The Power of the Dog
Movie, 2021, The 2020s, Set in Montana, 1925
The Power of the Dog is #34 of 34 in release order and #31 of 34 in chronological order in the Westerns.
The story
A domineering but charismatic rancher wages a war of intimidation on his brother's new wife and her teen son, until long-hidden secrets come to light.
The Power of the Dog recap
The Power of the Dog (2021) follows Phil Burbank, a cruel Montana rancher, who torments his brother's new wife and her son in 1925. Jane Campion writes and directs, adapting Thomas Savage's 1967 novel. Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his gentle brother George (Jesse Plemons) run a prosperous ranch together. On a cattle drive Phil mocks Peter Gordon (Kodi Smit-McPhee), the slight son of the widowed innkeeper Rose (Kirsten Dunst), for making paper flowers. George quietly marries Rose and brings her home, where Phil's contempt drives her to drink. Phil hides a reverence for his dead mentor, Bronco Henry, and secret signs of desire for men. Home from medical school for the summer, Peter finds those secrets, and Phil takes him under his wing, teaching him to ride and braiding him a rawhide rope. Peter quietly cuts hides from a cow that died of anthrax, handling them with gloves. When Rose gives Phil's hides away, Peter offers his own. Netflix released it, and Campion won the Oscar for Best Director. The film stands alone.
The Power of the Dog ending explained
The Power of the Dog ends with Phil dead of anthrax and Peter hiding the finished rope under his bed with gloves. Phil worked the infected hide into the rope with an open cut on his hand. At the funeral, the doctor names the cause. Peter reads the psalm verse that gives the film its title, then watches George and Rose come home and smiles.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch The Power of the Dog
The Power of the Dog is streaming on Netflix in the US.
Ratings
IMDb 6.8/10, Rotten Tomatoes 94%
Where it fits
- Release order: after The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, the latest.
- Chronological order: after The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, before A Fistful of Dollars.
Cast
- Benedict Cumberbatch as Phil Burbank
- Kodi Smit-McPhee as Peter Gordon
- Kirsten Dunst as Rose Gordon
- Jesse Plemons as George Burbank
- Thomasin McKenzie as Lola
- Geneviève Lemon as Mrs. Lewis
- Keith Carradine as The Governor
- Frances Conroy as Old Lady
- Kenneth Radley as Barkeep
- Sean Keenan as Sven
- George Mason as Cricket
- Ramontay McConnell as Theo
Directed by Jane Campion.