The Power of the Dog (2021)

Benedict Cumberbatch is Phil Burbank and Jesse Plemons is George Burbank. They’re brothers running their family ranch in 1925 Montana.

Phil is top dog. He’s the man the cowboys follow. He’s the man who regals them with tales of Bronco Henry, the man who taught him how to cowboy.

And he frequently belittles his brother, who has a more gentle nature, nicknaming him “Fatso.”

When George marries local restaurant owner Rose Gordon (Kirsten Dunst), Phil acuses her of being a schemer out for his brother’s money.

Then he sets out to make it clear that she really isn’t welcome at the ranch. Ditto for her effeminate son Peter.

Then, suddenly, his attitude toward the young man changes. He begins making a rope for the lad and teaching him how to cowboy.

Having discovered, Phil’s secret, Peter realizes what’s happening. He’s being groomed. Just like Bronco Henry once groomed a young Phil Burbank.

Benedict Cumberbatch as Phil Burbank, encouraging Peter not to let his mother turn him into a sissy in The Power of the Dog (2021)

Jesse Plemons as George Burbank, feeling a whole lot less lonely after his marriage to Rose in The Power of the Dog (2021)

Review:

If you’re looking for an action-packed, old-style Western, look elsewhere. You won’t hear a gunshot over the course of this film’s two-hour runtime.

If you’re willing to invest those two hours in what’s been described as a dark psychological Western, then you could do way worse.

In fact, this film was a darling of critics, receiving 11 Academy Awards nominations, including for Best Picture, Best Director and acting nominations for all four leads.

Jane Campion wound up winning for Best Director.

Kirsten Dunst as Rose Gordon, unable to perform a piano piece because of Phil Burbank’s influence in The Power of the Dog (2021)

Kodi Smit-McPhee as Peter Gordon, surprised by Phil Burbank’s sudden interest in his welfare in The Power of the Dog (2021)

Directed by:
Jane Campion

Cast:
Benedict Cumberbatch … Phil Burbank
Jesse Plemons … George Burbank
Kodi Smit-McPhee … Peter Gordon
Kirsten Dunst … Rose Gordon
Keith Carradine … The governor
Alison Bruce … The governor’s wife
Frances Conroy … Old Lady
Peter Carroll … Old Gent
Thomasin McKenzie … Lola
Genevieve Lemon … Mrs. Lewis
Adam Beach … Edward Nappo

Runtime: 126 min.

Keith Carradine as the governor and Alison Bruce as the governor’s wife in The Power of the Dog (2021)

Thomasin McKenzie as Lola, a housekeeper making a gruesome discovery in Peter Gordon’s room in The Power of the Dog (2021)

Memorable lines:

Phil Burbank, trying to figure out what his brother is thinking: “You got a sore gut?”
George Burbank: “No.”
Phil: “You act like it pains you to hitch two words together.”

Phil Burbank, when he senses George’s interest in Rose: “If it’s a piece of ass you’re after, Fatso, I’m damn sure you can get it without a license.”

George Burbank, when he suggests Phil wash up for a dinner with dignitaries, only to learn he doesn’t even plan to attend: “And what will I say? The old lady wants to see you too. She’s come a long way.”
Phil Burbank: “You tell them the truth. That I stink. And I like it.”

Peter Gordon, balking a Rose’s direction that he kill rabbits for dissection outside the home: “Where would a man be if he listened to his mom all the time?”

Phil Burbank to Peter, urging him to climb onto Bronco Henry’s old saddle: “You gotta any boots? You should wear ’em. Don’t let your mom make a sissy of ya.”

Jesse Plemons as Peter Gordon, encouraging his brother to get treatment for an infected injury in The Power of the Dog (2021)

Kirsten Dunst as Rose Gordon, concerned over the interest Phil Burbank has taken in her son in The Power of the Dog (2021)

Kodi Smit-McPhee as Peter Gordon, handling a saddle connected to late great cowboy Bronco Henry in The Power of the Dog (2021)

Benedict Cumberbatch as Phil Burbank, taking a sudden interest in Peter Gordon in The Power of the Dog (2021)