Review of The Power of the Dog (2021) by Theredsky — 14 Dec 2021

Definitely a very slow burn but an engaging and character driven slow burn which I love. The film doesn’t really have an overarching story but instead focuses on small character journeys instead. The main focus of this story is on Benedict Cumberbatch’s character with the other characters contributing to it without really having a major story of their own.

I would take a bigger issue with that if the performances from the supporting cast wasn’t great but they are. Jesse Plemmons and Kirsten Dunst give amazing performances. It’s fascinating seeing them contribute to Cumberbatch’s arc with both of them showing his character what love is even if Dunst’s character goes about it the wrong way.

Jodi Smit-McPhee gives a good performance as well but he’s usual overshadowed by Benedict Cumberbatch. Speaking of him, Cumberbatch gives the best performance in the entire film. His character goes through this arc of learning to be more open to others about who he is.

He mascaradas around as a tough cowboy but he isn’t like that at all on the inside. He has a more feminine side in him that he doesn’t want to come out but learns by the end that that’s okay. It’s a very compelling arc even if the story does it very slowly and subtly.

The writing and directing here are top notch. Jane Campion has a great eye for what she wants to show and her style for slow burns works great for a western. The music and cinematography are some of the best aspects of the film.

The film just looks and sounds absolutely beautiful and I loved how it looked. It’s amazing what you can show if you film a western on location. This is a film I would definitely recommend checking out when you can.

It’s a great performance piece for Benedict Cumberbatch.