Red Dog: A review of the movie

Red Dog: A Review of the Movie

I recently watched Red Dog, the movie. We all love a good dog film. Lassie. Digby. Napoleon. Dogs equal adventure. Dogs equal faithfullness. Dogs equal fun.

I remember when my sons were little and we were visiting New York It wasn’t The Statue of Liberty, Fifth Avenue or even FAO Schwartz for us. No instead, we spent hours walking around Central Park, searching for the statue of Balto. Balto was the dog in the 1920’s who fetched diptheria serum and helped save children. Balto was a hero in my kid’s eyes.

Now it’s Red Dog. Released on Aug 4th in Australia, Red Dog is the story, based on real life events, of the Kelpie x Cattle Dog who travelled extensively through the Western Australia Pilbara region in the 1970s. A dog devoted to no one in particular but everyone who he came into contact with. Red even became a member of the local worker’s union!

Red Dog has had a story, a book and now a film based on his life, not bad for a dog with no owner. Watching the film recently I had the chance to not only marvel as I always do about the personality and the impact dogs have on each person they interact with, but also the scenery and the vast red expanses of this region of Australia. Quite stunning but quite inhospitable – I can see how having a dog around could make life more tolerable.

Positives – If you are a dog lover and/or you are a fan of Australian movies, then Red Dog is a must see. Families too will love it. Some great music from the 70s, some great footage of Aussie blokes (not too many Sheila in this movie!). Great scenery.

Negatives – being a cat lover, I disliked the way cats are portrayed in the film. The evil caretakers are the cat owners (although turns out they don;t even like their cat enough to take it with them when they depart). The speeded up sequence of cat-dog fights is Hollywood style and, for me, unnecessarily  disrupts from the rest of the movie’s pace. The cat is great though. He looks a real character. And all turns out well in the end between species so no welfare concerns!

Apparently there is a statue of Red Dog in the town of Dampier. I just know that when I make it to that part of the country, I will be seeking out that statue.

More about Red Dog here.

Red Dog Statue

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