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The Power of the Dog

Play trailer 2:06 Poster for The Power of the Dog R 2021 2h 8m Western Drama Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
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94% Tomatometer 366 Reviews 76% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Verified Ratings
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?
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The Power of the Dog

The Power of the Dog

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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.

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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.

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Critics Reviews

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Christina Newland iNews.co.uk 09/23/2024
5/5
A chewy drama about family dynamics, sexuality and ego featuring two brothers on a ranch in Montana in 1925. Go to Full Review Brandon Taylor The New Yorker 03/27/2023
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. Go to Full Review Jourdain Searles Bitch Media 04/01/2022
A brutal meditation on masculinity. Go to Full Review Maxance Vincent Film Speak Jul 13
D
What starts as a rather interesting deconstruction of Western stereotypes quickly turns into something else entirely and, as a result, The Power of the Dog doesn’t necessarily soar. Go to Full Review Julian Singleton Cinapse Jul 12
The Power of the Dog is a psychologically explosive film of beautiful and deliberate measure, one that traverses an emotional landscape as vast and mysterious as the jagged terrain the characters inhabit. Go to Full Review Diana Tuova Spotlight on Film 07/18/2024
4.5/5
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. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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David L 03/27/2022 I HATED EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS MOVIE. THE SET LOOKED NOTHNG LIKE MONTANA, THE DIRECTOR WAS WAY OFF ON SO MANY COUNTS LIKE SNOW ON THE GROUND AND A WOMAN IN THE FLIMSIEST OF DRESSES. See more Brooklyn Bill 03/27/2022 Beginning of film dragged. By the end it was engaging with a great twist. See more Alba 03/23/2022 Its a film meant to be seen on the big screen. Im so glad I made the time. See more Warrene W 03/21/2022 Hands down the best movie of the past year. Everything is nuanced and the performances are all Oscar worthy. This is a movie about toxic masculinity and repression and its psychological effects. It is also a story about family loyalty and how it eventuality manifests itself - stick with it! Anyone posting a review before they have watched this powerful movie to the end is doing it a gave disservice. See more Jerry 03/21/2022 The actors were good. Didn't like the story line. See more Liz 03/18/2022 Authentic and realistic storyline See more Read all reviews
The Power of the Dog

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Cast & Crew

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Jane Campion

Director

Benedict Cumberbatch

Phil Burbank

Kirsten Dunst

Rose

Jesse Plemons

George Burbank

Kodi Smit-McPhee

Peter

Thomasin McKenzie

Lola

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The Power of the Dog

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The Power of the Dog

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Movie Info

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
Max Films International, Brightstar Films, New Zealand Film Commission, BBC Films, See-Saw 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
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