Red Dog

Plot synopsis:
In 1971, a truck driver Thomas (Luke Ford) arrives in Dampier, Western Australia late one night, having transported a previously ordered statue of William Dampier to the town. Upon entering the town pub he sees the silhouettes of a group of men, one of whom is holding a gun. Believing it is a murder, he rushes into the next room, where he sees that the men are trying to put down an apparently sick dog (Koko). Unable to bring themselves to carry out the euthanasia, the men, with Thomas, retreat to the bar.
Publican Jack Collins (Noah Taylor) tells him the dog's name is Red Dog and narrates his story. Upon arriving in Dampier, the dog befriends many of the employees of Hamersley Iron, who have a major iron ore excavation in progress. Various miners relate their stories of Red Dog to Thomas, but state that, while Red Dog was a dog for everyone, he had no real master.
The men then tell of an American named John Grant (Josh Lucas), a bus driver for Hamersley Iron who became Red's true master. He eventually starts dating a woman named Nancy (Rachael Taylor), who is a secretary at Hamersley Iron. After living in Dampier for two years, John proposes to Nancy. On the night of the engagement, John tells Red Dog to stay until he returns from Nancy's caravan. Early the next morning, John rides his motorcycle from Nancy's caravan, but is killed in an accident on the way after hitting a kangaroo.
In the shock of John's accident, Nancy and the Hamersley men forget about Red Dog. Three days after the funeral, they find him still waiting where John told him to stay. After three weeks Red dog decides to look for John, first at Hamersley Iron, then the bar and other places where John was known to go, until all of Dampier is explored. He then continues across much of the Australian North West Pilbara region from Perth to Darwin. He is even rumoured to have caught a ship to Japan in search of John. Finally, the grief catches up to him, and he decides to return to Dampier. When he arrives, he returns to Nancy at the caravan park where she is staying, and she is overwhelmed to see him. The caretakers of the caravan park, however, do not allow dogs in the park, and threaten to shoot Red Dog. Nancy and John's friends at Hamersley then travel to the community of Dampier in support of Red Dog and, after a "civilised chat" with some of the miners, the caretaker and his wife leave, leaving their cat, Red Cat, behind. A great fight between Red Dog and Red Cat ensues, and in the end, they resolve their differences and become mates but still have their ups and downs.
Back in the present day, miner Jocko (Rohan Nichol) asks the gathered crowd why they should have a statue of a man (William Dampier) set in their town when all he did in relation to the place was say that there were too many flies, and suggests that they should instead erect a statue of someone who represents the town – Red Dog. During the celebrations that follow, Red Dog gets up and walks out of the bar, unnoticed by everyone. Upon realising that the sick dog has left, everyone in the town begins looking for him, eventually finding him lying dead in front of John's grave.
One year later, Thomas once again drives up to Dampier with a new puppy for Nancy, a new 'Red Dog' and the whole town unveils a statue of Red Dog, a statue which still stands today.

Tags: romantic

Review:
A beautiful film shot in one of Australia's most iconic locations that reconstructs a true tale of an Australian larrikan in the manner that these stories are meant to be told, serious, but with a nudge & a wink.
It was refreshing that the Director (Kriv Stenders) & the human actors never tried to upstage the true star of the movie Red Dog (Koko), letting him become the focus of the story.It is important that Australian cinema continues to look at the 1,000's of little stories that make us what we are, the stories of towns & people that are often overlooked in our desire to be recognized overseas.
I was lucky enough to see this movie in Western Australia.....the home of Red Dog. More than that, my West Australian wife grew up in Dampier and remembers a period of four or five days, where Red Dog decided to grace her family home with his presence...enjoying the steak dinners provided by my Father in Law. He then decided it was time to go, and moved on to another family.
Josh Lucas is oh so gorgeous, and so is Rachel Taylor, and the 'real characters' maybe cliché, but you know what, it doesn't matter because it makes the movie even more real and enjoyable.We laughed, we cried, we laughed, we cried and were moved by a story that crosses time and age and is based on a true story.
And that kind of exclusivity is priceless.This is the Australian Cattle dog that makes Lassie look lame and Rin Tin Tin look like an obedient idiot.That's because Red Dog is a dog for the soul.A new movie called Red Dog is the true story of a wandering pooch that brought people together and joy to a community.
No one owned Red Dog – until he met a man and gave himself to that one man.In real life, all this took place in North West Western Australia at a town called Dampier during the 1970s.
He seduced and intimidated people into giving him free rides all over the country and, as legend has it, hitched a ride on a tanker to Japan for a spell too.This dog was so clever, he even sorted free veterinarian care for himself – kind of like scamming a fake medicare card.I laughed a lot during the movie and cried 3 times.
But the most kudos has to go to director Kriv Stenders (Lucky Country, Boxing Day, The Illustrated Family Doctor) for shooting a beautiful film in a stunning location while keeping the story elevated to the mythic status Red Dog attained.Koko is the name of the real dog who plays Red Dog – you can see his audition tape with Kriv at the end of this review.
A few had lesser roles in movies such as Babe and Brokeback Mountain.Famous people who have owned Aussie Cattle dogs include Owen Wilson, Kelly McGillis and Matthew McConaughey.And for truly extraordinary stories of Australian Cattle dogs pulling off miraculous feats – look up Sophie in Queensland.
At first I thought it was going to be one of those rom-coms slated for screening later this month or year, but what got put out was way, way better than expected, even though it started a little slow and bewildering (unlike most other surprise screenings where one can guess what it will be), Red Dog was more than worth the price of the discounted ticket, an Australian film set in the 70s Western Australia in a small mining town based upon a folklore that surpasses almost every conventional dog related cinematic tale put out especially by Hollywood in recent years.A trucker drives into town and pit stops at a bar, only to find a couple of burly men pining a dog down, with the sheriff about to pull the trigger, but for the trucker's intervention to put off their plan.
Slowly but surely for any stranger riding into a new land, the townsfolk soon grow in numbers, as everyone started to pour in to the bar to seemingly pay tribute to the dog, christened Red Dog by everyone, with the narrative unveiling itself in episodic flashback nature with characters taking turns to tell their version and stories of how the dog impacted their lives and the lives of the mining town, and how the town got changed through their canine friend.
The tried, tested and tired route Hollywood typically takes is to load plenty of saccharine sweet, cutesy moments to deliberate tug at your heartstrings, which is why this Australian film is that fantastic breath of fresh air as it busts genre conventions, yet possessing enough pathos to lift the film into its emotional plateau, pulling you into the rowdy though genuinely sincere lifestyle the miners lead.As for star power, Josh Lucas stars as the wanderer turned bus driver John who becomes the one and only de-facto owner of Red Dog as they form a loyal master-dog relationship, with Rachael Taylor (of Transformers fame) playing Nancy his love interest whom he met while serving the community, and she getting into a tussle with Red Dog on his bus.
Their romance will form the crux which the story will revolve around briefly, although there are other stories which I enjoyed such as how Red Dog got into assisting an Italian miner Vanno (Arthur Angel) go after a nurse (Keisha Castle-Hughes), and a heart-wrenching moment involving the themes of loyalty and longing.With an awesome soundtrack and beautifully filmed landscapes that captures the conditions of the mining town in very picturesque language, you'll laugh, you'll cry and you'll be moved by the time the movie pulls into its final reel.
Instead of telling a heart felt story it really showed the bogan miners (in the real world these guys work their guts out back in the 70's) with bogan cowboy fights and silly sideline stories.Why do we need to do a tourism sell every time we make an Australian movie?
Before you go dismissing this as yet another Hollywood fluff about man's best friend, know this- 'Red Dog' is based on a true story of a stray Australian Kelpie who wound up in the remote mining town of Dampier, Australia and found its way so firmly into the hearts of the locals that a statue of him now greets all visitors to the town.
Both characters however are among those personally touched by Red Dog's presence which Taplitz brings to the forefront of the film, and these vignettes are infused with such gentle humour and warmth that you can't quite help but be charmed by them.The man Red Dog finally chooses as his master is the American bus driver John (Josh Lucas), a drifter who never stays more than two years in one place.
So strong is their connection that John senses jealousy on Red Dog's part when he asks the company secretary Nancy (Rachael Taylor) out on a date- the dog placed in Peeto's care finding its own way to the open air movie theatre screening Steven Spielberg's 'Jaws'.
It's no secret tragedy has befallen- and this becomes a turning point for Red Dog and his legend as the loyal friend waits patiently at John's house for three weeks for his return before setting off on a journey around Western Australia in search of his master.
But the star of the film is first-time leading dog Koko (owned by producer Nelson Woss) who proves to be truly a revelation, responding to the emotional beats of each scene with great eloquence.
The charm of Red Dog's story however lies not with what he did, but rather who he was- as one of the characters in the film points out early on- through his actions to each member of the Dampier community.
Unfortunately it doesn't work at all, being too convenient and too cliché for its own and the viewers good.You might think I'm pessimistic or too sarcastic with this view, but remember I really like the movie itself, if it weren't for that side story.
Poor directing, terrible acting and plot Give it a miss I honestly can't find anything good to say about the film It's certainly not a family film as even my 10 year old who loves dogs Hated the film Repeatedly she asked me what is happening Enough said I can't even fill 10 lines.
When John dies riding his bike, Red Dog travels the world looking for his friend.This is one of those doggy movies.
If you look hard enough you might catch a glimpse of a red dog in this predictably typical and quite bad Australian movie.Why would I take my kids to see what was essentially a love story about random adults, mostly kissing and hopping in and out of bed, simply as showcase for actors and some stupid and terribly predictable nonsense of how Aussies in the bush behave.I was expecting the story, which is actually quite fantastic of RED DOG, you know, the dog who is famous and was so special and amazing that he is still celebrated in his home town 40 years later!Give this garbage a miss and read or research on the real dog instead and discover a truly wonderful story of this dog.Utter waste of money and my time.
Then there is some pitch-perfect acting from a good cast, fine cinematography making the most of the spectacular landscape, and a neat blend of comedy and drama – "Crocodile Dundee" with a dog as the hero.The film has a most unlikely provenance, as it is based on a novelisation by the rather literary English author Louis de Bernieres ("Captain Corellis'Mandolin") who came across the story of the legendary red dog of the Pilbara on a trip to Karratha, near Dampier, for a literary event.
The film-makers have sanitised the story somewhat – the real life "master" of Red Dog was not such a nice person as that played by Josh Lucas in the film, but they have effectively captured the atmosphere of a town where almost everyone was friends with a roaming Kelpie with a flatulence problem.
The dog is the star but there are a lot of other good characters as well.I'm from an iron mining town so this also made the movie more interesting for me.This movie is based on true stories about a real dog in Australia in the 70s.
There are scenes that will absolutely rip your heart out but also scenes that will have you rolling around with laughter - who doesn't laugh at the smell of a dog's fart?!A perfect soundtrack to the 70's in Australia, a scenic backdrop like no other on earth and a dog with more talent than any Hollywood actor/actress make Red Dog one of the best Australian movies ever made.
The warmth and relationships in it are sympathetically portrayed and anybody who doesn't love the characters needs )like Red Cat) to go a few rounds with Red Dog.I saw one reviewer who asked "Do the English natter on about splendid period pieces?
Red Dog was a beautiful movie based on a true story of a dog who travelled the entire continent of Australia in search of his master.
Really nice soundtrack and beautifully filmed landscapes that captures the conditions of the mining town, I laughed, I cried and I was moved by the time the movie ended.
I admit I am an animal lover, so I'm not sure how much of that reflected on my love of this movie, but I think anyone with a heartbeat can't help but be touched by this movie.The characters, and of course Red Dog, are completely endearing and I felt an instant bond with all of them.
This is indeed a wonderful Australian 'dog' movie to see and is comparable with the Richard Gere/Hachiko dog movie from Japan a couple of years ago which left us all in buckets of tears and compelled us to watch more than once.This Aussie movie is a little more subtle and just as entertaining, also based on a true story.
To be honest I initially baulked at seeing this movie, I didn't think it was for me, however, after my fiancé's cajoling to see Red Dog,I can honestly say that it is well worth the admission and definitely not as mentioned by a couple of no doubt highly respected movie critics, a waste of your time!I found all the characters to be likable, and that the acting portrayed ordinary people living and working in a harsh environment very well indeed.
Based on a true story, Red Dog is a loyal Dog, living in a small town in Western Australia, who is loved by all, and then finally finds one owner to stand by.
Red dog is a fantastic movie not only I love animals, but because it's hilarious, dramatic and it's Australian!!
This film is based on the true story and a novel by Louis de Bernieres of a cattle dog travelling throughout the Pilbara region, Western Australia during the 1970s.
Other than that, it's a very likable film with humorous characters, great story and of course the big star of all, red dog who literally takes third of the posters and advertisements.
this turned out to be an absolute gem!The acting was not the best but that didn't actually detract from the movie because the focus was firmly on the story and it's star Red Dog, played brilliantly by Koko.
This true story (with artistic embellishment no doubt) is laid out in a simple screenplay based on flashbacks to the 1970s recounted by various characters remembering the events surrounding Red Dog. The cinematography is great -- the Western Australian backdrop is really used fully to deliver varied light patterns, treeless plains, blue ocean, and the constant sense of dry heat.I highly recommend this to dog lovers, cat lovers, those looking for a laugh, or a cry, or anyone else for that matter -- loved it!
This film demonstrates with the aide of a true story the love and loyalty dogs will show to people.
After years of family films (except for animated ones) are intended for children to like but nothing to appeal to adults that can result into boredom, Kriv Stenders saves the genre with Red Dog by adding both comedy and drama joined together into a true story of a legendary dog.Yes, the script is clichéd but criticsizing a movie for clichés is very old since it is going to appear in films and there's no point criticsizing it however, it depends how they are presented in the film and the cast managed top it off that i can find it amusing every time i see it.Speaking off the cast, they did a great job making a real diversity of characters, Josh Lucas as the American bus driver, Rachael Taylor as the secretary which they shared nice chemistry, the late legendary Bill Hunter makes a nice cameo and Koko as the title character, a marvelous introduction of an animal actor all together in the small town of Dampier which is beautifully filmed along with really touching scenes.This is one of the best live action family film since School of Rock in 2003 that does have an appeal to both kids and adults.
Red Dog. My husband and I had the pleasure of seeing this movie yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it.It was a beautiful movie and had some very funny moments and some sad moments.Whilst this film is based on a true story, some poetic license seems to have been given to it.My husband hasn't laughed so much for a long, long time.The acting perhaps wasn't the greatest, but I still believe most people would enjoy this film and it is well worth seeing.It was nice to see a movie without violence and very little swearing for a change..
Go Red Dog!!This lovely film has an amazing story which is made all the better by knowing it is true.
This movie begins with fun in fact lots of loads of fun simultaneously very emotional and heartbreaking tale.Actually it was about a middle aged dog which appears from nowhere to a western Australian mining town called Dampier, and soon after he becomes everyone's dear and loved one which later taken care by them in the small community town without a particular master.
It won't tell the exact true story of the Australian legendary red dog which lived in 1970s but made few changes to the movie.
A delightful family movie (based on a true story), Red Dog is worth a ticket.
RED DOG a True Story & Great Australian Yarn that will translate well to a world Audience.
I will be seeing this Movie a few more times.The Town of Dampier Western Australia - Red Dog Statue http://bit.ly/naE2vh.
Aspects like the love story between John and Nancy, and Red Dog dying next to John's grave is completely made up and makes the film too similar to many other films.
First, it has a nice cast, which includes Koko's wonderful turn as Red Dog. Then, the story is based on a true tale and it will make everyone laugh, cry, and cheer!
"Red Dog" is an interesting film based on a real story about a dog in the wilds of Western Australia.
And adding to the myth is the story of how Red Dog found his one and only master, John (Josh Lucas) and how he fell in love with Nancy (Rachael Taylor).
Second only to Mrs. Carey's Concert, Red Dog is the best Australian film's I've seen this year.
There are some funny surprises because Red Dog is a continuously brimming with Australian humour, like when the miner Peeto (John Batchelor) tells Vanno that if he mentions one of his stories again the other miners are going to kill him.
Sorry.The film starts out by the mining community coming together with Red Dog not in a good way (being accidentally poisoned).