# Heart of the Beast
**Heart of the Beast** is a 2026 American survival thriller directed by [David Ayer](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-ayer) and written by Cameron Alexander, starring [Brad Pitt](https://www.edgepedia.org/brad-pitt) as Special Forces veteran James Belmont, who with his combat dog Odin must survive in the Alaskan wilderness after a plane crash. It was distributed by [Paramount Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount-pictures) and released in theaters on September 25, 2026.[1](https://www.paramountmovies.com/movies/heart-of-the-beast) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/heart_of_the_beast)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writer | David Ayer; screenplay by Cameron Alexander[1](https://www.paramountmovies.com/movies/heart-of-the-beast) |
| Cast | Brad Pitt as James Belmont; J.K. Simmons as Watkins; Anna Lambe as Amber; the dog Odin played chiefly by Uber[1](https://www.paramountmovies.com/movies/heart-of-the-beast) • [3](https://www.tvinsider.com/show/heart-of-the-beast/) • [4](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/heart-of-the-beast-brad-pitt-dog-film-review-2026) |
| Release | September 25, 2026 (theatrical, Paramount Pictures); reported digital/VOD date November 10, 2026[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/heart_of_the_beast) • [5](https://whentostream.com/heart-of-the-beast-digital-streaming-release-date-revealed/) |
| Rating / runtime | PG-13; 1 hour 41 minutes[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/heart_of_the_beast) |
| Filming | Queenstown, New Zealand, March to May 2025, standing in for Alaska[6](https://www.productionlist.com/production/heart-of-the-beast) • [7](https://www.nzfilm.co.nz/films/heart-of-the-beast-2) |
| Reception | 85% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 182 reviews and 95% on the audience Popcornmeter; 69/100 on Metacritic; $58.2 million gross in the United States[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/heart_of_the_beast) • [8](https://dknetwork.draftkings.com/2026/09/24/heart-of-the-beast-ratings-rotten-tomatoes-imdb-metacritic-more/) |
## Premise
James Belmont (Brad Pitt), a retired Army Special Forces soldier, takes a post-retirement camping trip in remote Alaska with Odin, the retired military working dog that served alongside him. While piloting his small seaplane home, James suffers a heart attack and passes out, and the plane goes down more than 50 miles from the nearest road.[9](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2026-09-24/heart-of-beast-review-brad-pitt-uber-david-ayer-j-k-simmons) Separated by the crash and then reunited, the two make a trek of roughly 58 miles (93 km) back toward civilization, facing extreme weather, a bear, and a wolf pack, while the film also touches on the psychological wounds both carry from their service.[10](https://lsf.go.id/en/film/heart-beast/1487) • [11](https://www.caseymoviemania.com/heart-of-the-beast-review-brad-pitt/)
The story is framed by a flash-forward opening in which Odin emerges from the wilderness and encounters a friendly driver (Anna Lambe), showing audiences at the outset that the dog survives the ordeal before the film cuts back a week.[12](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/movies/heart-of-the-beast-review-i-wanted-to-love-brad-pitts-new-survival-thriller-then-it-got-really-cheesy) The film is not based on a true story.[13](https://apnews.com/article/caf6540596bba681b35319e10765ee69)
## Production
The screenplay by Cameron Alexander appeared on Hollywood's 2017 "Black List" of unproduced scripts.[14](https://as.com/meristation/cine/brad-pitt-protagonizara-un-thriller-de-supervivencia-extrema-en-alaska-junto-a-un-perro-militar-asi-es-heart-of-the-beast-f202605-n/) [Principal photography](https://www.edgepedia.org/principal-photography) took place in [Queenstown, New Zealand](https://www.edgepedia.org/queenstown-new-zealand) from March to May 2025, with Paramount Pictures, Cedar Park Entertainment, and Mediawan attached; production was listed as completed as of April 28, 2026.[6](https://www.productionlist.com/production/heart-of-the-beast) New Zealand's South Island stood in for the Alaskan wilderness, with local crews, cultural advisors, and iwi partnerships supporting filming, and some remote glacier locations accessible only by helicopter.[7](https://www.nzfilm.co.nz/films/heart-of-the-beast-2) • [10](https://lsf.go.id/en/film/heart-beast/1487)
**The dog Odin.** The canine lead was played by four different dogs, each performing a different role: Uber, the primary dog on screen, together with Seeka and Seeka's brothers Ryker and Hondo.[10](https://lsf.go.id/en/film/heart-beast/1487) • [15](https://www.massey.ac.nz/about/news/meet-the-massey-connected-dog-who-stars-alongside-brad-pitt/) Seeka, one of the four, spent about six months training for and filming the movie.[15](https://www.massey.ac.nz/about/news/meet-the-massey-connected-dog-who-stars-alongside-brad-pitt/) Reviewers repeatedly singled out the dog's performance; Glenn Kenny of RogerEbert.com wrote that Uber, a [German Shepherd](https://www.edgepedia.org/german-shepherd), "trots away with the picture" as Odin.[4](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/heart-of-the-beast-brad-pitt-dog-film-review-2026)
The film reunites Pitt with Ayer, who directed him in *[Fury](https://www.edgepedia.org/fury-2014-film)* (2014).[13](https://apnews.com/article/caf6540596bba681b35319e10765ee69) The crew included cinematographer Mauro Fiore, editor Dody Dorn, production designer Greg Berry, costume designer Amanda Neale, and composer Jared Michael Fry.[1](https://www.paramountmovies.com/movies/heart-of-the-beast)
## Reception
Heart of the Beast opened to broadly positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes it held an 85% Tomatometer from 182 reviews and a 95% Popcornmeter score from more than 2,500 verified ratings, with the critics consensus calling it "a rigorously entertaining adventure story told through a spartan script and memorable set pieces" that "pays rousing tribute to man's best friend."[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/heart_of_the_beast) Metacritic recorded 69/100 and IMDb 7.2/10, for an average of 73.5/100 across major platforms.[8](https://dknetwork.draftkings.com/2026/09/24/heart-of-the-beast-ratings-rotten-tomatoes-imdb-metacritic-more/) Early in its run, a 94% score from 31 reviews made it David Ayer's best-reviewed film on Rotten Tomatoes.[16](https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/2195324-brad-pitt-heart-of-the-beast-david-ayer-best-reviewed-movie/xwp_curated_content) The film grossed $58.2 million in the United States.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/heart_of_the_beast)
Critics agreed on the film's central strength and its main weakness. The bond between James and Odin, played largely without dialogue, drew consistent praise; the BFI's *Sight and Sound* review credited Ayer, Fiore, Dorn, and the dog wranglers with making Odin's glances "as charged as they can possibly be."[17](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/heart-beast-bracingly-executed-man-dog-survival-story) By contrast, the other animals, including a bear and a wolf pack, were rendered with CGI that many reviewers found unconvincing; the Los Angeles Times wrote that "the CGI isn't convincing in the slightest," and RogerEbert.com called those sequences where the movie "falters, relatively severely."[9](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2026-09-24/heart-of-beast-review-brad-pitt-uber-david-ayer-j-k-simmons) • [4](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/heart-of-the-beast-brad-pitt-dog-film-review-2026) Some reviewers also criticized the sepia-toned service flashbacks and a closing message they found heavy-handed, while others judged the film a well-executed entry in the survival genre.[12](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/movies/heart-of-the-beast-review-i-wanted-to-love-brad-pitts-new-survival-thriller-then-it-got-really-cheesy) • [18](https://theweek.com/culture-life/film/film-reviews-primetime-beast-resident-evil)
## Release
The film premiered in Philippine theaters on September 23, 2026, ahead of its wide United States release on September 25.[10](https://lsf.go.id/en/film/heart-beast/1487) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/heart_of_the_beast) Paramount listed it for digital preorder shortly after the theatrical run, and it was scheduled to arrive on VOD and digital platforms on November 10, 2026, a date reported by tracking services rather than announced by the studio.[1](https://www.paramountmovies.com/movies/heart-of-the-beast) • [5](https://whentostream.com/heart-of-the-beast-digital-streaming-release-date-revealed/) The Indonesian Film Censorship Institution classified it for audiences aged 13 and above.[10](https://lsf.go.id/en/film/heart-beast/1487)
## References
1. [Heart of the Beast, Paramount Movies](https://www.paramountmovies.com/movies/heart-of-the-beast)
2. [Heart of the Beast, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/heart_of_the_beast)
3. [Heart of the Beast, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/show/heart-of-the-beast/)
4. [Heart of the Beast review: Brad Pitt dog movie has moving bite, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/heart-of-the-beast-brad-pitt-dog-film-review-2026)
5. [Heart of the Beast Digital Streaming Release Date Revealed, When To Stream](https://whentostream.com/heart-of-the-beast-digital-streaming-release-date-revealed/)
6. [Heart of the Beast, Production List (Film & Television Industry Alliance)](https://www.productionlist.com/production/heart-of-the-beast)
7. [Heart of the Beast, New Zealand Film Commission](https://www.nzfilm.co.nz/films/heart-of-the-beast-2)
8. [Heart of the Beast Ratings: Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb, Metacritic & More, DraftKings Network](https://dknetwork.draftkings.com/2026/09/24/heart-of-the-beast-ratings-rotten-tomatoes-imdb-metacritic-more/)
9. [Heart of the Beast review, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2026-09-24/heart-of-beast-review-brad-pitt-uber-david-ayer-j-k-simmons)
10. [Heart of the Beast, Lembaga Sensor Film (Indonesia)](https://lsf.go.id/en/film/heart-beast/1487)
11. [Heart of the Beast Review, Casey's Movie Mania](https://www.caseymoviemania.com/heart-of-the-beast-review-brad-pitt/)
12. [Heart of the Beast review, Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/movies/heart-of-the-beast-review-i-wanted-to-love-brad-pitts-new-survival-thriller-then-it-got-really-cheesy)
13. [Movie Review: In 'Heart of the Beast,' Brad Pitt and a dog try to survive in the wild, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/caf6540596bba681b35319e10765ee69)
14. [Brad Pitt protagonizará un thriller de supervivencia extrema en Alaska, AS MeriStation](https://as.com/meristation/cine/brad-pitt-protagonizara-un-thriller-de-supervivencia-extrema-en-alaska-junto-a-un-perro-militar-asi-es-heart-of-the-beast-f202605-n/)
15. [Meet the Massey-connected dog who stars alongside Brad Pitt, Massey University](https://www.massey.ac.nz/about/news/meet-the-massey-connected-dog-who-stars-alongside-brad-pitt/)
16. [Heart of the Beast's RT Score Sets New Record for David Ayer, ComingSoon.net](https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/2195324-brad-pitt-heart-of-the-beast-david-ayer-best-reviewed-movie/xwp_curated_content)
17. [Heart of the Beast review, Sight and Sound (BFI)](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/heart-beast-bracingly-executed-man-dog-survival-story)
18. [Film reviews: 'Primetime,' 'Heart of the Beast' and 'Resident Evil', The Week](https://theweek.com/culture-life/film/film-reviews-primetime-beast-resident-evil)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Action and adventure films (individual works) › Action thrillers, 2010s › Survival and disaster thrillers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license