Cert 12A
111 mins
BBFC advice; Contains moderate threat, infrequent moderate violence
First there was Lassie, then there was Skippy and Flipper and now the latest animal with human-like attributes is Max.
Boaz Yakin's movie reminded me of one of those real-life Disney films which frustrated me when I was a kid because I would have preferred to be watching a cartoon.
It is so smothered in cheese that I wanted to gag.
And I wondered at which audience it was aimed. I reckon children are far too sophisticated nowadays to accept some of its assumptions.
Max is an armed forces' dog, trained to sniff out explosives on the front line in Afghanistan.
He is retired back to the United States when he is wrongly blamed for the death of his handler (Robbie Amell).
Thus, he is on canine death row until the dead marine's family decided to take him in.
Almost immediately, he becomes the best friend of his handler's brother (Josh Wiggins) but struggles to win over his tough-guy father (Thomas Haden Church).
The relationship between father and surviving son is a difficult one and Max's presence makes matters worse.
This is until he is needed to combat a drugs gang. And from then on, we all know how the film is going to finish.
The role of animals on the frontline is a serious subject and was best addressed in movies such as War Horse.
Sadly, this dissolves into the sentimental and the unbelievable.
Josh Wiggins on acting with dogs: "My dad is a canine handler so I went to his facility and I kinda ran with the dogs and that helped a lot."
Reasons to watch: If you are into cheesy Lassie-style movies
Reasons to avoid: It drips sentimentality
Laughs: one
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 3.5/10
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