As anyone with a dog or dogs as your fur babies, you keenly know this fact. They are not called our best friends out of a vacuum. That title has been a millennium in the making. Our collective BFFs are shown in a wholly different light in Dog, adding even more heartstrings to pull throughout the picture. Channing Tatum stars as an Army Ranger who is charged with taking a hero dog named Lulu from Montana to Arizona for his handler’s family funeral.
The Gold Star Family made the request not knowing that Lulu has not been doing well—behaviorally and mentally, some would argue that those are connected. Tatum, we learn, was extremely close with the deceased and was immediately aware of how special Lulu was to the Army Rangers. She earned a Purple Heart and saved the lives of hundreds of soldiers, from sniffing out bombs, to attacking those who wish our troops harm.
Then, there’s the emotional connection she had with everyone because when they weren’t fighting, she was a cuddle beast who was as loving as she was fierce.
The thing is, like Briggs, she has PTSD, and it is completely unpredictable what will set her off. She even bit Briggs early in our story, further making this road trip feel like an assignment that is over and above.
Thing is, Tatum’s soldier has suffered head trauma and can’t be put back on active duty again without a doctor’s approval—which after three years of hard work, he has but his Captain had been standing in the way because he knows deep down that everything is not alright with Briggs. We know it, and we just met the guy.
The deal is, Captain will call those who need to be called about getting Briggs back in if he takes Lulu to his owner/companion/handler Riley’s (Eric Urbiztondo) funeral in the desert of Arizona. Cue 1984 Bronco door closing and a muzzled dog in a travel crate is in the back as they hit the road.
If there’s a longing sense that permeates the film and drives its narrative, it is no coincidence. Tatum was inspired by the loss of his dog three years ago. He makes his directorial debut with the film and knowing that his recently lost pup is the film’s inspiration makes it all the more resonant and most importantly, emotionally effective—and we mean that in the best of ways.
When an actor decides they want to direct and actively pursue a project to do just that, there has to be a connection between the material and the aspiring filmmaker. This is especially true if the helmer is making their directing debut and they are starring in the movie—essentially in every single scene. Tatum’s love letter to dogs ramps it up by adding the military aspect to a “movie about dogs” that he was seeking to make.
After hearing about what Lulu did and achieved in Afghanistan and Iraq on multiple tours, and what she meant to the men and women of her unit, coupled with all of the emotional doggie baggage that we all innately possess… it all adds up to a highly emotive Dog experience. It is now further elevated because this dog is a national hero. We pull for her to get better. We sincerely hope that she and Briggs can become the best of friends so she can avoid the fate that awaits her at the White Sands base.
Witnessing the budding relationship between Briggs and Lulu is beyond touching. It speaks volumes to the work that still needs to be done to adequately welcome home our returning war veterans from America’s longest war. Both human and canine.
They must know they are not forgotten, and films such as this one also serve as an enormous reminder that millions of our warriors need our help. One of the things that have been known to help is pet companionship. Lulu and Briggs find their way again after years apart and knowing each other in a completely different situation in rural Montana, so it’s rather stressful for Lulu.
Tatum co-directed with Reid Carolin (who penned the script), who also is making his directorial debut. He and Tatum worked together brilliantly when the latter was a writer on the Magic Mike movies and producer of several other of the actor’s projects—from White House Down to 22 Jump Street.
Their artistic connection behind the camera has produced a tale in Dog that will go down as one of the great animal-centric movies we’ve seen. Now, narrow that list further to films about humans and dogs, specifically, and it firmly belongs on alongside Hachiko: A Dog’s Story, Lady and the Tramp, Turner & Hooch, Marley & Me, and Alpha. Haven’t seen that last one? Read about it here as it is one to treasure about a fictionalized telling of how dogs and humans first connected.
Dog mainly Tatum and Lulu on a road trip, but Briggs encounters some folks during the drive that adds layers to Tatum’s character. Each elevates Dog with their work, such as the pot farmers in Oregon played by Kevin Nash (Magic Mike XXL, John Wick) and Jane Adams (Happiness, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), Bill Burr’s lawman, and there’s a special moment—that’s borne of a terrible one—that Tatum shares with Junes Zahdi (who plays Dr. Junaid). Zahdi has the smallest of parts, but it couldn’t be more important to the story itself.
Dog is the feel-good film that we’ve been waiting for since Covid turned the earth upside down. It’s not that there haven’t been any feel-good films in the last 24 months that were worthy. Given everything the world has gone through since March of 2020, there cannot be enough! Tatum and Carolin’s directorial debut is something truly special.
The cinematography by Newton Thomas Sigel takes a beautiful country and makes it even more stunningly gorgeous. It also puts us in the passenger seat next to Briggs for that sensational view. Sigel doesn’t simply impress with his capturing of innate American beauty with his lens, but the way he and the co-directors collaborated on setting up the framing of their shots.
For example, there’s one that is permanently stamped in our brain: Tatum laying back on his Bronco’s hood while Lulu patiently sits next to him as they stare off at the Pacific Ocean that is crashing into the myriad of rock formations that dot the beach.
Come for the relationship between Lulu and Briggs and stay for the film that encapsulates beauty on a multitude of other levels as well.
Grade: A