Review: 'Dog' is a touching story of two soldiers — one human, one canine — trying to heal from the emotional scars of war

Between a chaotic opening 30 minutes and a marketing campaign that pretends the rest of the movie never happened, a moviegoer might be forgiven for thinking “Dog” is going to be a frisky comedy — rather than what it turns out to be, a dark and surprisingly thoughtful drama about war and its aftereffects.

Screenwriter Red Carolin and star Channing Tatum team as co-directors on this film, which focuses on Tatum’s character, Jackson Briggs, a former Army Ranger — yeah, I know, once a Ranger, always a Ranger — who’s living in Washington state and still dealing with the scars, physical and emotional, of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Briggs is broke, and hopeful a new job as security for U.S. diplomats will ease his financial problems. To get the job, he must get his former commander, Capt. Lewis (Luke Forbes), to sign the paperwork that shows he’s medically cleared to serve — three years after a traumatic brain injury that still disrupts his sleep and causes seizures if he doesn’t take his meds.

Capt. Lewis tells Briggs that he’ll sign the papers if Briggs performs a favor: Transport a dog, a Belgian Malinois that served in Iraq, from Fort Lewis (near Tacoma) to Arizona, for the funeral of the dog’s handler, and Briggs’ Ranger pal, Riley Rodriguez. The dog, named Lulu (and played by three dogs), is a handful — reacting badly to loud noises, liable to bite anyone who gets too close, and especially anyone who tries to touch her ears. 

In short, Lulu is suffering from post-traumatic stress, much as Briggs is. But where one can’t say what’s wrong, the other won’t.

Carolin, who wrote both “Magic Mike” movies in which Tatum starred, wrote the screenplay here (sharing story credit with Brett Rodriguez). The road trip goes through some meant-to-be-humorous antics,most of them mocking the off-kilter residents of Portland, Ore., that aren’t as hilarious as the makers think they are. The always-wonderful Jane Adams pops up for some choice minutes as an amateur clairvoyant married to a blustering pot grower (Kevin Nash), but that’s about it for effective comedy — and that includes the uncredited appearance of Bill Burr as a San Francisco cop.

As the road trip continues, though, things get far more serious — as Tatum’s Briggs starts bonding with Lulu, and begins to confront his own problems as a survivor of war. The second half of the film has some moments of heartfelt emotion, and Tatum shows his mettle as he portrays Briggs’ growing realization that being tough can sometimes delays efforts to become whole.

“Dog” ends up being a solid drama about loyalty and loss, and a certain kind of audience will appreciate it for those strengths. I’m just concerned that an audience expecting the lighthearted comedy the marketing promises may not be as receptive.

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‘Dog’

★★★

Opens Friday, February 18, in theaters everywhere. Rated PG-13 for language, thematic elements, drug content and some suggestive material. Running time: 100 minutes.