Co-directed by Tatum and his longtime creative partner Reid Carolin, and co-written by Carolin and former soldier Brett Rodriguez, Dog<\/em> finds its origins in the 2017 HBO documentary the trio produced called War Dog: A Soldier’s Best Friend<\/em>. This authenticity pulses throughout, although the film is resultantly overstuffed with too many surface level observations of their reality, without much deeper insight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As former Army Ranger Briggs, Tatum is charming as ever, equally at ease with comedy one-liners as he is with the heavier psychological aspects of the role. Still reeling from PTSD and debilitating migraines, Briggs works at a deli while trying to get back on active duty. He\u2019s been out for three years, and despite his emotional issues and probable brain injury, he\u2019s somehow got himself a full bill of health. His C.O. will only sign off for him to join the last rotation of the year if he takes Lulu the 1,500 miles from their base in Washington state to Rodriguez\u2019s funeral in Arizona. Lulu has \u201cevery combat trigger in the book\u201d and is set to be put down after attending the funeral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Early on the filmmakers draw a parallel between the fate of this hero dog and Briggs. after Lulu\u2019s montage, the film begins with a heavy panting through the darkness of dawn. But they pull a fast one and reveal not the dog, but an anxiety-ridden Briggs on the floor in the midst of an attack from his lingering PTSD. As the two make their way down the Pacific Coast Highway in an 84 Bronco, Briggs says to Lulu, \u201cthe Army has no place for liabilities, but that\u2019s what you are now.\u201d It\u2019s not subtle, but it works. Briggs needs just as much time and attention and love to heal from his combat trauma as Lulu does. They\u2019re both warriors who were trained for one thing, then abandoned by the system that trained them when they were no longer capable of doing the work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Briggs repeats the line \u201crangers find a way to die\u201d three times: when he first learns Rodriguez has died, when he\u2019s told Lulu will be put down after the funeral, and when it\u2019s revealed how<\/em> Rodriguez really died. This examination of the toxic and addictive cycle of service Briggs has found himself in is reminiscent of The Hurt Locker<\/em>. But also could be seen as the flip-side of Stop-Loss, <\/em>which also co-starred Tatum, and its exploration of an exploitative policy that trapped soldiers in extended duty. Although Dog<\/em> does tackle the psychological fallout of serving like those earlier films, it\u2019s clear Tatum and Carolin are determined to show not just the darker side of their reality, but find hope in it as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The chilling way Briggs nonchalantly reminds Lulu of how they used to \u201cget their murder on,\u201d or says that no one takes the art therapy after a brain injury seriously, is contrasted when the two meet up with fellow former Ranger Nathan (Ethan Suplee). Living in Los Angeles, Nathan has adopted and rehabilitated Lulu\u2019s brother Nuke, and through this meeting Briggs sees another path. Rangers may find a way to die, but it\u2019s also possible for them to find a way to live. Again, the filmmaking here is not subtle, but it\u2019s affecting. Nathan offers Briggs a mirror of himself \u2013 what can be if he chooses to do the work. Like Tatum, Suplee is an actor capable of great range, here tapping into a deep well of complex emotions. Under his calm demeanor belies the same storm in which Briggs is still caught. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s in these moments of pathos in which the film finds its greatest strengths. However, it teteers too often into the straight comedy, which undercuts its potency. Early on Briggs makes a detour into Portland, where a series of women find his veteran status mostly something he must overcome, before almost engaging in a threesome with tantric healers Bella (Emmy Raver-Lampman) and Zoe (Nicole Laliberte). Between this and Niki (Q’orianka Kilcher), the underwritten mother of Brigg\u2019s three-year-old daughter, the filmmakers want to say something about the sexual and romantic lives of soldiers, but it\u2019s incredibly muddled. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Somehow in the mix there\u2019s also jumbled commentary on ACAB military police, racial profiling, and the often hidden veteran status of Los Angeles\u2019 houseless population. While it\u2019s admirable that the filmmakers want to show as many angles of post-military life as they can, their approach lacks cohesion and pulls focus from the main theme of rehabilitation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dog<\/em> works best when it sticks to the emotional journey of Briggs and Lulu. The compelling chemistry Tatum crafts when acting opposite just the dog showcases his undeniable star power and allows him to push himself as an actor. While the filmmaking itself is unshowy to a fault, there is enough good stuff here to hint that Tatum as director has an even better film yet to come. “Dog” is in theaters Friday.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/dog2-1024x683.jpg\")
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