The Power of the Dog | Rotten Tomatoes (original) (raw)
Critics Consensus
Brought to life by a stellar ensemble led by Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog reaffirms writer-director Jane Campion as one of her generation's finest filmmakers.
Audience Says
If you're ready to saddle up for a slow ride, The Power of the Dog's great acting and interesting ideas make the journey worthwhile.
Christina Newland iNews.co.uk A chewy drama about family dynamics, sexuality and ego featuring two brothers on a ranch in Montana in 1925. Rated: 5/5 Sep 23, 2024 Full Review Brandon Taylor The New Yorker Campion’s new Western shares a visual vocabulary with Brokeback Mountain, but what looks like an unlikely love story turns out to be a tale of revenge. Mar 27, 2023 Full Review Jourdain Searles Bitch Media A brutal meditation on masculinity. Apr 1, 2022 Full Review Diana Tuova Spotlight on Film The Power of the Dog is a film of uncanny beauty and subtle power, whose biggest asset is the curious interplay of contrasts of all kinds: physical power vs. powers of intellect, innocence vs. corruption, honesty vs. hypocrisy, and love vs. hate. Rated: 4.5/5 Jul 18, 2024 Full Review Sarah Vincent Sarah G Vincent Views Not since Lady Macbeth (2016) has a film shifted power dynamics by exploring gender, class, and sexuality in each scene. Jun 10, 2024 Full Review Dave Giannini InSession Film Much has already been said about Jane Campion's western masterpiece, and for good reason. It is indeed truly great. Benedict Cumberbatch gives a career best performance. Feb 24, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews
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The Power of the Dog: Trailer 1 The Power of the Dog: Trailer 1 2:06 The Power of the Dog: Teaser Trailer The Power of the Dog: Teaser Trailer 1:05 View more videos
Synopsis Severe, pale-eyed, handsome, Phil Burbank is brutally beguiling. All of Phil's romance, power and fragility is trapped in the past and in the land: He can castrate a bull calf with two swift slashes of his knife; he swims naked in the river, smearing his body with mud. He is a cowboy as raw as his hides. The year is 1925. The Burbank brothers are wealthy ranchers in Montana. At the Red Mill restaurant on their way to market, the brothers meet Rose, the widowed proprietress, and her impressionable son Peter. Phil behaves so cruelly he drives them both to tears, reveling in their hurt and rousing his fellow cowhands to laughter -- all except his brother George, who comforts Rose then returns to marry her. As Phil swings between fury and cunning, his taunting of Rose takes an eerie form -- he hovers at the edges of her vision, whistling a tune she can no longer play. His mockery of her son is more overt, amplified by the cheering of Phil's cowhand disciples. Then Phil appears to take the boy under his wing. Is this latest gesture a softening that leaves Phil exposed, or a plot twisting further into menace?
Director
Jane Campion
Producer
Jane Campion, Iain Canning, Roger Frappier, Tanya Seghatchian, Emile Sherman
Screenwriter
Jane Campion
Distributor
Netflix
Production Co
New Zealand Film Commission, BBC Films, See-Saw Films, Max Films International, Brightstar Films, Cross City Films
Rating
R (Full Nudity|Brief Sexual Content)
Genre
Western, Drama, Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 17, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 1, 2021
Runtime
2h 8m
Sound Mix
Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Digital 2.39:1