The great New Zealand writer-director Jane Campion has long been acclaimed for her films about the complex inner lives of women, notably in 19th-century dramas like The Portrait of a Lady, Bright Star and especially The Piano.
Phil seems at one with the land and all its living creatures, whether he’s riding a horse, leading a cattle drive or bathing in a muddy river.
The movie, which Campion adapted from a 1967 novel by Thomas Savage, looks a lot like a Western, full of somber gray skies and craggy vistas that are magnificently shot by the cinematographer Ari Wegner.
We first meet Phil and his brother, George, played by Jesse Plemons, who’s his opposite in every respect: gentlemanly, polite, neatly dressed.
As they’re being waited on, Phil sneers at the intricately cut paper flowers decorating the table, which Peter made, and then mocks the boy’s neat and precise manners.
Rose is devastated by Phil’s humiliating attack on her son, and George, who knows all too well how cruel his brother can be, is there to comfort her.
When Rose moves onto the ranch, Phil dismisses her as a gold digger and launches a vicious campaign of psychological abuse, driving Rose into depression and alcoholism.
The Power of the Dog really hits its stride in these moments; nothing overtly terrible happens, but the emotional violence that Phil inflicts on everyone in his midst is brutal to watch.
In some ways the most intriguing character here is Peter, who eventually returns home from school to visit his mother and once more becomes a target of Phil’s scorn.
Before long, Peter and Phil strike up an odd sort of friendship, with Phil teaching Peter how to ride a horse and other cowboy rites of passage.
It’s remarkable how easily this elegant British heartthrob, known for playing brainy types like Sherlock Holmes, Alan Turing and, yes, Doctor Strange, slips into the boots and spurs of a man of the Old West.
It’s been 11 years since Campion made a new movie, though in the meantime she’s co-written and co-directed two seasons of the crime drama series Top of the Lake.