Jane Campion returns to the kind of mythic frontier landscape—pulsating with both freedom and menace—that she previously traversed in The Piano in order to plumb the masculine psyche in The Power of the Dog, set against the desolate plains of 1920s Montana and adapted by the filmmaker from Thomas Savage’s novel. After a sensitive widow (Kirsten Dunst) and her enigmatic, fiercely loving son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) move in with her gentle new husband (Jesse Plemons), a tense battle of wills plays out between them and his brutish brother (Benedict Cumberbatch), whose frightening volatility conceals a secret torment, and whose capacity for tenderness, once reawakened, may offer him redemption or spell his destruction. Campion, who won an Academy Award for her direction here, charts the repressed desire and psychic violence coursing among these characters with the mesmerizing control of a master at the height of her powers.

For in-depth thoughts on The Power Of The Dog, please see my colleague Dom Fisher’s review from its original release here.

Video Quality

The Power Of The Dog comes to 4K UHD Blu-Ray in an AVC encoded transfer from a 4K master in 2.28:1 with Dolby Vision HDR courtesy of The Criterion Collection which provides a miraculous presentation that presents this film flawlessly. This unbelievable presentation offers a visual experience that few films can match in modern cinema. Director of Photography Ari Wegner captures some unforgettable shots of vast expanses which really wow on this format. Yet it is not just the traditionally beautiful shots of nature which impress, as you get a dynamic experience within the house interior with some rich texture in the production design. Skin tones look natural throughout the runtime with fine detail such as sweat and stubble standing out. There is so much character given to every craft that your jaw will be on the floor.

Colors are brilliantly suffused thanks to the Dolby Vision presentation which captures the most subtle nuances within the hues. The movie has a very specific, shifting color palette which Wegner uses to thematic effect, and this transfer delivers that vision with great authenticity. Nothing is candy colored or artificially boosted, just captured with precision and motivation. From the opening moments, you will notice the deep, inky blacks show no signs of the compression artifacts or crush which plague the streaming version. Highlights are likewise more stable with blooming never popping up as a problem. There is no evidence of any digital nuisances throughout the runtime. The included Blu-Ray is pretty stunning on its own, but the 4K UHD Blu-Ray does allow the film to achieve the best version of what it should be at home. Criterion has delivered what fans have long wanted with this one.

Audio Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc comes with a showstopping Dolby Atmos track that delivers in all the ways you want and need it to. Compared to most films with such a complex sound design, The Power Of The Dog is narratively reserved, but the Oscar-nominated sound work gives you a clue to how layered and formidable it is when you dive in. One of the most rewarding aspects of this audio track is the score from Jonny Greenwood which permeates the room in the surround speakers that maintains precise fidelity. Every element is crisply defined and never muddled or distorted in the slightest.

Environmental sounds and other such elements make this world feel three dimensional. The overhead speakers complement the standard surround speakers quite well without being tasked with the main load. The outdoor noises on the farm along with the ambiance of certain interiors make for a really textured soundscape. The track is more than just constant sound, as the creative team plays with intentional silence in really inventive ways. Dialogue comes through crystal clear with no words ever suppressed by a competing element. Low end response is not the star here, but it adds some personality to the mix. This is a stellar audio presentation that does not falter in the slightest. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

The Criterion 4K UHD Blu-Ray of The Power Of The Dog includes a foldout booklet featuring the essay “What Kind Of Man” by critic Amy Taubin in which she provides a great amount of insight into and analysis of the film that helps highlight the deeper themes on display, the connections to other works from the creatives, the source material and more. The on-disc special features are as follows:

Behind The Scenes with Jane Campion: A nearly 18-minute featurette which gives you a unique look at the production including Campion discussing the narrative, looking over the costumes, working with the performers to bring her vision to life, explaining the importances of certain moments and so much more that allows you to understand how passionate she is about this material.

Reframing The West: A 28-minute piece in which director Jane Campion; producer Tanya Seghatchian; actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, and Kodi Smit-McPhee; cinematographer Ari Wegner; film editor Peter Sciberras; costume designer Kirsty Cameron; makeup artist Noriko Watanabe; and supervising sound editor Robert Mackenzie offer their analysis of the characters, the keen direction of Campion, the power of the source material, the importance of truly inhabiting this environment, the color palette of the world, the patient camera movement, the hair and makeup, the production design, the sound design, the score and more.

The Women Behind The Power Of The Dog: A 24-minute roundtable conversation with Campion, director of photography Ari Wegner, actor Kirsten Dunst, and producer Tanya Seghatchian, moderated by filmmaker Tamara Jenkins. Within these discussions you understand what about the source material appealed to the creatives, the importance of Rose to the narrative, how Dunst made the role her own, the preparation that went into capturing these images, how the direction of Campion differed from some of her male counterparts and more.

Anatomy Of A Score: A nearly 14-minute featurette in which Campion speaks with composer Jonny Greenwood about the film’s score, the place of each instrument within the soundscape, how the score played with the narrative and much more that is very illuminating.

Annie Proulx: A 13-minute featurette in which novelist Annie Proulx (Brokeback Mountain) discusses her history with Thomas Savage, her appreciation for what Campion has done with the material, the changes enacted for the film adaptation, different facets of each character, the deeper themes of the story, the history of Western fiction and more.

Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

The Power Of The Dog is one of the finest movies to be released in the current decade. Jane Campion displays a command of the artform which few filmmakers are able to even come close to. The source material is brought to life with great care and creativity that reveals a stunning amount of depth and subtext. From a purely visual standpoint, the film is beyond reproach as Ari Wegman effortlessly translates the vision in Campion’s head to the screen for all to appreciate. The performances from the main quartet of actors are terrific and represent some of our favorite performances in recent memory. With every viewing of this film, it gets more impactful and further cemented as a modern classic. The Criterion Collection has released a 5-star new 4K UHD Blu-Ray with a flawless A/V presentation and some rewarding special features. This is a film that deserves all of the praise heaped upon it and so much more. Highly Recommended

The Criterion Collection edition of The Power Of The Dog will be available to purchase on November 8, 2022 on Blu-Ray and DVD.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: The Criterion Collection has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.