Review
Australia – Roadshow Film Distributors (UK release 24th February 2012)
Red Dog is based on the story by Louis de Bernières, itself based on the true story of a Kelpie (Australian sheep dog) who was immortalised by his travels throughout Western Australia’s Pilbara region. The film tells of how one little stray united the disparate, working-class rural communtity of Dampier. When a stranger to the town visits the miners’ pub the locals relate to him the significance of their beloved, superhero canine, and so for the most part his story is related to us in flashback.
Taken in intially by Dampier’s publican, Red Dog proves to be a masterless creature, providing abbreviated companionship to several of the men on the mine, as it suits him. That is until he meets American drifter John Grant (Josh Lucas), who begrudgingly intervenes one night when Red Dog comes up against danger. From then on the two are inseparable, only parting (briefly) so John can court Nancy (Rachael Taylor).
Anyone familiar with Hachi, Greyfriars Bobby or even Lassie will have an inkling as to where Kriv Stenders’ film is going – but they’ll know that they’ll probably enjoy it well enough too; it’s a hard heart that doesn’t respond to a man-and-his-dog romance.
It’s interesting to note that the story takes place in a rather unusual setting: rarely-if-ever have we seen this kind of community – men from all over the world working a deadly job in a nigh-on uninhabitable landscape – represented in film; it’s fascinating and beautiful.
However the other areas in which Red Dog stands out as original are much less successful – and in some cases plain bizarre. For instance, the film is at great pains to introduce almost every charcter with a flashy title credit that pauses the action of the movie – but there are so many characters that some are then basically never seen again. In fact, the plot takes so many quick direction changes that you often wonder which charatcers you’re supposed to be remembering for later and which to discard entirely. Further, and most pertinently, do the cartoonish CGI skuffles between Red Dog and his nemesis, Red Cat – and their subsequent friendship led by understanding of one another other – really add much?
And, much as it pains this dog-lover to say it – tough and resilient a little guy though he is – Red Dog isn’t particularly cute.
In the end Red Dog is a fairly inoffensive but sporadically charming version of a story you already know quite well.
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