DogMan

Dogs have only one flaw: they trust people! Nice surprise at the end of the year from the mischief maker Luc Besson! Although Besson's best era is behind him (he was on top of the game in the 90s), none of his films has offended me yet, and they are always entertaining action-packed popcorn stuff, except for Valerian. Dogman, however, doesn’t have his typical signature, it's not about action sequences, it's more of a psychological thriller mixed with drama, evoking Joker, but it's damn good and it captivates you from the beginning and spits you out at the end. The main star is the rather unknown Caleb Landry Jones, I've seen him a few times, but he never really stuck in my memory. But, believe me, after this movie, you won't forget him. He delivers a performance worthy of an Oscar (for me, it's the best acting scene I've seen this year), from facial expressions, emotions, speech, and dialogues, it was great. The main character is a lonely guy living with a bunch of dogs with whom he is perfectly connected (their connection, where dogs react to the hero's thoughts was impressive) and the world and society have turned their backs on him. The flashbacks from childhood are like from the craziest exploitation films. His father is a pure monster driven by hatred, violence, and evil. It can be unpleasant for weaker characters, it's raw to the core! The protagonist tries to live peacefully, but he is occasionally disturbed by uninvited guests who don't end well. It is interesting that he is also transgender, but it has a seductive reason to justify the story (it's not forced to meet quotas, but it's really an interesting element that creates the protagonist’s personality and character). Besides the excellent acting, the nice visuals, and the great atmosphere, I must praise the brilliantly written dialogues. Really, every dialogue is a reflection on life, what the protagonist says is fantastic (next time I'll take a piece of paper and write everything down!), and the action-packed finale is also goood, featuring a showdown with a Mexican cartel vs intelligent badass dogs. It's a fun and playfully shot brawl (don't expect much gore). I commend that no dog is harmed, which is surprising given the premise. A very good film, which is not far from 5 stars, but I may reconsider after watching it again. 85% (18.12.2023)

Douglas has hit rock bottom more than once in his life. It's no wonder he abandoned people and became friends with dogs. And they'll do anything for him. So when the world tries to hurt him again, it's clear it's not going to end well. Luc Besson delivers a visually stylish and quite entertaining variation on Joker, but it skims the surface, fails to mine interesting themes and looks more like the film of an aspiring debutant than the work of an experienced 60-year-old director. One still expects more from Besson, even after his weaker years. (30.11.2023)