Animal-lovers must see Heart of the Beast,” a new movie starring Brad Pitt and a German shepherd named Uber.
Actually, let’s give Uber, who plays Odin in the film, top billing, because even when megastar Pitt is in the scene, he’s upstaged by the dog. At the film’s premiere earlier in September in Franklin, Tenn., which Pitt attended with Uber, he made sure adoptable dogs were able to attend the soiree as well.
Heart of the Beast is an adventure thriller directed by David Ayer and starring Pitt as retired Special Forces veteran James Belmont. James and his retired combat German Shepherd, Odin, fly a small Cessna floatplane deep into remote Alaska to go camping and experience some peace. Both veterans suffer from the psychological and physical scars of war, including PTSD; the movie shows flashbacks for both. 
The two go fishing together, eat together and sleep side-by-side in James’ cozy tent. The bond between the two is already palpable. , The emotional core of the film centers on the unbreakable, wordless bond and mutual survival effort between the man and his loyal dog.
But (semi-spoiler alert) on their way home, the plane crashes – a harrowing scene.
Both barely survive the crash, James determines they have been stranded 58 miles from civilization. So ensues the battle for survival through brutal terrain, freezing weather and dangerous wildlife. Along the way, Odin stares down a bear, fights off wolves and pulls James to safety out of a river of rapids.,
James gets into a lot of trouble in this movie, and Odin is always there to help.
It’s a role Uber, a first-time actor, is used to. Uber, raised and trained in New Zealand (where the movie was filmed), previously worked as a mountain rescue dog for first responders. He was chosen for the part partly because he was already familiar with being in the water, on boats and in helicopters.
Uber shared the role with three of his own sons (Seeka, Ryker and Hondo), who acted as stunt doubles and appeared in flashback puppy scenes, making sure none of the canines was overworked.
Pitt spent two weeks not training Uber but just being alone with his co-star and bonding. “He’s just magnificent, just an incredible creature,” Pitt observed of his co-star. Pitt has also shared the screen with a dog, a loyal pitbull named Brandy, in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”
W.C. Fields once famously noted: “Never work with animals or children.” Pitt obviously ignores that advice.
The emotional core of the film brought tears to the eyes of Pitt, as well as director Ayer, when they read the script.
“I just silently wept. It just really, really moved me,” the Oscar-winner recalls. “I read it again and had the same reaction. And I just said, ‘Well, I’m not sure what it is, but there’s something in here worth doing, investigating, supporting, so let’s go.’ I called up my old friend David Ayer and off we went.”
He has three dogs of his own and knows the importance, the magic, of the human-animal bond. He calls the film a love story that pays special tribute to all the dogs he has owned throughout his life.
“That bond between human and dog, dog and human, is something quite incredible,” he told the Toronto Sun. “The love and joy and even frustration I’ve had with my dogs are undeniable and unique in its relationship. I wanted to do something that was a tribute to that, to my dogs, and to what they’ve given me. A dog’s love is so unconditional, and there’s a lot to be learned from that.”
