Checked out the film Megan Leavey, the true story of a US marine and her working military dog sent to Iraq to sniff out bombs and her state-side attempt to adopt the animal. It is a new release with fairly minimal marketing but it’s a good movie that most folks should see.
Megan Leavey is not a great person at the start – aimless, shiftless, a drinker with no ties and no desires. She joins the marines seemingly out of boredom… and falls in love with the bomb-sniffing dogs. She turns her military career around to ensure she can become one of their handlers. The dog then makes her a better person even after they got wounded in Iraq. Since the dog is considered a warrior, not a dog and certainly not a pet, adopting the animal becomes a challenge.
I liked this movie quite a bit. It stars Kate Mara in a nice warts-n-all performance – one of her best turns as an actor. The German Sheppard dog/actors (I assume there was more than one) are beautiful and well-trained animals. The Iraq location, bomb detection scenes, and battle scenes are all well crafted and tense but it’s the emotional scenes between Megan and the dog and her family that are the heart of this charming and moving film.
I liked it a lot. Very strong film. If you like dogs, the military, or military dogs, there’s no reason not to catch this smart and heartfelt film.
Score: 86