Jane Campion doesn't do "easy." If you sat down to watch The Power of the Dog film expecting a traditional shootout at the O.K. Corral, you probably left feeling a bit dizzy. It’s a slow burn. A really slow burn. But that’s exactly where its teeth are.
Released on Netflix back in 2021, this isn’t just a "Western." Honestly, calling it a Western feels like calling Jaws a movie about a fish. It’s a psychological dissection of what happens when you bottle up your own identity until it turns into literal poison. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Phil Burbank, a man who smells like cowhide and resentment. He’s mean. He’s brilliant. He’s terrified.
The movie swept the awards circuit for a reason. Campion became the first woman to be nominated for Best Director twice, eventually taking home the Oscar. But beyond the trophies, people are still dissecting that ending. Why did Peter do it? Was Phil actually in love? What was the deal with the rope?
What Most People Get Wrong About Phil Burbank
Phil is the "villain," right? That’s the easy take. He bullies Rose (Kirsten Dunst) until she becomes an alcoholic. He mocks his brother George (Jesse Plemons) by calling him "fatso." He’s a nightmare.
But look closer.
Phil is a Yale graduate who chose to live like a ranch hand. He’s performing masculinity like it’s a theater piece. The dirt under his fingernails is a costume. He’s obsessed with his late mentor, Bronco Henry, and if you pay attention to the way he touches Henry’s old saddle, you realize this isn't just "hero worship." It’s unrequited, repressed queer desire in a time and place—Montana, 1925—that would have literally killed him for it.
The tragedy of The Power of the Dog film is that Phil has spent decades building a cage for himself. He thinks he’s the master of the ranch, but he’s actually the most trapped person there. When he meets Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee), he sees a version of himself that he hates: someone feminine, someone delicate.
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But then, he sees something else. A kindred spirit? Or a target?
The Bronco Henry Factor
Everything in this movie circles back to a man who never appears on screen. Bronco Henry is a ghost. He represents a "purity" of the West that Phil is desperate to maintain. When Phil starts mentoring Peter, he thinks he’s becoming the new Bronco Henry. He thinks he’s initiating the boy into the brotherhood of the "real man."
He completely misses the fact that Peter is ten times more dangerous than he is.
The Ending Explained (Simply)
Let’s talk about the anthrax.
A lot of viewers missed the specific mechanics of the ending because Campion trusts her audience to keep up. She doesn't do "hand-holding." Remember the scene where Peter finds the dead cow? He puts on his surgical gloves—reminding us he’s a medical student, not just a "weak" kid—and he skins it. He specifically harvests the hide from an animal that died of "blackleg" (anthrax).
Phil has an open wound on his hand. He cut it earlier in a fit of rage.
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When Phil’s brother George buys all the hides Phil was saving, Phil is devastated. Peter "kindly" offers Phil the hide he harvested. When Phil spends the night soaking that infected hide in water to braid a rope, he’s literally massaging the bacteria into his bloodstream.
It wasn't an accident.
It was a cold, calculated execution.
Peter killed Phil to save his mother. Rose was falling apart because of Phil's psychological warfare. Peter saw a threat and removed it with the precision of a surgeon. The final shot of Peter looking out the window and smiling? That’s the moment you realize who the real "alpha" was all along.
Why The Power of the Dog Film Matters in 2026
We are still obsessed with the "tough guy" trope. We see it in politics, in sports, in every action movie trailer. Campion’s film deconstructs that trope by showing the hollow core.
Phil’s "power" was a lie. It was a defense mechanism.
Ari Wegner’s Cinematography
You can’t talk about this movie without mentioning the visuals. Ari Wegner, the cinematographer, captured the New Zealand landscape (doubling for Montana) in a way that feels claustrophobic despite the wide-open spaces. The hills look like crumpled velvet. Or, if you look at them the way Phil does, they look like a barking dog.
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That "dog" in the hills is a Rorschach test. Phil sees it because he’s looking for a sign of his own strength. Peter sees it because he’s observant. The title itself comes from Psalm 22:20: "Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog." In this context, the "dog" is the predatory, toxic influence of Phil.
A Masterclass in Acting
Cumberbatch went full method for this. He didn't wash. He learned to castrate bulls for real. He stayed in character even when the cameras weren't rolling. You can feel that grime. But Kirsten Dunst is the secret weapon here. Her descent into a booze-soaked fog is heartbreaking because it’s so quiet. She doesn't have "big" screaming matches with Phil. He just whistles a tune she can't play on the piano, and it breaks her. That is high-level psychological horror.
The Subtle Art of the "Slow Cinema"
Some people hate this movie. They find it boring.
That’s a valid reaction if you’re looking for plot-heavy entertainment. But The Power of the Dog film is about subtext. It’s about what isn't said. It’s about the way Phil combs his hair with Bronco Henry’s comb. It’s about the way Peter walks—that rhythmic, slightly effeminate gait that Phil mocks, not realizing it’s the walk of a person who is perfectly comfortable in their own skin.
Phil is a man of the past. Peter is the future. The future is cold, efficient, and doesn't care about your "cowboy codes."
Key Details You Might Have Missed:
- The Paper Flowers: Peter makes them at the beginning. Phil burns them. It’s the first act of war.
- The Hula Hoop: A tiny detail showing the "modern" world creeping into George and Rose's life, which Phil finds disgusting.
- The Gloves: Peter wears them to protect himself; Phil refuses to wear them because he thinks it makes him "tough." That pride is exactly what kills him.
What to Do After Watching
If you’ve just finished the movie and your brain is buzzing, don't just jump into the next Netflix recommendation.
- Read the Book: Thomas Savage wrote the novel in 1967. He was a closeted man who grew up on a ranch in Montana. Knowing his backstory makes Phil’s character even more devastating. The book is even more explicit about Phil’s inner turmoil.
- Watch "The Piano": If you want to understand Jane Campion’s obsession with repressed passion and harsh landscapes, this is her 1993 masterpiece.
- Analyze the Sound Design: Jonny Greenwood (of Radiohead) did the score. Notice how the strings sound like they’re being plucked too hard—like they’re about to snap. That’s exactly how the characters feel.
The real takeaway here? Vulnerability isn't weakness. Phil thought his lack of empathy made him a god among men. In reality, it made him vulnerable to a teenage boy with a pair of surgical scissors and a plan.
To truly appreciate The Power of the Dog film, watch it a second time. Now that you know the ending, watch Peter. Watch how he observes everything. He isn't the victim. He’s the hunter. And Phil never even saw him coming.