--- title: "The Power of the Dog" year: 2021 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-power-of-the-dog" fi1m_score: 84 critics_score: 83 critics_reviews: 25 published: "2026-09-20T08:21:14.324187+00:00" updated: "2026-09-20T08:21:14.750683+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Power of the Dog (2021) Directed by Jane Campion · 2h 07m · MPA R · Drama, Western **Fi1m score: 84** · Critics 83 from 25 reviews *In a sentence:* Nobody fires a gun for two hours and the banjo still counts as assault > Jane Campion’s first film since *Bright Star* is a slow, cruel western about a rancher who sets out to break his brother’s new wife, shot and cut with great care. Cumberbatch’s Phil is frightening, and once or twice you can see him deciding to be. ## Synopsis Montana, 1925. Brothers Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George Burbank (Jesse Plemons) run the family cattle ranch and still share a bedroom. Phil ropes, castrates calves bare-handed and never washes indoors; George wears a suit and says little. On a cattle drive the brothers and their hands stop at the Red Mill, an inn run by the widow Rose Gordon (Kirsten Dunst), whose slight, bookish son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee) has made paper flowers for the tables. Phil mocks the boy and his flowers until Rose is in tears in the kitchen. George stays behind to comfort her, courts her and marries her, bringing her home to the ranch house and its piano. Phil, who wanted no wife in the house, begins a quiet campaign against her, and Peter is due to join them for the summer. ## Review Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his brother George (Jesse Plemons) run a cattle ranch in Montana in 1925 and still sleep in the same room. Phil is the one who talks. He rides, ropes, castrates calves with his hands and a knife, and washes in the river rather than the bath. George is quiet, plump, wears a suit and a bowler and rarely answers back. Jane Campion, writing and directing from Thomas Savage’s novel and making her first feature since *Bright Star* in 2009, spends the opening stretch just letting us watch the two of them. By the time anything happens we know which brother to be afraid of. What happens is a widow. On a drive the brothers stop at the Red Mill, an inn run by Rose Gordon (Kirsten Dunst), whose thin, bookish son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee) has made paper flowers for the tables. Phil mocks the flowers and the boy. George stays behind to comfort the mother, and within a few scenes has married her and brought her home to a house that already has a piano and a mother of its own (Frances Conroy, credited only as Old Lady). Phil cannot bear the wife and sets about breaking her. He never raises a hand. He whistles, he watches from doorways, and he says her name as if it were a small stone he was throwing. It is a superbly made film. Ari Wegner shoots the hills, New Zealand standing in for Montana, in wide flat light with the cattle as dots, and shoots the house so dark that going indoors feels like going underground. Grant Major’s ranch house is a great timber thing of stuffed heads and shut doors, and the piano sits in a room too large for it. Kirsty Cameron puts Phil in chaps and shirts stiff with dirt, George in clean cloth, and Peter in a white shirt, black trousers and white canvas shoes, an absurd outfit for a ranch, which is the point. Jonny Greenwood’s score has a cello plucked to sound like a banjo and a piano slightly out of tune, so the music seems to come from inside the walls. The scene we could not sit still through comes when Rose is practising for a dinner the Governor (Keith Carradine) is to attend. She picks out a tune downstairs, badly. Upstairs, Phil takes it up on the banjo, faster and better, and stops when she stops. Peter Sciberras cuts between the two floors and holds the takes long enough that there is nowhere for her, or us, to go. We squirmed, and then we wanted to go down and take her hands off the keys ourselves. Dunst plays the whole film a beat behind, flinching before the blow lands, and it is the best work in it. Cumberbatch is frightening. He has found a walk, a way of leaning on a frame, a habit of not blinking. The trouble is the voice. The accent is careful, and once or twice the drawl and the bare chest and the mud look like an actor’s idea of a cowboy rather than a cowboy. Plemons, beside him, does almost nothing and is never caught doing it. Smit-McPhee is a long pale stalk of a boy who watches everything, and the second half belongs to him and Phil, and takes a turn we will not describe. We will say that Campion explains her ending more carefully than she explains anything else, and that we had not needed the help. At 127 minutes it is slow, and there is a stretch in the middle where the mood is the only thing moving. Most critics have called it her best since [*The Piano*](https://film.one/film/the-piano), and on the evidence of control they are right; it is the most disciplined film of hers we have seen. What it lacks is the mess of that earlier film, the sense that anyone on screen might do something the director had not planned. Here everybody arrives exactly where they were sent. It is a 12A, which tells you nothing. No shot is fired in anger and a calf loses its future in the first ten minutes. The cruelty is all in the sound, so do not watch it on a laptop speaker. *Fi1m score 84, published 20 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics are firmly behind Jane Campion’s western: twenty-three of the twenty-five reviews are positive, and many treat it as a return to form. The praise gathers around Benedict Cumberbatch as Phil, the embittered rancher, whom critics find menacing and vulnerable in the same breath, with several rating it among his strongest work. Campion’s slow control of tension, Ari Wegner’s stark Montana landscapes and Kodi Smit-McPhee’s Peter are the other elements singled out. The reservations are modest and scattered. Total Film finds it meanders, Consequence finds the sustained mood of inevitability oppressive, and The Skinny misses the emotional specificity of Campion’s earlier films. Two reviews go further: Variety judges it impeccably made but programmatic, lacking the poetry of The Piano, while Film Comment finds it literary and borrowed rather than personal, with Cumberbatch edging towards caricature. Both came out of the festival run, and nothing since has followed them; the spread is otherwise narrow. ### Reviews we read (25) - **Radio Times**, Ann Lee (5/5): Campion makes a triumphant return with a ferocious western about toxic masculinity. Cumberbatch delivers a menacing yet vulnerable performance in an unbearably tense masterpiece. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-pufcng/the-power-of-the-dog/) - **The Times**, Kevin Maher (★★★★★): The critic declares an indecently powerful western that is a triumphant, multifaceted return for Campion and a guaranteed awards frontrunner. They single out Cumberbatch’s mesmerizing and utterly convincing performance as the embittered rancher Phil. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/the-power-of-the-dog-review-cumberbatchs-cowboy-is-mesmerising-b8bpfbhdg) - **Time Out**, Olly Richards (5/5): Campion returns with one of the best films of her career, a triumph of quiet mystery and devastating storytelling in a patriarchal world. The landscape and character revelations reward repeat viewings. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-power-of-the-dog-2022) - **IndieWire**, David Ehrlich (A): The critic calls it a wickedly great, masterfully tense Western drama and a brilliant murderous fable about masculine strength. Singles out Cumberbatch's career-best performance as equal parts menacing and vulnerable. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-power-of-the-dog-movie-review-1234660877/) - **Los Angeles Times**, Justin Chang (90/100, inferred): Campion reasserts her mastery with a brilliantly acted, insidiously gripping adaptation that reveals a new side of Cumberbatch in a masterful performance. The film excels in its psychological depth, attention to detail, and subversion of western conventions. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-11-16/power-of-the-dog-review-netflix-cumberbatch-campion) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (90/100, inferred): The critic calls Campion’s film a superb gothic western that is mysterious and menacing, one of the director’s best, made with artistry and command. They single out the queasy touches and the way the story hangs with an air of tragedy, dysfunction and horror, like Ibsen. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/nov/17/the-power-of-the-dog-review-jane-campions-superb-gothic-western-is-mysterious-and-menacing) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney (90/100, inferred): The critic praises Campion's return with a psychologically complex Western shifting to themes of corrosive masculinity and repressed sexuality. Highlights transfixing performances, especially from Cumberbatch and Smit-McPhee, on an epic canvas. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/power-of-the-dog-review-1235005112/) - **The New York Times** (Critic’s Pick): Campion delivers a staggering take on the western in which a cruel cowboy meets his surprising match. The film explores the inner worlds and tensions among its characters with precision and depth. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/30/movies/the-power-of-the-dog-review.html) - **The Telegraph** (90/100, inferred): The review highlights a blistering, career-best performance from Benedict Cumberbatch as the mercurial fiend Phil in Campion’s dark psychological western. It praises the stark and deadly beauty of the landscapes and the constant sense of prickling intrigue. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/power-of-the-dog-review-best-performance-benedict-cumberbatch/) - **Vulture**, Bilge Ebiri (90/100, inferred): The critic hails Campion's triumphant return with a majestic and unnerving Western set in 1925 Montana. Praises the understated storytelling and Cumberbatch's nuanced portrayal of a complex, need-driven character. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/movie-review-netflixs-power-of-the-dog-from-jane-campion.html) - **Empire**, Beth Webb (85/100, inferred): Campion returns with a sensual, layered Western that peels back repression and desire in 1920s Montana. The film is praised for its wounded central character study and striking visuals from Ari Wegner. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-power-of-the-dog/) - **Little White Lies**, Sophie Monks Kaufman (80/100, inferred): Campion explodes ideas of masculinity in this adaptation, with strong performances and atmospheric tension building to a gripping third act. The film is ambitious and brilliant despite minor flaws in one lead performance. [Read](https://lwlies.com/festivals/the-power-of-the-dog-venice-film-festival-review) - **Total Film** (75/100, inferred): Jane Campion’s most elegant film in years is a brooding ranch drama with hidden depths. It singles out Benedict Cumberbatch’s shrewd, central performance for praise while noting some meandering tendencies. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/power-of-the-dog-review-netflix/) - **Screen Daily** (70/100, inferred): A powerful turn from Cumberbatch anchors this prairie-set period drama that is Campion’s most thoroughly conceived and consistently involving work for years. The adaptation captures dysfunctional family dynamics and repressed desires with nuance. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-power-of-the-dog-venice-review/5162918.article) - **Sight and Sound** (70/100, inferred): Campion delivers a gripping psychodrama that draws out the instability of American West myths through a ranch family feud. The film excels in its slow-burn exploration of repressed masculinity and power dynamics. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/power-dog-draws-out-instability-american-west-myths) - **The New Yorker**, Anthony Lane (70/100, inferred): Campion’s anti-western is a claustrophobic chamber piece focused on family cruelties and miseries rather than epic scope. The central standoff between characters is tense and compelling, though some performances feel less convincing in the setting. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/11/29/the-power-of-the-dog-is-jane-campions-anti-western) - **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman (50/100, inferred): Campion’s psychodramatic western is impeccably crafted with stately precision and strong performances but feels overly programmatic and lacks the passionate, populist poetry of her earlier work like The Piano. The message denouncing homophobia is clear but not revelatory enough. [Read](https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/the-power-of-the-dog-review-jane-campion-benedict-cumberbatch-kirsten-dunst-jesse-plemons-1235054229/) - **Film Comment**, Molly Haskell (40/100, inferred): Campion's latest lacks the richly personal feminism of her early films and feels borrowed and literary rather than organic. The ominous atmosphere and Cumberbatch's menacing performance verge on caricature, though the fable-like treatment of unspoken desires has some merit. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/of-gods-and-men-jane-campion-the-power-of-the-dog-molly-haskell/) - **HeyUGuys**, Sarah Cook (5/5): The critic praises Campion's direction and the performances, especially Cumberbatch's as Phil and Smit-McPhee's as Peter, noting the film's exploration of toxic masculinity and its visual impact. Verdict is highly positive, calling it an essential film and Campion on top form. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/the-power-of-the-dog-review/) - **/Film**, Chris Evangelista (9/10): The critic highlights Campion's masterful direction of a subtle, menacing neo-Western, with Cumberbatch delivering a career-best performance as the cruel Phil, and the film's tension-building through details and imagery leading to a powerful conclusion. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/601490/the-power-of-the-dog-review-jane-campions-stunning-neo-western-has-a-career-best-performance-from-benedict-cumberbatch-tiff-2021/) - **Polygon**, Robert Daniels (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it 2021's best movie so far, an immense portrait of psychological torture and toxic masculinity with awe-inspiring cinematography and complex performances, especially Cumberbatch's. It highlights the film's meditative quality, unexpected emotional depths, and rewarding rewatch value. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/22675046/power-of-the-dog-review-benedict-cumberbatch/) - **Digital Spy**, Gabriella Geisinger (85/100, inferred): The film is a Trojan horse that appears to be a Western but is actually a Gothic psychodrama filled with psychological warfare and unsettling tension. Campion delivers a startling, deeply moving work with Cumberbatch terrifying as the domineering Phil. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a38233996/the-power-of-the-dog-review/) - **Consequence** (B+): The critic praises Benedict Cumberbatch's superlative performance as the petulant, macho Phil and the film's elegant, unnerving accomplishment as a slow-burn Western about toxic masculinity and power dynamics. It notes the strong ensemble acting but finds the sustained mood of inevitability slightly oppressive at times. [Read](https://consequence.net/2021/10/power-of-the-dog-review/) - **The Skinny**, Anahit Behrooz (★★★★): A meticulously engineered exercise in tension and a haunting study of male violence and repression, with forensic storytelling and a chilling Cumberbatch performance that eviscerates the illusion of control. It lacks some emotional depth and gutting specificity of Campion's prior works. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/venice-film-festival-2021-the-power-of-the-dog) - **Deadline**, Todd McCarthy (70/100, inferred): Campion has made a complex and probing adaptation of Thomas Savage’s novel about two very different Montana rancher brothers caught in a twisted emotional bind. It is a serious, ambitious, living and breathing work that sticks in the mind and makes one want to examine it from different angles. [Read](https://deadline.com/2021/09/the-power-of-the-dog-venice-film-review-jane-campion-1234826232/) ## Details - **Director:** Jane Campion - **Director:** Jane Campion - **Writer:** Jane Campion - **Cinematography:** Ari Wegner - **Editor:** Peter Sciberras - **Music:** Jonny Greenwood - **Production design:** Grant Major - **Costume design:** Kirsty Cameron - **Producer:** Roger Frappier, Jane Campion, Emile Sherman - **Cast:** Benedict Cumberbatch as Phil Burbank; Kodi Smit-McPhee as Peter Gordon; Kirsten Dunst as Rose Gordon; Jesse Plemons as George Burbank; Thomasin McKenzie as Lola; Genevieve Lemon as Mrs. Lewis; Keith Carradine as The Governor; Frances Conroy as Old Lady - **Runtime:** 2h 07m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 1 December 2021 - **Genres:** Drama, Western - **Also in:** [Best Picture winners](https://film.one/collections/oscar-best-picture.md) (Nominee, 2021); [BAFTA Best Film winners](https://film.one/collections/bafta-best-film.md) (Winner, 2021); [Golden Globe Best Drama winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-drama.md) (Winner, 2021) - **Budget:** $39 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRDPo0CHrko ## Where to watch in the US - Netflix: streaming *Checked 2026-09-20.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, AZ, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, SK, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 2022: Best Picture (nominated) - Golden Globes 2022: Best Motion Picture – Drama (won) - Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Film 2021: Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Film (won) - Dorian Award for Film of the Year 2021: Dorian Award for Film of the Year (won) ## If you liked this - *The Piano* (1993), Fi1m 88: Campion’s earlier film about a woman, an instrument and men who want her silent — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-piano.md) - *Brokeback Mountain* (2005), Fi1m 92: Two ranch hands, one summer, and a lifetime of not saying it — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/brokeback-mountain.md) - *Lady Macbeth* (2016): A young wife in a cold house learns cruelty faster than her husband - *Meek's Cutoff* (2010), Fi1m 82: A western that moves at walking pace and trusts you to keep up — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/meeks-cutoff.md) - *There Will Be Blood* (2007), Fi1m 88: Another Greenwood score circling a man who cannot stand to be near people — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/there-will-be-blood.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. 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