Heart of the Beast is a different kind of animal, pun intended. David Ayers and Brad Pitt have teamed up to give audiences something heartfelt, humane, and hopeful from the ashes of armed combat. With only a canine companion on screen for most of the running time alongside him, Heart of the Beast was always going to find inventive drama difficult. The biggest surprise for audiences will be how easy Brad Pitt makes it look in this outward-bound Alaskan misadventure.
David Ayers might touch on the plight of ex-army canines and their sacrifice under fire, but this film rarely dwells on anything that might emotionally manipulate. Heart of the Beast succeeds because of Brad Pitt’s easy chemistry with that four-legged friend, alongside an Alaskan landscape that plays as big a part as anything else.
Mountainous crags offer up unforgiving obstacles for this duo to traverse, filled with hidden dangers set to test them on their journey home. J.K Simmons might contribute a memorable cameo to mix things up, but Heart of the Beast still revolves around Brad Pitt’s star power. A fact that David Ayers exploits to the max while his friend and bonafide film star cranks up his charisma to ten.
Image Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
After Fury, that clearly cemented their working relationship, this feels like an easy collaboration despite the wringer Ayers puts his actor through. Overcoming adversity and dealing with the aftermath of war are well worn paths, yet Heart of the Beast manages to find something fresh. Alaskan landscapes aside, this feels like an old-fashioned Sunday matinee classic in the making.
There are no pyrotechnics, no need for overly elaborate set pieces, and only a reliance on relatable human emotions to carry audiences through. To call Heart of the Beast a breath of fresh air is an understatement in a culture defined by superhero saturation. Somewhere along the way Hollywood lost sight of what gets audiences back into cinemas, but finally there is a film out there with an answer.
It might sound like hyperbole, but this film will likely go under the radar of audiences unwilling to commit. David Ayers is ex-military and has an inherently humane understanding of warfare that consistently comes through his films. Heart of the Beast continues that trend with subtlety even in flashback sequences under fire. Giving it an authenticity without the theatrics of other Hollywood interpretations.
There might be a heart wrenching twist in the tail that will blindside audiences, but Ayers still carries that off without resorting to anything obvious. Relying on all the emotional groundwork that has been laid down to offer audiences a resolution which feels honest despite the exaggerated circumstances. A rare trick worth witnessing if only for the aftermath that continues to linger after the credits roll.
Heart of the Beast in UK cinemas now.