Diksha Sundriyal
David Ayer’s ‘Heart of the Beast’ is a grueling survival drama in which a former Special Forces officer, James, and his war-veteran dog, Odin, must survive the Alaskan wilderness. The duo land in the middle of nowhere after James has a heart attack mid-flight and their plane crashes. The only way out is through, and thus begins a journey that challenges them every day. There are bears, wolves, shaky log bridges, and roaring rivers. The duo suffers wounds, and each day tires them even more. There are times when it looks like Odin is gone for good, but he proves to be much tougher than expected. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Odin Survives Against All Odds
In ‘Heart of the Beast,’ every day brings a new near-death experience for Odin. After spending some quality time by a river, where they are briefly joined by a stranger, Odin and James make their journey forward on a plane. But mid-flight, James has a heart attack, which leads to the plane crash. Odin is thrown out of the plane while it’s still falling. While such a fall could kill anyone, Odin pulls through, ready to face the miles of distance between them and civilization. From here, Odin is always on guard, ready to tackle any challenge that might come their way. This includes facing down a mighty bear who could easily tear him and James apart. The real challenge, however, comes when a pack of wolves attacks the duo.
Earlier in the film, they avoid a specific path to avoid the pack. However, before they pick another path, one wolf meets Odin’s eyes, and it becomes clear that the wolves will now be tracking them. The pack keeps an eye on the duo, waiting for them to be too exhausted to fight. When the man and his dog are in the middle of a forest, the pack attacks, targeting James specifically. Odin fights valiantly, even though the wolves are so much bigger than him. He sustains serious wounds, but they are nothing compared to the ones inflicted on James. The wolves are forced away before they can finish the job when James kills their leader.
With just one more day’s journey in front of them, the duo goes through a swamp before they reach the plain field that James had expected to find. By then, the man’s energy has dwindled to the point that he cannot take another step, no matter how much his dog tries to encourage him. The bites from the wolves have led him to lose a lot of blood, among other things. Thankfully, Odin hasn’t sustained any fatal wounds in the attack. James knows his death is near, so he makes sure his dog is taken care of. He writes a letter explaining everything and providing detailed instructions for caring for Odin. He puts it in Odin’s bag, instructing him to cross the field and find the road. This is his last mission.
Odin refuses to leave James’ side and spends the last day with him. The next morning, he runs across the field and eventually finds the road, where a young woman finds him. She finds James’ letter and is moved by Odin’s journey, the loss of his friend, and all he has been through, not just in the past couple of days but during his time in service. In the letter, James has also left his will, bestowing all of his money on whoever takes on Odin as their own, cares for him, and gives him the love and comfort he deserves.
Four Dogs Worked Together to Bring Odin to Life on the Screen
In ‘Heart of the Beast,’ Odin is a hardened war veteran. The scars on his body and his amputated leg are representative of the things he has been through on the battlefield. In real life, however, none of the dog actors playing the part are disabled. The primary actor playing Odin is Uber, while three of his children, Ryker, Zika, and Hondo, serve as replacements to tackle more physically challenging scenes. Animal coordinator Andrew Simpson scouted the dogs, spending weeks looking for the perfect Odin before filming commenced in New Zealand. He found six-year-old Uber at Heisenberg Kennels and immediately knew that this was Odin.
Simpson said that there was a “maturity and softness” about Uber that convinced him the canine would be the perfect lead star of the movie. Before he turned to acting, Uber was a search-and-rescue dog. Reportedly, he spent two years in the police academy, but eventually did not make the cut. From there, he moved to Queenstown for a while, and then worked with a paramedic in rescue helicopters. Having retired from that life, Uber found new wind in acting after Simpson was convinced that the dog had a captivating face that could bring out the emotions needed for the film.
But while Uber was perfect for emoting the different feelings, some scenes were so physically demanding that they required the energy and zeal of younger dogs. This is where his three children came into the picture. The stunt coordinators had to make sure that the dogs picked for every scene were up to the challenge. They knew that if a dog were scared of water, it would be unnatural to make him jump into the river in rescue scenes. Every dog’s aptitude was tested for different scenes. So, for the log-crossing scene, they used Ryker, while for long treks across wide spaces, they used Zika.
Apart from Simpson, there were four other trainers on the spot to make sure every dog felt safe throughout the shoot. This also included ensuring the dogs were comfortable with the prosthetic leg they had to wear to showcase Odin’s turbulent past. To make things more realistic, the trainers spoke with military and dog handlers to understand just how prepared dogs like Odin are and how they become intuitive in different situations through experience. They also studied therapy dogs to understand Odin’s character better and bring him to life on screen authentically.
Read More: Is Heart of the Beast a True Story? Is James Belmont Based on a Real Army Person?
You must be logged in to post a comment.