Dog is a misguided movie. A simple narrative about a man escorting a dog to her owner's funeral is muddled by a blasé approach to understanding the impact war has on the film's lead and the Belgian Malinois military working dog he is accompanying. Both have been trained to hunt, harm, and kill humans, wielded by the U.S. Army as weapons in the name of freedom and it is disturbing how casual the film is about the cruelty of it all.
Briggs (Channing Tatum), a former Army Ranger, is a very typical representation of a vet who remains loyal to the army and is oddly irreverent about killing people, which he describes as being badass. Dog is by no means the typical pro-military propaganda that is so prevalent in Hollywood, but it is just so callously casual about the awfulness of the American army.
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Technically, Dog is well made. Co-directed by Tatum and Reid Carolin, Dog looks great. Tatum certainly has a path behind the camera, especially since he doesn't quite have that spark that made him so magnetic in Step Up or so decidedly alluring in Magic Mike. His performance here fluctuates between okay to unwatchable. There are plenty of feel-good romps about humans and their animal companions, enough to fill an Olympic-sized pool, but Dog stands out for how unintentionally toxic it is. Sure, the overly sentimental, preachy flicks that aim to steer the audience away from being critical of war are just as bad, but Dog is decidedly uncomfortable because it is tactless and dismissive.
In one scene, Lulu (or Dog, as Briggs calls her) spots a man dressed in garb traditionally worn by Muslim men. She immediately attacks him as this is what she is trained to do. The scene is sandwiched between a gag about Briggs pretending to be a blind vet to get a free hotel room, and it's followed up by an uncomfortable sequence after his arrest. Briggs is first confronted with a police officer, who pulls out his high and mighty card when accusing Briggs of committing a hate crime against a Muslim man. Never mind the fact that — to fool Briggs — he uses a derogatory term so casually. Not long after, Briggs, seemingly sorry about the misunderstanding, is let go. In no way is Briggs humbled by the experience, nor is he confronted by the man who is attacked.
Briggs, who, several scenes earlier, bragged about killing people while on tour, never honestly assesses just how bad this incident is or what it represents. The film just chugs along to other insensitive portrayals and half-hearted sentiments. There are several issues layered one on top of the other, beginning with Briggs’ inability to provide for his family and find suitable work after a head injury. There is the added layer of Lulu’s trauma and the sudden death of her owner. However, the film is unable to balance these issues or critically evaluate them. There is PTSD, TBI, post-discharge financial instability, suicidal ideation, homelessness, and of course, the cultural and societal impact of America’s war with the Middle East.
Dog struggles to be a goofy road trip between a human and a dog that are a lot alike or a commentary of the state of the military. It tries to be a bit of both while maintaining its family-friendly road trip narrative, but no sentimental wooing is capable of overcoming its flaws. The tonal imbalance and the mismanaged themes make for an extremely uncomfortable watch. However, Dog might find an audience, one that is not so bothered by the lack of depth, and who will tolerate the surface-level insight into the issues it barely touches upon.
Dog opens in theaters on the evening of Thursday, February 17. The film is 101 minutes long and is rated PG-13 for language, thematic elements, drug content and some suggestive material.
