The Call of the Wild
Director: Chris Sanders
Stars: Karen Gillan, Harrison Ford, Cara Gee, Dan Steve, Bradley Whitford Jean Louise Kelly, Omar Sy
Duration: 110 mins
Class: PG
KRS Releasing Ltd
Jack London’s The Call of the Wild is one of the great novels of the American literary canon. It is a tale of adventure set in the wildest of terrain in North America, against the backdrop of the Klondike gold rush of the late 1890s. It has as its protagonist a dog named Buck who is stolen from his loving California family and sold as a sled dog for a couple of post despatchers who regularly cross the treacherous icy terrain of the northern Klondike region delivering mail.
This coming-of-age tale of a beloved and domesticated dog who struggles to adapt to his new conditions is a story that has resonated with readers for generations. Its popularity has been cemented in a series of film adaptations over almost a century, the first a silent version released in 1923, and this latest, starring Harrison Ford as John Thornton.
On viewing its opening scenes, it is easy to mistake this for a broad family comedy, as we witness Buck at home, the beloved pet of the Miller family. He is large, clumsy and lovable as he energetically goes about his day, waking the kids up by literally bouncing them out of their beds and generally causing mayhem.
The tone soon becomes rather dark (reinforced by Ford’s gravelly and sombre voiceover) when Buck is stolen, trapped in a box, and spirited up north where he finds a new life in the Canadian Yukon, where the story proper sets in.
There have been many films of late that have used London’s seminal novel as influence, but even if this is a familiar story that treads a rather predictable path, there is very little not to like here.
Director Chris Sanders spins a good yarn from Michael Green’s adaptation. It has, for the most part, relatable characters, and a good mix of human (and canine) drama, with some solid action sequences – from characters falling in freezing ice lakes to a heart-in-mouth escape from an avalanche.
In Buck, the film-makers have created a three-dimensional character who will melt even the hardest of hearts
That said, the intrinsic sense of danger wrought by the perils of life in those circumstances is not fully illustrated, and there is very little genuine tension. The outcome is never really in doubt, yet there are some moments that will have young ones on edge, including a very dramatic fight between Buck and fellow sled-puller Spitz as they battle for leadership of the pack.
Two-time Oscar-winning cinematographer Janusz Kaminski provides some stunning vistas, from the warm California home where we first meet Buck, to the dangerous ice-capes of the north, with some jaw-droppingly beautiful, lush, verdant wilderness thrown in for good measure. Meanwhile, the special effects used to create the photorealism of the dogs is quite superb (with only a couple of moments where it looks a little dodgy).
In Buck the film-makers have created a three-dimensional character who will melt even the hardest of hearts, from his initial boisterous actions, to his moments of abject fear when he is horribly abused (thankfully these scenes are rather short), to his coming to terms with his new conditions where he discovers his true spirit.
His human companions vary from the welcoming – in the guise of Perrault (Omar Sy) and Françoise (Cara Gee), who drive the postal dog-sled delivery team and are immediately taken by Buck’s extraordinary personality; to the cruel, as Buck finds when he is sold to a group of ill-equipped gold prospectors led by Dan Stevens as Hal (who plays the part with a tad too much pantomime villainy).
In Harrison Ford’s John Thornton, a man who fled the comforts of his life – and his wife – after an unbearable tragedy befell them, Buck finally finds his soul mate.
It is a role that fits Ford like a glove – the gruff, misanthropic exterior belying the honourable man inside whose relationship with Buck ‒ as together they set out on an adventure that will change them both ‒ becomes the heart and soul of the film.
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