There’s one way to experience DogMan, visionary Luc Besson’s new thriller. First, you should know Besson. He gave us The Fifth Element and Lucy, two movies that sit outside typical cinematic norms; they’re as edgy as they are dreamy. DogMan is similar in that regard. The most important thing to understand when going into the film is that it’s a little bit bonkers from the start. So keep that in mind, and you won’t (completely) lose your mind while watching this trippy tale of reclamation and how far one man will go to take justice into his own hands.
But DogMan wouldn’t be DogMan without Caleb Landry Jones (X-Men: First Class, Get Out, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), who plays the troubled yet calculating Douglas — a man who survived an abusive past and turned himself into something else entirely. It’s one of the most electrifying performances of the year — award-worthy but probably not seen by many industry insiders as such because it doesn’t meet conventional Oscar standards. However, Emma Stone took home gold for playing a more over-the-top character than this, so Landry deserves some credit here. See it for him. Then see it again.
The movie tracks Douglas through flashbacks — from a prison interrogation room back through childhood and beyond — revealing his traumatic early years; how the abused boy ultimately found salvation and came into his own; and the ballsy way he sought justice through dogs … many dogs. If you like avant-garde films with edgy protagonists at their center (and have enough patience for them to win you over), there are tail-wagging good times to be had with DogMan. Let’s unpack.
Partly inspired by an article he read about a French family who threw their own child in a cage when he was five (Besson was curious about what that would do to someone’s mind), DogMan is an attempt by Besson to explore universal themes of suffering and love through Douglas Munrow, who finds the latter in a unique canine community.
We meet Douglas driving a truck with what appears to be a pack of wild dogs in the back. He’s also dressed in drag — blond wig, tres Marilyn — and so we wonder if this film is about a tormented drag performer. Yes and no (more on that later). When pulled over by the police, Douglas remains calm, smiling knowingly. It’s during Evelyn’s interrogations of Douglas that we learn more about him through these sessions and how he forms his strong connections with canines.
Under the brutal reign of his abusive father (Clemens Schick), Douglas was locked into a cage with dogs — for years, I’m guessing — and forced to live there. His brown-nosing bully of an older brother (Lincoln Powell) isn’t much help, but divine providence inserts itself into Douglas’ situation by offering him an opportunity for freedom. But it comes at a cost: mobility.
Suddenly, Douglas found himself in a wheelchair, having lost much of his ability to walk. This is when he realizes who truly loves him and supports him the most. Dogs. There’s something delightfully absurd about this movie. You have to suspend disbelief (or not) when the canines let on just how finely tuned they are to their human partner, Douglas. We got it. Whether or not audiences will remains to be seen, but you can’t deny how deep our connections with our four-legged friends really are.
DogMan also introduces a nice B story—thankfully non-cloying—concerning Evelyn, a single mother who has herself been under the watchful eye of an opinionated parent (though one far less harsh than Caleb’s brutal “caretaker”). It grounds the movie and allows for glimpses into Caleb’s story as Evelyn puzzles through how Douglas ended up before her eyes seated at all. JoJo T. Gibbs, who was fantastic in Twenties comedy Twenties, is more subdued here; her empathy for Douglas also gives us someone to root for in the character and care about what happens in this story.
Let’s talk about Douglas, shall we? Watching Caleb Landry Jones play him is like watching Heath Ledger’s fever dream–like Joker from The Dark Knight; there’s whimsy, that knowing smile—the calm yet mysterious eyes—you never know what he’ll do next. Luc Besson gives us a rare character indeed.
As fate would have it, adult Douglas finds himself singing in drag as work while living his life down low—after all music was a comfort…and so were dogs—so here’s where the movie takes on a different tone for awhile as he croons his way through existence while trying to make ends meet. Edith Piaf’s “La Vie en Rose” has never been more fully realized or sung.
And somewhere along the way there are some gritty criminal doings afoot out in the streets, and Douglas has taken on (a la Batman) the role of “protector”. Situations come to a head, naturally. Criminals reveal themselves. Douglas still sporting daddy-issue wounds and thirsty for revenge couldn’t be happier about all the wild ways justice could be served.
Break-ins, machine guns, trick doors, Uber-smart doggies knowing exactly what to do—oh my! It’s like 101 Dalmatians meets a fallen DC hero by way of… wicked fun if… you let yourself ride it out and see where this batshit crazy story wants you to go. Also shines some light on how tragic aftermath can play out in one’s life with absurd twists.
Inventive, offbeat, and anchored by Caleb Landry Jones’ tour de force performance. The dogs deserve some credit here too. They know how to patrol—sometimes with their jaws locked on your crotch.. You can only imagine what Luc Besson put those trainers through with nearly 150 dogs running around here.
