Drama, Western  •  2021  •  127 min  •  Adults (18+)

The Power of the Dog (2021)

The Power of the Dog poster

The Power of the Dog (2021)


Rating & Dimensions

Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Leans Progressive
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
LGBTQ: Positive

Viewer Rating
8.0

Overview

A domineering but charismatic rancher wages a war of intimidation on his brother's new wife and her teen son, until long-hidden secrets come to light.


Starring Cast

Benedict Cumberbatch  •   Kirsten Dunst  •   Jesse Plemons


Where to watch

Detailed Bias Analysis

Analyzing...
Leans Progressive

Primary

Political: Leans Left
Confidence: High

The film's dominant themes align with progressive values by offering a profound critique of toxic masculinity, repressed sexuality, and the destructive nature of traditional gender roles within a patriarchal society, demonstrating their harmful psychological and social consequences.

Diversity: Moderate
Confidence: High

The movie features traditional casting without explicit race or gender swaps for its period setting. However, its narrative strongly critiques traditional, toxic masculinity and explores themes of repressed sexuality, making these elements central to the story's conflict and character development.

Secondary

LGBTQ: Positive
Confidence: High

The film offers a complex and empathetic portrayal of a closeted gay man, Phil Burbank, whose repressed identity in a hostile environment leads to profound personal tragedy and cruelty. By depicting the devastating consequences of denying one's true self, the narrative implicitly affirms the worth of queer identity and critiques the societal pressures that necessitate its suppression.

Trans: N/A
Confidence: High

The film "The Power of the Dog" does not feature any identifiable transsexual characters or themes. The narrative explores themes of repressed homosexuality, toxic masculinity, and power dynamics, primarily through the characters of Phil Burbank and Peter Gordon. Therefore, an assessment of its portrayal of transsexual identity is not applicable.

Female Combat: N/R

The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.

Gender Swap: No
Confidence: High

The film is an adaptation of Thomas Savage's 1967 novel. All primary characters, including Phil, George, Rose, and Peter, maintain the same gender as established in the original source material.

Race Swap: No
Confidence: High

The film is an adaptation of Thomas Savage's 1967 novel. The primary characters, including Phil and George Burbank, Rose Gordon, and Peter Gordon, are depicted as white in the source material and are portrayed by white actors in the film. No instances of race swapping were identified.


Viewer Rating Breakdown

8.0

Viewer Rating

Combines user and critic ratings from four sources

User Ratings

IMDB logo
6.8
The Movie Database logo
6.7

Critic Ratings

Rotten Tomatoes logo
9.4
Metacritic logo
8.9

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