Max
Director: Boaz Yakin
Stars: Thomas Haden Church, Josh Wiggins, Luke Kleintank
Duration: 111 mins
Class: PG
KRS Cinema Releasing
Sure to manipulate its way into animal lovers’ hearts thanks to the lovable exploits of its canine protagonist, Max is a drama at whose centre is the titular Max, a military dog in service in Afghanistan trained to sniff out weapons and explosives.
Max is fiercely loyal to his handler, US Marine Kyle Wincott (Robbie Amell). But, when Kyle is tragically killed in action, Max is traumatised and sent back home. When Kyle’s family learn that Max may be put down, they decide to adopt him and the still-troubled dog slowly befriends Kyle’s younger brother Justin (Josh Wiggins).
Max has ‘solid family drama’ stamped all over it, and that it certainly is – a clean, wholesome slice of Americana with at its centre a typical working-class Texan family whose patriotism is signposted by the Stars and Stripes flying outside their front door and the clear tradition of serving the country.
The father Ray (Thomas Haden Church) is a marine veteran; his son Kyle a proud protagonist of the war on terror, now a mourned hero. Young Justin, a sullen teen who has a side-line in pirating video games, clearly is a disappointment, while mom Pamela (Lauren Graham) keeps her family together.
This may sound boringly staid, and yet the performances of all involved are heart-warming enough to keep the audience engaged. For the most part, all involved keep the mawkish jingoism at bay, despite some obviously manipulative scenes – Max’s behaviour at Kyle’s funeral will undoubtedly bring a tear or two to the eye.
There is some exceptional work from Carlos the Belgian Malinois who plays Max
Haden Church and Graham are sympathetic as the Wincotts, a middle-aged couple trying to move on after their son’s death while striving to give their younger son the attention he deserves. Wiggins does a good job channelling the teen Justin’s angst and, as the story focuses on the main on his relationship with the troubled dog, he carries the film well and with heart.
The film is enriched with the presence of Justin’s friends Chuy (Dejon LaQuake) and the feisty tomboy Carmen (Mia Xitlali). Their scenes together depicting an ordinary gang of teenage kids enjoying fun things like biking in the woods, video-gaming, harmless teasing and innocent flirting.
These scenes are simply and charmingly played, a throwback to children’s films of yore. So much so, that the sub-plot involving a gang of weapons traffickers is a tad heavy-handed, the storyline clunky, its bad guys a little obvious.
It is completely superfluous to the main storyline and it feels like it is there to embellish the story and only serves the purpose of putting Justin in danger in order for Max to save him.
More background into the film’s canine protagonist and the work he and thousands of other dogs like him carry out as military working dogs would have been welcome. Strong, sturdy, energetic, and intelligent, these dogs clearly have a hard time of it, as witnessed by what amounts to post traumatic stress disorder in Max as he returns home. There is some exceptional work from Carlos the Belgian Malinois who plays Max, his stunt doubles Pax and Jagger, and their handlers who create a three-dimensional protagonist who pretty much steals every scene he is in.