Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog has had a great run since it first premiered at the 78th Venice International Film Festival in September 2021. Nominated for 12 Oscars in total, The Power of the Dog ultimately won Best Director for Jane Campion, who made history in 2022 for being the first woman nominated twice for that particular Academy Award. Clearly, The Power of the Dog has enjoyed success at the popular and critical levels, with a Certified Fresh ranking on Rotten Tomatoes.
Set in 1925 Montana, The Power of the Dog follows wealthy ranch owners Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George Burbank (Jesse Plemons). Phil is a charismatic rancher who inspires fear and awe in those around him, but when George brings home a new wife, Rose (Kristen Dunst), and her son, Peter (Kodi Smit-Mhee), Phil torments them until he finds himself exposed to the possibility of love, while those around them struggle with their own demons.
The Power of the Dog got a limited theatrical release in different countries before arriving on Netflix on December 1, 2021, and it quickly garnered plenty of praise from critics. Currently, The Power of the Dog has a 93% score on The Power of the Dog are the story’s pace, Campion's direction, and the cast’s performances that project the story’s sense of melancholy and solitude. Here’s what some of the positive reviews of The Power of the Dog have to say:
“Cinematographer Ari Wegner captures the vistas of Campion’s native New Zealand, doubling as Montana, in lucid, breathtaking detail, while Jonny Greenwood continues his journey as a maverick composer, bookending the narrative with scuffed, low guitar notes and sorrowful strings. Cumberbatch is at his peak here. This is the first time that Campion has presented her filmmaking through a male perspective, and with all of Phil’s flaws and foul nature, the actor is completely engaging.”
EW:
“The dialogue is sparse and the scenery obscenely beautiful, the wide-open vistas of her native New Zealand standing in for circa-1925 Montana. Cumberbatch at first feels like he might have been miscast — too intrinsically British and cerebral for the cruel Marlboro Man swagger of his character. But as he and Smit-Mhee begin to circle one another, the odd thrumming chemistry between the actors clicks in in a way that feels almost inevitable.”
“Campion’s film is subtle, deeply layered in its approach to both men, their views of each other, and what it really means to be a masculine figure in society. To that end, The Power of the Dog provides a measured, profound analysis of its characters and subject matter.”
“With Smit-Mhee’s Pete, Campion bets on his immutable poker face; the young actor is terrifyingly remarkable. [...] A formidable Dunst, also making her grand re-entrance into cinema after a few years away, melts into the part of a woman weakened by harassment and driven to alcoholism. [...] Cumberbatch wrangles an earth-shattering performance, perhaps his best ever, with an excessive bravado that seems to consume Phil from within.”
“Although he’s playing a character who’s feared by everyone around him, Cumberbatch refrains from showy outbursts, opting instead to convey Phil’s rigid worldview through stiff posture, hateful words, and an intense, beady stare. Dunst hides Rose’s despair until she can’t anymore, fear and sadness tumbling out of her as she drunkenly stumbles barefoot across the ranch yard wearing nothing but a slip. [...] Smit-Mhee’s sensitive, scholarly Peter similarly contains turbulent inner depths, as we learn when a pet rabbit becomes a dissection model for the aspiring physician.”
Not all praise goes to the performances of the cast of The Power of the Dog – Ari Wegner’s cinematography has also been pointed out as one of the best elements of the movie and with good reason. The scenarios (in this case, those of New Zealand posing as Montana) are key in telling a Western story, and it’s no exception in The Power of the Dog, as they bring more power and also a sense of loneliness to the stories of Phil, Rose, Peter, and George. Although The Power of the Dog's cast delivers strong performances all around, some critics have highlighted the lack of screen time of Jesse Plemons’ George and Kirsten Dunst’s Rose as a weakness. Likewise, the pace of The Power of the Dog's final act (and the movie in general) received some critique for being too slow. For many, however, these factors weren't a problem at all. Here’s what some of the negative reviews of The Power of the Dog have to say:
“The core problem lies in the film’s largely lackluster story. Surely, this narrative could have been retooled to be more engaging. The Power of the Dog starts slow and never really picks up, in spite of its all-around promising cast and crew. Additionally, due to this, the film starts to come across as dull. It flutters back and forth over the line of boredom as it occasionally reignites the spectator’s attention”
“Frustratingly straightforward and shallow, it is the sort of film that requires the audience to bring a lot more insight and thought than the movie itself is willing to provide.”
“Frustratingly straightforward and shallow, it is the sort of film that requires the audience to bring a lot more insight and thought than the movie itself is willing to provide.”
It was always expected that some criticism would arise from Campion's distinct narrative style, Phil's secret sexuality (predictable or not), and the various ways in which The Power of the Dog subverts typical Western masculinity. However, the strengths of the movie clearly overshadow its minor flaws. The Power of the Dog has established itself as a very solid film at the critical and popular levels, even if it only won one of the 12 Oscars it was nominated for.
Did Jane Campion deserve her Best Director Oscar?
Of all the Academy Awards it was nominated for, it makes sense that The Power of the Dog's win ultimately came in the form of Jane Campion's Best Director Oscar. Every aspect of the film is well-executed, which includes the acting, writing, production and sound design, and editing for which The Power of the Dog was recognized in its 12 nominations. While the credit for these successes undoubtedly goes to all of the talented people who made them happen, the sum total of The Power of the Dog's meaning and resonance is largely due to Jane Campion's vision and her ability to direct the rest of the film's contributors towards achieving it. As such, it seems clear that her Academy Award for Best Director was well-deserved.
Was Power Of The Dog Robbed At The 2022 Oscars?
Given that The Power of the Dog was nominated for a whopping 12 Oscars but only won one, it's easy to wonder if the film was snubbed at the 2022 Academy Awards. Its ratio of nominations to victories is quite low, but it's also important to that very few films are nominated for so many categories in the first place. The Power of the Dog could very well have won more Oscars than it did. But, at the same time, it was up against many worthy competitors like CODA, King Richard, and Dune. Whether or not The Power of the Dog was robbed or victorious at the 2022 Oscars is therefore simply a matter of perspective. Regardless of how it fared during awards season, the film has certainly established itself as an excellent, enduring piece of cinematic art, which is ultimately more important and better for Campion's legacy than a golden trophy.
