HEART OF THE BEAST is the new film from director David Ayer, who re-teams with FURY star Brad Pitt for a survival thriller set in the Alaskan wilderness against great odds. It’s also an emotional journey for one man and his very special dog Odin (played by the amazing Uber), as both of them deal with the lingering traumatic horrors they faced in the battlefield.

James Belmont (Pitt) is a retired Special Forces soldier who has taken in his field-trained dog Odin, and the two of them are hoping to spend an isolated few days on vacation with nature, flying a small plane into a remote area of Alaska. As James relives his days in battle, he’s not alone – Odin also has PTSD, and the two are comforts for each other as they try to move forward. A brief meeting with another outdoorsman (played by the great J.K. Simmons) offers some much needed human contact, but soon tragedy strikes as James and Odin are trying to escape storms, and James suffers a heart attack mid-air. This leads to a plane crash and the two friends are separated. James eventually reconnects with his companion, but now they must face increasingly stressful odds in hopes of making their way back to civilization.

I’ve always been a sucker for these types of movies, man fighting to survive in rough wilderness conditions. While I was a boy scout and did my share of uncomfortable camping, I never faced the perils you often see in these films, though the idea of it has always been fascinating to me. The Anthony Hopkins movie THE EDGE is a personal favorite, and this definitely shares similar themes. HEART OF THE BEAST could almost be a silent film, in that the chemistry and relationship between James and Odin at times feels magically unspoken and understood without words. Pitt does a fine job carrying the film in a quiet and sometimes tortured way, but there’s a sincerity in his performance that really works, and while he’s portraying the military super-soldier archetype, we still find ways to relate to him here. J.K. Simmons isn’t in the film much, but he’s always a welcome face on the big screen, and I could envision of movie solely about his character that might be just as interesting. But the real magic here in Uber, the dog playing Odin, who is so endearing and effective that he frequently steals the scenes he’s in. His relationship with James is nothing short of beautiful, and even non-dog people will likely fall in love with him. There are simple moments, like James flying the plane and Odin just watching him with love in his eyes, and you feel it deeply. This is a heartfelt study of friendship and trust, showing how animals can mean so much to you when needed.

David Ayer has made a variety of interesting films, sometimes big and loud with gritty horrors throughout. This is a more poignant effort and more personal, and may just be one of his best productions yet. It’s surprisingly more emotional than you might expect, and really stays with you long after it’s over. I suppose there’s an irony in James and Odin surviving the horrors of war and fierce combat, only to find themselves challenged even harder by the perils of nature. HEART OF THE BEAST challenges the audience to imagine these scenarios, and it’s hard not to ponder how we all would fare had it been us in these situations. If you like these kinds of movies the way I do, this is definitely a great entry in the survival genre, and the dog alone makes it worth a watch.

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