There are life-and-death moments for both people and animals. But there are also moments of great vividity, of tearing through the woods with a dog at your side and choosing difficult honor over expedient disgrace.
Lost in this shuffle of bullets and narrow misses is Yakin's stated goal of telling a story about the great service that military dogs provide... I'm not sure where that film went, but the bizarre, violent mess I saw isn't it.
Despite some great performances from both the young Wiggins, Thomas Hayden Church and the impressive and loveable Max, if you're looking for anything other than a minor distraction you're barking up the wrong tree.
Though littered with sentiment and family movie hokum, this story of a military dog suffering from post-traumatic stress finds the essence of true friendship, prompting uncontrolled saline leaks from the eyeball.
