Red Dog: True Blue

"Every legend has a beginning."

2016 1h 28m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 105

FamilyComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When eleven-year-old Mick is shipped off to his grandfather's cattle station in Western Australia, he befriends a scrappy, one-of-a-kind dog that will change his life forever.

“Every legend has a beginning.”

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Cast

Levi Miller
Mick
Hanna Mangan Lawrence
Betty
Bryan Brown
Grandpa
Jason Isaacs
Michael Carter
Thomas Cocquerel
Stemple
Steve Le Marquand
Little John
Syd Brisbane
Big John
Kee Chan
Jimmy Umbrella

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Kriv Stenders
Writers: Daniel Taplitz
Languages: English, French
Countries: Australia

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

88 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 10 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Red Dog Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Kriv Stenders, shot by Geoffrey Hall. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Cezary Skubiszewski. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Rodrigo Balart shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Levi Miller and Hanna Mangan Lawrence and Bryan Brown carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Kriv Stenders directs. Geoffrey Hall behind the camera. Cezary Skubiszewski scores. Rodrigo Balart cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Australia. Dialogue in English, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 10 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.
4Part of the "Red Dog Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Kriv Stenders, shot by Geoffrey Hall. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Cezary Skubiszewski. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Rodrigo Balart shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Levi Miller and Hanna Mangan Lawrence and Bryan Brown carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Every legend has a beginning.".
10IMDB entry: tt3567194 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 14 themes, including "australia", "friendship", "self-discovery", "wilderness".

The technical file

Cinematography: Geoffrey Hall
Original score: Cezary Skubiszewski
Editing: Rodrigo Balart
Production design: Sam Hobbs
Costume design: Anna Borghesi
Makeup / hair: Paula Jane Hamilton
Sound: Marco Augusto Comba
Runtime: 88 min · 1h 28m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $6,625,303
Original language: EN
IMDB: Red Dog: True Blue (2016)

Part of

Red Dog Collection

The Red Dog movie series

Also by

Kriv Stenders

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Reno2017-08-18
★ 7/10
The Blue's tale, a true free spirit. The return of the Red Dog. It has been five years since the first film. Who knew it, I never expected a film like that could get a sequel. That was inspired by a true event, but not this one. It was actually a prequel that tells the story of Red's earlier life, where did he come from, his owner et cetera. No one knows the real story, but after the 'Red Dog's success, seems they were desperate for the one more shot, hence this fictional account was born. Not as good as the first. In fact, no way anywhere near to that. All they did was to add all the possible ingredients to it to make it appeal everybody. So basically it looks like another 'Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove'. With enough comedies, adventures, one Chinese guy, aboriginal legend, storm and obviously the sentiments that strike at the right time. From the same director and the writer, but not the dog. The original award winning dog, Koko, for the role Red had died after a year later the film got released. After hearing that, I got emotional as same as the film he had starred in. That was one of the best dog films ever and one of the best tearjerker as well. Then I wanted to see this one too, but I had knew it won't surpass the original. So I had to keep my expectations low for it. This new guy called Phoenix was as good as Koko, but his role had a lesser scope. The effort/dedication/performance was the same, which is highly appreciable. Besides, he was very adorable. In fact, I felt hurt whenever he run alongside the motorbike. It might be natural, but I thought it was inhumane. I believe it was the multiple shots, not a single run. Coming to the story, it was told from a boy's perspective, his relation with the Red, but the original name was Blue. ❝True blackness has a power all of its own. It doesn't just swallow light. It's like it swallows your soul.❞ I did not like the opening scene. I thought it was very ordinary. So I guessed it's going to be a terrible film. But it did not take long to get back to the point. Once the flashback had started, it looked a different film. The entire narration was a recall. More a bedtime story. A father reveals to his son about the dog he'd lived with when he was at his age in the rural Australia in his grandfather's place. How he had found the dog and grew together, their friendship, mischiefs and other adventures. Then what happened later between them, all his life events with the Blue was told. As I said, the screenplay was average, but the performances saved the film. The boy, the dog and all the co-stars were very good. The locations were even better. Just like the previous film, it was an ideal setting. The overall film was enjoyable, but the ending was very emotional. Having seen the first, anybody would have an idea what might come at the end, but not knowing how. I thought the same, but was not expecting the sentiments. The film ended with high. It also closed at where the original film had started, to make a perfect flow. One thing I did not get was the unnecessary supernatural events. Yeah, I know the story sets in the Pilbara region, hence borrowed some local legend to stretch the storyline. But with the wildfire scene, it leans too much on that concept, making to slip away from the actual focus of the film. More than that, the film never clearly explained that segment. Now the real question is the story of Red/Blue ends here or can be expected more drag with a prequel and a sequel. First of all, I am not very happy with the fictional account. For that reason alone, it is not a must see. Because it could mislead the original film's die hard fans. So they should have given the statement at the opening that it was not based on the real. Other than that, it is a decent film in the 'Red Dog' series. Finally, I would say, it is a good film, but not the best. 7/10

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