Heart of the Beast
Brad Pitt trudges across The Last Frontier with his trusty Alsatian suffering from PTSD.
Faked Alaska: Brad Pitt and Odin
Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
by JAMES CAMERON-WILSON
It’s reassuring that there are still spaces like Alaska left in the world, untouched by retail parks and data factories. For much of the running time of Heart of the Beast, the snowy peaks and virgin woodland are enough to beguile the eye as Brad Pitt and his canine companion traverse the mountainside and waterways of the 49th state. Thanks to a chance encounter with a fellow woodsman (the wonderful J.K. Simmons) and some flashbacks of active duty, we learn that Brad Pitt is an ex-serviceman called James and that his dog Odin lost a leg and some teeth under fire.
James Belmont and Odin enjoy a close bond and have decided to put memories of the inhumanity of war behind them, instead confronting the unforgiving extremes of Nature. Pretty much every natural fate one might expect befalls them – all of which are crammed into the trailer – although this is essentially a melancholy, contemplative drama about the Great Outdoors and the healing power of man and beast. PTSD still haunts poor Odin – the film is dedicated to combat dogs and the thousands of service members whose lives that they have saved – and this trek is some kind of gift to the Alsatian (or German Shepherd, if you prefer).
Magnificently crafted by a superlative production team and filmed in the spectacular scenery of New Zealand (perhaps Alaska is already overrun by data factories), this is obviously a labour of love, produced by Brad himself who is barely off camera for a second. However, it’s a tough call for an actor to hold the screen all on his own, even with a very handsome dog in tow, and for a while the minutiae of James starting a fire and setting up camp is mildly diverting, but then it becomes one damned thing after another –with no discernible narrative trajectory.
There are some well-filmed sequences of jeopardy, but also long stretches of ennui, and I found myself daydreaming about other movies that did this thing better, such as Man in the Wilderness with Richard Harris, Jeremiah Johnson with Robert Redford and The Revenant with Leonardo DiCpario. At least Heart of the Beast is better than The Grey, with Liam Neeson, which also featured an Alaskan plane crash, wolves and freezing weather. It’s also a step up for the director David Ayer, whose last two films, The Beekeeper and A Working Man, both starring Jason Statham, were risible.
Cast: Brad Pitt, J.K. Simmons, Anna Lambe.
Dir David Ayer, Pro David Ayer, Olivia Hamilton, Brad Pitt, Marty Bowen, Richard Raymond and Nick Satriano, Ex Pro Damien Chazelle, Screenplay Cameron Alexander, Ph Mauro Fiore, Pro Des Greg Berry, Ed Dody Dorn, Music Jared Michael Fry, Costumes Amanda Neale, Sound Laurent Kossayan.
Wild Chickens Productions/Temple Hill Entertainment/Kino World-Paramount Pictures.
101 mins. USA. 2026. UK Rel: 23 September 2026. US Rel: 25 September 2026. Cert. 12A.
