The Power of the Dog Movie Information

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Movie Information

Overall Rank: 5203

Average Rating: 2.7/4

# of Ratings: 17

Theatrical Release Date: 12/01/2021

Blu-ray/DVD Release Date: 11/08/2022

Language: English

Genre: Drama, Western

MPAA Rating: R

Director: Jane Campion

Actors: Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, Kirsten Dunst, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Thomasin McKenzie, Frances Conroy

Plot: Phil Burbank is a cruel, tough cowboy - who finds delight in making life hard for everyone around him. When his brother marries a widowed woman with a soft son, he reserves his cruelty for them. As things begin to break down, he slowly opens up to the boy - but how can he extend a helping hand when it is mercilessly pressing down? -- Chris Kavan

Indyfreak - wrote on 12/20/2021

Well acted western drama. Not much happening until a few plot twists happen. The ending is kind of interesting for how it flips the characters' actual personalities on the audience. It's just very slow paced and dry for most of its running time.

Logan D. McCoy - wrote on 12/03/2021

Slow but steady, "The Power of the Dog" is a slow-burner of subtle intensity with an ending that makes its glacial pacing worth the wait.

Chris Kavan
Movie God

Don't Be Cruel

Chris Kavan - wrote on 12/23/2021

Jane Campion returns to the director's chair after a long hiatus and delivers a powerful western-drama led by Benedict Cumberbatch at the top of his game, along with some excellent support from Jesse Plemons, Kirsten Dunst and Kodi Smit-McPhee.

Cumberbatch portrays Phil Burbank, a cruel, hard and calculating man who seems to delight in making life miserable for everyone around him - from his brother George (Plemons) who he unceasingly calls fatso, to Rose Gordon (Dunst), a hotelier who George falls in love with and who he assumes is only in the relationship for the money. After a disastrous dinner with their parents (cameos from Peter Carroll and Frances Conroy) along with the governor and his wife (Keith Carradine and Alice Bruce), Rose turns to drinking to deal with Phil's subtle …

Matthew Brady
Movie God

*whistles menacingly*

Matthew Brady - wrote on 09/15/2021

“I want to say how nice it is not to be alone.”

‘The Power of the Dog’ is a triumph return for director Jane Campion after a 12-year absence from cinema. The movies pace is steady and patient, so some people will take issue with that and find the movie too slow and uneventful, but for me, I was never bored by it. Instead, I was captivated by its eeriness and complexity. It’s a movie that never explains itself and nothing is articulated, but you can pinpoint the long-troubled history just from reading the characters faces and actions.

This is one of Benedict Cumberbatch’s best performance of his career and it’s my favourite role from him. He plays Phil Burbank, a repulsive and cruel human being, who deep down has this boiling rage inside of him that he unleashes by …