'The Power of the Dog' - Quickie

In King James’ Bible, Psalm 22:20 reads, “Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog”; a verse that can simply be interpreted as denoting the ultimate victory of the underdog. After an eleven year hiatus, Jane Campion has returned with 'The Power of the Dog'. Based on a 1967 Thomas Savage novel by the same name, 'The Power of the Dog' appears to be a Western, full of rugged vistas and melancholic gray skies, but it's more like a compact psychological thriller playing out on an epic canvas full of secrets and surprises that slowly reveal themselves.

The film begins with a cattle drive where the audience is introduced to Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his brother George (Jesse Plemons). Phil is portrayed as a recluse, at one with the land and all its living creatures, whether he's riding a horse, leading the cattle drive, or bathing in a muddy river. However, he's also a sadistic monster whose behavior and mannerisms are fascinatingly devoid of any respect or flattery. George, on the other hand, is opposite in every respect: gentlemanly, polite, neatly dressed, etc. The two run a ranch together and get along fine for the most part, with George genially absorbing every casual insult, like "fatso," that Phil throws his way.

But everything changes one evening when they're traveling with their men and stop for dinner at an inn. They're served by the owner, Rose Gordon (Kirsten Dunst) and her son, Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee). As they're being waited on, Phil sneers at the intricately cut paper flowers decorating the table, which Peter made, and then mocks the boy's neat and precise manners. Rose is devastated by Phil's humiliating attack on her son, and George, who knows all too well how cruel his brother can be, is there to comfort her. They soon fall in love and marry.

George proves a considerate and generous husband, even paying for Peter to attend medical school. But he's unable to protect his new wife from the wrath of his brother. When Rose moves onto the ranch, Phil dismisses her as a gold digger and launches a vicious campaign of psychological abuse, driving Rose into depression and alcoholism.

Interestingly enough, 'The Power of the Dog' succeeds the most in these darker moments. It is worth noting that nothing overtly terrible happens, but the emotional violence that Phil inflicts on everyone in his midst is brutal to watch. Few performers can break your heart like Dunst, whose face becomes a landscape of pain as all Rose's initial happiness drains away; Plemons is sympathetic as the decent but ultimately milquetoast George; Cumberbatch carries a ferocity and anger that plays well with his unpredictability; lastly Smit-McPhee, who although physically appearing sensitive and delicate, possesses a strong sense of disconcertedness. Not to mention the active and ominous score from Johnny Greenwood, whose work is also seen in Paul Thomas Anderson's 'There Will Be Blood' and 'Phantom Thread', as well as the beautiful and vast cinematography from Ari Wegner that further lulls the viewer into the film's trance.

By the end of it, 'The Power of the Dog' left me speechless, half because of just how hard it was to come back to real life after it ended and half because it took me awhile to figure what it was trying to say. It is the type of film where it all pieces itself together in the end and then leaves you thinking about it for days on end. Presently, I still have not stopped thinking about it and that truly speaks to just how great this film is. I have been trying to pinpoint why I felt so tense watching this movie because it's hard to place a finger on what exactly the film is doing to you, but the central theme I walked away with for this movie is protection. Everyone in the film is trying really hard to protect something of theirs whether it be their power, their loved ones, their sanity, or even their lives. To protect these things requires a sense of predation that is lurking quietly underneath every scene in the film, which is a storytelling technique that fully draws the viewer into its setting and story. Campion utilizes her fragility in attention to detail, amazing performances, and a great sense of humor to make it truly unsettling.

Overall, the less that is said about the film's narrative structure the better it will be for an initial viewing. If you are looking to fully immerse yourself into a setting and its characters then look no further than 'The Power of the Dog'. Feel free to let me know if you watch it and share your thoughts on how it left you.