Shocking! ‘Dogman’ Director Unleashes His Most Savage Work Yet!

A Unique Lens

Luc Besson’s films often operate on a distinct level of their own. His action-packed thrillers such as “The Professional” and “Lucy” may be set in the real world, but Besson has a knack for presenting them in an alternate universe, fueled by the whimsical and escapist allure of movies themselves. This could be why his ventures into more explicit fantasy domains like “The Fifth Element” have not always been an ideal match. For Besson, the ordinary is already filled with an adequate amount of peculiarities.

A New Kind of Fairy Tale

However, none of his previous projects have displayed such a potent fairy-tale essence as “Dogman,” an odd yet heartfelt tribute to a heartbroken outsider who may also be a sociopath. This uneven drama, part musical, part character study, and part crime saga, about a wounded soul who finds solace only in his dog companions, amalgamates Besson’s most extreme predilections without the usual inspired fervor. Without Caleb Landry Jones in the lead role, it would fall flat.

A Fragile Character

Jones, who received an acting award at Cannes in 2021 for his role as an emerging murderer in “Nitram,” is known for his portrayal of delicate characters whose impending breakdowns could lead to horrific violence. He is perfectly suited for the role of Douglas in “Dogman,” who is introduced as a recently arrested drag queen, dressed as Marilyn Monroe, complete with her iconic pink, strapless gown and stunning hairstyle from “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.”

The beauty of his disguise is marred only by the bandages and bruises on his face, and the unsettling smile he gives Evelyn (Jojo T. Gibbs), the psychiatrist assigned to interrogate him following his arrest for driving a truck filled with dozens of abandoned dogs. Evelyn seeks to understand how this wheelchair-bound suspect ended up at this point in his life. Through flashbacks, he will narrate his unfortunate story.

A World of Fantasy

While the film is nominally set in New Jersey, it truly exists in a fantasy world teeming with arbitrary pop culture references and haphazard genre shifts. Besson starts off seemingly grounded in a harsher reality. Lincoln Powell portrays the younger Doug in flashbacks, the most significant of which involves a cruel father (Clemens Schick) who imposes unconventional parenting methods that include locking his son outside in a cage with several dogs, who become Doug’s surrogate family. After a brutal confrontation with his father, Doug finally escapes but not before his father leaves him with a missing finger and a debilitating spinal injury.

A Unique Narrative

“Dogman” largely sidesteps the restraints of a conventional storytelling method where the static current-day narrative serves as a device to delve into the character’s past. Doug’s eccentric misadventures, while intermittently captivating, are appropriately bizarre. He not only bonds with dogs but appears to communicate with them, using them as an alarmingly (and occasionally hilariously) effective assault team. Doug’s unexpected stint as a drag show performer, delivering a stellar lip-sync performance of Édith Piaf’s “La Foule,” is another highlight. Doug will cross paths with gangsters involved in high-stakes robberies, but like many of Besson’s solitary characters, all he truly desires is to find love.

A Saving Grace

The film’s redeeming feature is Jones’ disarmingly tender portrayal. His restrained intensity, whether in the interview scenes or in the flashbacks, suggests a shattered man-child who was never properly socialized. Even if we’ve become accustomed to seeing Jones in roles of wounded individuals, he remains chillingly unsettling, particularly as he keeps the audience guessing whether Doug is a victim or a threat.

A Tense Atmosphere

This uncertainty proves more enthralling than “Dogman” itself. Besson’s empathy for Douglas, who is as lost as the stray dogs he takes in, is palpable. (It’s also difficult to ignore that this is Besson’s first film since being absolved of 2018 rape charges. Whether intentional or not, “Dogman” can be interpreted as his defense of a wrongly accused innocent.) However, Besson soon descends into tonal confusion, oscillating between serious character study and blatant clichés. Fans missing the gunfights from his “La Femme Nikita” will be pleased to find them awkwardly inserted into “Dogman’s” climax, forcing Jones to morph into an improbable action star. Besson has seldom seemed so detached from any semblance of normal human behavior.

A Playful Irreverence

Some may appreciate “Dogman” precisely for this reason. Besson’s films have always exhibited a playful irreverence, an unapologetic admiration for B-movie excitement, and a delicate emotional core paired with exhilarating spectacle. Jones, never mocking the rampant absurdity, provides a bit of stability. But Besson wants to break free from conventions, and his instincts lead him off course.