Man’s Best Friend

“Pulse-pounding action and spine-chilling thrills put the bite into this sci-fi shocker starring Ally Sheedy (X-Men: Apocalypse, The Breakfast Club) and Lance Henriksen (Pumpkinhead, Aliens). When an ambitious news journalist (Sheedy) breaks into a genetic research facility, she uncovers the biggest story of her career and unleashes the lab’s most dangerous experiment: Max – a genetically enhanced guard dog with a vicious killer instinct. Superior sight, hearing, strength, and intelligence make him faster, stronger, and smarter than almost any other animal alive – and deadlier. Without the neuropathic drugs needed to curb his aggressive nature, his predatory urge runs out of control … and once he tastes blood, nothing can stop him.”

The film opens when a scientist working for the EMAX lab under the supervision of Dr. Jarret (Lance Henriksen) contacts news reporter Lori Tanner (Ally Sheedy) about the mistreatment of animals going on. Before their scheduled meet, the scientist is killed by something loose in the lab. Lori arrives at the lab thinking she’s been stood up, but hungry for a story she finds a way to sneak into the lab with a camera and begins to film the horrible conditions and experiments that are going on. As she makes her way to the various research rooms, she finds her way to a cage with a dog, Max written on the side. While she’s been doing this, Dr. Jarret has come back to the lab and discovers that someone has been there. While the search is on for the intruders, Lori makes a break for it, leaving Max’s cage open who follows her to her car as they speed off with Dr. Jarret running on foot behind them.

Lori brings Max home to the dismay of her boyfriend, Perry (Fredric Lehne). While Max shows Lori extreme loyalty for releasing her from the lab, he’s suspicious of everyone else and very protective of her. Lori believes Max is the sweetest dog she’s ever seen, but Dr. Jarret paints a different pictures while speaking with the police. He admits his work involves genetic splicing, and Max has been given traits of some of the most dangerous predators on the planet, giving him heightened intelligence, as well as a slew of all kinds of other abilities he uses to his advantage. While Max has been given drugs to counter his aggressive behavior, Dr. Jarret estimates they will wear off in a couple of days, turning Max into a killing machine that won’t be able to be stopped. As Dr. Jarret gets closer to discovering Max’s location, Max’s sweet demeanor begins to change, first simply against neighborhood cats, but soon setting his sights on larger targets: humans.

I had an absolute blast watching Man’s Best Friend. The dog playing in this film is basically the Robert DeNiro of dogs, THE best animal acting I’ve ever seen, making this by far one of the best killer dog films out there. While it may be blasphemy to not bow down to all that is Cujo, the films are different enough to set each in a different category. While Cujo is more terrifying in the fact that it could easily be a true story, Man’s Best Friend has a dog spliced with tigers, panthers and bears. For me, the most frightening part of Cujo was the acting of the small child in the car relentlessly crying for his father, and that’s a different category altogether than Man’s Best Friend. What this film offers is an all-out thrill ride of things you would absolutely never see in a film today. With people’s apprehension of violence against animals, this film is unique in the fact that it begins speaking out against cruelty against animals and animal testing, but subjects the audience to some of the most outrageous things I’ve ever seen on screen. Max starts off only acting out against bad guys, such as retrieving Lori’s purse back from a mugger. This sense of justice against those who do wrong is quickly thrown out the window as the dog even ends up sabotaging someone’s car. Like I said, a wild ride that needs to be seen to be believed.

Ally Sheedy is wonderful in the film as the leading lady, on a crusade against animal cruelty but is clueless as to what’s going on around her. Lance Henriksen was the biggest draw for me, and although he is great and steals every scene he’s in, I did feel that there could have been much more story for his character. There are elements of the story that almost eludes to a health problem, as he pops pills constantly, which made me think he had some kind of self-invested interest in Max that may lead to a cure to some kind of illness he suffers from. Unfortunately if it was the intention of the writer/director to hint at this it’s not explored whatsoever, a missed opportunity to utilize a great actor. This is all but made up for in the sequences with the dog. How they were able to pull off some of these sequences I am not sure, but being able to put what looks like a contact lens in a dog is pretty impressive, as well as the out-of-this-world practical effects that still stun me when I see them. The dog steals the film for sure, providing leaps and bounds of entertainment as sweet Max becomes a vicious killer before our eyes.

Video

Man’s Best Friend is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 1.85:1 featuring a new 2k scan from the original film elements. One thing I’m consistently impressed by is Scream Factor’s treatment of their releases. A lot of the lesser known films and the non-Collector’s Editions are getting some of the same treatment as their most popular films, providing new transfers that make their price point well worth it. This transfer looks exceptional with the new 2k scan. A great balance of color, keeping grain to a manageable level throughout. The print is very clear and detailed with no issues with the print noticed.

Audio

The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. This track sounds exceptional, providing some great sound, especially the growling and snarling from the dog as it attacks. Dialogue is clear and concise, with a nice balance between the center channel and surrounds. The score is a pretty basic score, although it does provide some levity throughout the film as it seems rather playful at times when the dog is up to no good, certainly giving me a good laugh.

Special Features

This was one area I was a bit disappointed in. Scream Factory usually packs their releases full of extras, but in addition to the new 2k scan, there is only audio commentary by the writer/director. For anyone who enjoys the film, however, this is a must listen commentary track and well worth the second watch to get some of the info on the making of the film.

• NEW2K Scan Of The Original Film Elements
• NEWAudio Commentary With Writer/Director John Lafia
• Theatrical Trailer
• Teaser Trailer
• TV Spots

Man’s Best Friend is a definite must-see for horror fans. I had such a good time watching this, I highly recommend picking this up, even for a blind buy. Although I wish I could have heard Lance Henriksen talk about his experience on the film, Scream Factory gives us a great treatment for one of their lesser titles.