Guest reviewer Rabz has a review of The Power of the Dog, nominated for a whopping 12 Oscars!
The main draw to The Power Of The Dog for me was the persistent clamouring of praise for the performance of Benedict Cumberbatch. I hadn’t in fact been wholly over familiar with the work of director Jane Campion apart from her 2003 movie In The Cut so I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, but left pleasantly impressed by not just how good this movie was but also by the confirmation of the fact that Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance here was just as good as I’d read it was.
The Power of the Dog is an exceptionally slow burn in the art of building unsettling tension. The movie itself flourishes in so many aspects with excellent acting, beautifully atmospheric cinematography by Ari Wegner, matched to a great story. The creeping tension and unsettling feeling of not knowing what to expect from certain characters is there for the entire movie and in terms of character study, it’s potentially up there as one of strongest movies of 2021. Thematically it’s quite heavy but in the right way, dealing with many different underlying issues, mainly the downfalls of toxic masculinity, homophobia, insecurity, revenge, jealousy and alcoholism just to name but a few.
Another facet of movie that I enjoyed is how it attempts to confuse our feelings to specific characters whose intentions seem ambiguous at times. For all intents and purposes, some characters are portrayed as having ill intentions and some with good intentions, but the unsettling tone of the movie really suggests we are never quite sure if that’s true.
Performances are all excellent with good showings by movie and real life couple Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst, along with an excellent turn by Kodi Smit-McPhee. It’s Cumberbatch’s movie though as he gives potentially a career best performance and surely one that will put him in contention for his first Oscar win for best actor.
A movie recommended for those who enjoy slow burning psychological dramas.
Rabz is a blogger, movie reviewer, and podcaster, find more on instagram at rabz_reel_reviews!