If you're fond of all God's critters, this Canadian-produced nature adventure of a wolf-dog bridging the gap between pet-dom and the call of the wild may curry your favor.
After his Mountie master is slain, part-wolf part-dog Kazan is adopted by willful young bride, Jo (Sophie Duez), over the advice of her trapper husband, Frank (Patrice Bissonnette). As the couple travel up river to establish a mercantile outpost, they make the acquaintance of nature photographer
Paul (Jeff Fahey) who's fascinated by their rapport with the half-tame creature. Recognizing Frank's partner, McCready (Aron Tager), as one of his late master's assailants, Kazan is proven right when McCready attacks Frank for his goods.
With Frank injured, Kazan returns periodically to assist Jo when necessary; the wolf-dog soon starts his own family. Subsequently, tragedy strikes: Jo and her newborn baby nearly freeze to death, and her visiting father succumbs to the elements. A cougar destroys Kazan's cubs and blinds his mate.
Kazan and his mate tear to shreds any cougars trapped for market by Taggart (Lorne Brass), the other slayer of his Mountie-master. Kazan is captured and trained by Taggart as a competitive fight dog, a vicious career that is curtailed when Paul reveals he legally purchased the dog from Taggart and
backs up his claim with his fists. Set free by Paul, Kazan builds a new family with his long-suffering wolf-mate, occasionally paying a visit to his human friends, Jo and Paul.
Meant to be inspirational, EYE OF THE WOLF is so prosaically directed and scripted that all the audience is apt to feel is frostbite. The footage of gamboling pooches is artfully presented, but the film can't surmount a retroactive narration that seems decades old in style and content. It's as if
the soundtrack of some 1930s education short keeps intruding into this 1990s action-adventure. Even given the added edge of a mutt-hero fighting against his wolfish instincts, the film amounts to little more than Rin Tin Tin schlepping around with The Wilderness Family. Whereas Duez remains quite
touching in her invincible belief in the untamed Fido's goodness, Fahey is ludicrously out of place as the gentle animal behaviorist. EYE OF THE WOLF may elicit ooohs and ahhhs from young canine enthusiasts, although some of the violence is a bit too vivid. (Violence.) leave a comment