'The Power of The Dog' review: Netizens call it 'bold, shocking tale of toxic masculinity'

Benedict Cumberbatch's The Power of the Dog is a western drama film written and directed by Jane Campion, based on the 1967 novel of the same name by Thomas Savage. The movie was released on Netflix on December 1 and received positive responses from critics and audiences alike who praised Campion's direction, the score, and the performances of the cast. The film stars also stars Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, and Kodi Smit-McPhee. Take a look at what netizens had to say about the western drama.

'The Power of the Dog' netizens review

The Power of the Dog follows the story of a  domineering rancher named Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch) who responds with mocking cruelty when his brother(Jesse Plemons) brings home a new wife and her son. The Power of the Dog had its world premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2021, where Campion won the Silver Lion for Best Direction. The movie had a limited release in theatres before releasing on Netflix and is based on the 1967 novel of the same name by Thomas Savage.

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 95 per cent based on 201 reviews, with an average rating of 8.40/10. Meanwhile, netizens took to the microblogging site Twitter and left their reviews for the movie praising the performance of the cast, especially of Cumberbatch and Smit-McPhee.

One user wrote, "Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog is exceptional. It's a bold and shocking tale of toxic masculinity and childhood trauma, with gorgeous cinematography, a memorable score from the ever-brilliant Jonny Greenwood, and terrific performances from Cumberbatch and Dunst. I loved it[sic]."

Heaping praises on the cinematography of the movie, a user wrote, "Welp, THE POWER OF THE DOG is indeed the masterpiece that you've heard it is. An intricate and lingering dissection of hypermasculinity that features striking cinematography from Ari Wegner and a career-best Benedict Cumberbatch performance. Dunst and Smit-McPhee also impress[sic]." While another user wrote, "The Power of the Dog is fantastic. It's great that movies like this are still being made. I see so many junk films that I forget immediately after watching[sic]."

(Image: Instagram/@powerofthedogfilm)