The Power of the Dog

The Power of the Dog has built a devoted audience in Australia on Netflix, and in the US on Netflix among viewers who want their drama to earn its emotional beats. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. 2,981 viewers have already rated it on TMDB — the kind of consensus that does not happen by accident. Benedict Cumberbatch sets the tone, and the rest of the cast matches it scene for scene. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Netflix.

There is a reason The Power of the Dog keeps coming up in conversation. The writing in The Power of the Dog treats its characters as people first, plot devices second. 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. The performances from Benedict Cumberbatch and Kodi Smit-McPhee give it more weight than the premise alone would suggest. It was released in 2021. What elevates The Power of the Dog is a refusal to let any character off the hook too easily. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

The Power of the Dog is what you recommend to people who say they do not really watch much. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Benedict Cumberbatch anchors a cast that never overplays its hand. The kind of drama that stays with you well after the finale.