25 September 2026
This week you have two completely different films to choose from. One for the guys and one for the girls. Or isn’t one supposed to imply that in the WOKE era? But then the guy film stars Brad Pitt, so there will be women lining up for that one too. Ah, the mysteries of testosterone and estrogen running through us…
HEART OF THE BEAST ***1/2
A retired army veteran and his faithful combat-trained dog are on a buddy trip in Alaska. You couldn’t get a more compatible and affectionate duo than these two – hard to say which one has the more soulful eyes! Brad Pitt plays this rugged man, relishing the wilderness, with both gusto and tenderness. And the German shepherd Odey shows his years of combat with the scars on his snout and his one iron leg. The two of them play off each other like the best friends they are. Then disaster strikes, and they have to make it back to civilisation.
As Pitt is also producer of the film, for me this felt like an homage to his early mentor, Robert Redford, who starred in a similar adventure film, the 1972 “Jeremiah Johnson” by Sydney Pollack. There’s even a fly-fishing moment in this film that tips its hat to the Redford/Pitt film from 1992, “A River Runs Through It”. And, of course, the other loner movie, “Into The Wild”, by Sean Penn, or DiCaprio’s “The Revenant”. All man-against-nature studies.
At times, this guy flick will not only have you on the edge of your seat, but may also put a lump in your throat – or even bring a few tears to your eyes. Don’t let the “Rambo”-like trailer deceive you – this is about loyalty, deep friendship and grit.
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY **
There have been too many adaptations of Jane Austen’s works – not only for film but also for TV. This latest one by Georgia Oakley is quite superfluous and soon forgettable.
Jane Austen’s great talent was her understanding of the Regency era’s injustices towards women, yet treating it all with wit, intelligence and romance.
Unfortunately this one has very little of the wit, too much emphasis on teary-eyed longings of the women, and innumerable views of nature and flowers supposedly meant to distract us from the dullness of it all.
Wishing for the charm and brilliance of Ang Lee’s 1995 direction of the same tale, starring a scintillating Emma Thompson, who also wrote the adaptation and won an Oscar for it.
Can’t win ‘em all…
Superb **** Very Good *** Good ** Mediocre * Miserable – no stars
By Neptune
Neptune Ravar Ingwersen reviews film extensively for publications in Switzerland. She views 4 to 8 films a week and her aim is to sort the wheat from the chaff for readers.
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