying the rest of the cast. The result is a diet broth of There Will Be Blood and In Fabric. An elegant piece that barks but doesn't bite. (08/12/2021)

Initial Impressions: Benedict Cumberbatch proves yet again why he's a stellar actor with an incredible voice, the cinematography was a standout in the film, and it seems time hasn't been too kind to Kirsten Dunst. As for the official plot summary, it caught me off guard; Phil Burbank didn't strike me as cruel. Sure, he had that ability to make your eyes water and your nose hairs curl upon first meeting, capable of being downright unpleasant, but "cruel" might only be seen that way by the generation of snowflakes who start crying over an untied shoelace. The main hiccup of the film? It felt like it was missing a plot. It was an honest two-hour yawn with sporadic moments of brightness. The pacing crawled along, the storyline felt uneventful, and even Benedict Cumberbatch couldn't salvage it; he needed a solid script to work with. / Lesson learned: Sorry, but Phil just wasn't a villain in my eyes. (01/04/2024)

The Power of the Dog plays out a very interesting and engaging psychological game with the central characters in the first half. You are waiting and wishing for their frustrations to quietly simmer away and eventually explode violently. However, that is not going to happen; the second half pretty much pushes it all into a corner in such a predictable and unexciting way that you almost feel sorry for the promising beginning. In any case, Benedict Cumberbatch has convinced me that he is a great actor - if there is one reason to watch this movie, it is his performance. Plus, the movie has a very impressive score. (25/12/2021)