Retired special forces officer James Belmont (Brad Pitt) takes his service dog Odin (Uber) deep into the Alaskan wilderness (played by New Zealand). They both suffer PTSD and nightmares from their shared time in combat and now seek solace away from others. As James flies his small plane through a remote mountain pass, he suffers a medical episode which causes him to crash. Stranded in the elements, the pair must rely on each other to survive. It’s a clever premise having two beings experience the same horrors inflicted by humans, only to replace them with a different enemy in Mother Nature and her wild predators. The tension builds steadily and becomes more nerve wracking as the plot progresses. In a deliberate choice to reassure viewers that Odin doesn’t die, the opening scene shows him standing safely on a road as a truck pulls up, before flashing back seven days in time and telling the story of how he came to be there. Pitt and Uber give emotional performances that capture the connection between a soldier and his canine partner. Uber just pips Pitt at the post for the best actor accolade – say that three times fast! Having trained and rehearsed together extensively pre production, their chemistry runs deep and you can tell that the co-stars have a genuine rapport. Sixty two year old Pitt pushes himself physically for this entire film and has the stamina and strength of someone half his age. He plunges into freezing cold waters, carries heavy loads, and performs his own demanding stunts. His character is equally as tough, enduring several wince inducing, graphic injuries. The animals created by CGI have battle scarred faces and mean demeanours which don’t ring true for the appearances and stereotypical behaviours of real creatures. This movie a homage to the loyalty and bravery of dogs and shines a light on military working dogs and their lives after service. It’ll leave your heart full of love for man’s (and woman’s) best friend. How good are dogs! Oh and take your tissues – I cried 3 times.