Heart of the Beast

A dog's stare does more acting in this movie than half the people I've watched on screen this year. Odin doesn't say a word, obviously, and he doesn't need to. Every emotion is right there in the eyes.

This is a survival story, sure, but what it's really about is family. Odin and James, that's the whole heart of it. That bond is the movie. It rocks.

A dog's stare does more acting in this movie than half the people I've watched on screen this year.

Brad Pitt as retired CSM James Belmont is incredible. Not showy, not winking at you, just a guy and his dog against everything. He sells it.

And J.K. Simmons. Look, I don't think the man has ever been in something where he wasn't a straight upgrade to the whole project. Same deal here. Every second he's on screen is a positive.

There are four actors credited in this thing and the dog is one of them. That tells you something about what kind of movie you're sitting down for, and I mean that as the highest compliment I can hand out.

One gripe, and only one: the ending. I'm not spoiling anything. I'll just say it's the piece that stuck with me, and it's going to keep sticking with me for a long time.

I went solo, I saw it in a theater, and the theater absolutely made it better. See it on the big screen if you can. This one's for everybody.