The Power of the Dog

Rating

Director

Jane Campion

Screenplay

Jane Campion (Novel: Thomas Savage)

Length

2h 6m

Starring

Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Kirsten Dunst

MPAA Rating

R

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Review

At what point can one say that all the myths surrounding the western genre have been fully deconstructed? The Power of the Dog makes a case that such dissection is still possible, and the resultant effort can reveal fathomless depths of analysis that can dismantle the flawed fetishization of the American cowboy.

The folklore surrounding the wild American west developed long before cinema had adopted those lofty legends as one of its most popular historical genres in the traveling shows of frontier bravado embodied in Buffalo Bill’s mobile theatrical troop that focused on trick riding, shooting, and other daring acts that helped romanticize those ideas. In film, such exploits were depicted even in silent productions with one of the earliest examples being Edwin S. Porter’s seminal short film The Great Train Robbery. This developed into the cinematic western genre. While some examining of those myths occurred prior, Sam Peckinpah’s violent The Wild Bunch was one of the cornerstones of the movement to tear down the antiquated, and historically inaccurate, concepts of life in the American frontier.

Director Jane Campion, whose past efforts never seemed interested in breaking down those ideas, has put forth one of her most potent and contemplative films with this dismantling of the hyper-masculine cowboy persona, doing so through a feminist lens. It exposes more than just the toxicity of the archetype typified in the performances of actors like John Wayne and Gary Cooper at the height of the genre. Even after the genre has been analyzed, revised, and redefined for more than 50 years, figures like Wayne are still held up as examples of what it’s like to be a manly cowboy by too many and while a film like this won’t change their minds, perhaps it should.

Starring Benedict Cumberbatch as charismatic rancher Phil Burbank, who seldom carouses with his compatriots, employs a hulking bravado to stay at the top of the pecking order, even when he prefers to spend much of his time in isolation. He also never fails to remind his brother George (Jesse Plemons) of the mentorship that the late “Bronco” Henry provided them. He then turns vengeful when George falls for and marries widowed innkeeper Rose (Kirsten Dunst) who brings her effeminate son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee) with her. His harassment of Peter and Rose is subtle, but disconcerting, with Rose turning to the bottle for comfort and Peter seeming to take it in stride, putting up his own brave front to alleviate his mother’s concern.

The acting is beautiful. Cumberbatch plays his character with ambivalence, longing, and vulnerability. His hard-edged life a front for his feelings of loneliness in the wake of his mentor’s death. Smit-McPhee captures something different. He’s fully aware of his perceived homosexuality, but the taunts and barbs don’t seem to have the effect audiences would expect. His innate sense of self and determination to become a doctor override many of the baser instincts that Cumberbatch’s Phil occasionally exhibits. Campion captures the unusual interplay between the two as the power dynamic shifts with one becoming more unguarded and the other beginning employing his own dominance.

Some world class filmmakers don’t take every project that comes their way, nor do they push to produce content every year. Campion is one such director who came to broad attention with her 1993 Best Picture nominee The Piano, her third feature film. In the intervening 28 years, she’s directed four full feature films and two segments of other projects. Interestingly, The Power of the Dog is her third film that starts with “The P” and it’s just as magnificent as The Piano and a bit better than her stunning follow up to that film, The Portrait of a Lady.

The film not only subverts the concepts of masculinity enshrined in decades worth of western cinema, but asks the audience to challenge their own interpretations of strength and fragility. Not just in the core of the male ego, but in the destructive nature of that fostered environment on the human psyche, hardening those who could have lived a life of quiet potency, but instead have to hide who they were in an effort to avoid persecution. Campion’s film has numerous fascinating themes playing across its length and is tightly focused, flowing naturally through several acts, covering the span of two hours in what feels like significantly less time. Her masterful use of framing and composition make for a delightful viewing experience even if the nature of the story is a sometimes dark and contemplative one.

The Power of the Dog subtly demonstrates how all of the long-embedded myths of the American cowboy have become a pervasive and threatening influence on American society. The story, adapted by Campion from Thomas Savage’s novel, is a seemingly simple one, but the fathomless depths of its philosophical questions elevate the film to a height that few films can ever attain.

Oscar Prospects

Guarantees: Picture, Directing, Actor (Benedict Cumberbatch), Supporting Actor (Kodi Smit-McPhee), Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Film Editing, Cinematography
Probables: Supporting Actress (Kirsten Dunst)
Potentials: Supporting Actor (Jesse Plemons), Production Design, Costume Design
Unlikelies: Makeup & Hairstyling

Review Written

December 14, 2021