In Dog, a traumatised veteran, Riley Rodriguez (Eric Urbiztondo), has died. His parents want the specially-trained dog that worked alongside him to take pride of place at his funeral. That means a 2,400 kilometre road trip with the canine – a Belgian Malinois named Lulu. But through eight tours and seven years on the front line, the animal has been left equally shell shocked.
The man chosen to make the journey is another combat veteran, Jackson Briggs (Channing Tatum). He has an acquired brain injury, for which he takes medication. Briggs is desperate to get back into the fray. But that needs a sign off by his commanding officer, Ranger Jones (Luke Forbes), but Jones is not willing to give it. That is until the job of transporting the volatile work dog comes up. Now the word is that if Briggs can successfully complete this task, the captain will seriously contemplate allowing him back in.
Lulu turns out be quite a handful, Briggs does a lot of chasing, trying to remain in control. Through the road trip, we get to learn more about Briggs, Lulu and Rodriguez. And, in spite of what Lulu puts Briggs through, a bond develops between the pair.
The film puts a great deal of onus on Tatum (who also co-directs alongside screenwriter Reid Carolin) to carry the movie … and he does. He’s easy to warm to, expressing humour and frustration, though I struggled to believe his character had brain damage.
Dog is a journey movie in which the outcome is all but a foregone conclusion, but it’s the episodes along the way that count. The film charts the highs and lows, both human and animal. Those scenes and the snippets of information that flow from them build the full picture.
Some of the scenery shot by Newton Thomas Sigel is striking. It is picture postcard stuff. Underpinning a generally light approach is the trauma of war and the devastation it brings. This is of course consequential for so many who serve, their loved ones and comrades. Still, Dog, which borrows from the likes of Turner and Hooch, has widespread appeal, pitched as it is to include large dollops of feel-good entertainment.
Alex First
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Alex First is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.