DogMan Blu Ray Review (Universal)

DogMan is a 2023 crime film written and directed by Luc Besson (Leon: The Professional, La Femme Nikita, The Fifth Element, Lucy, Anna, Subway, and The Family). The budget was $21,000,000 and it grossed $4,028,648 worldwide at the box office. The mysterious Doug Munrow (played by: Caleb Landry Jones from Get Out, Nope, X-Men: First Class, Antiviral, Twin Peaks, Contraband, The Outpost, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, The Dead Don’t Die, and The Florida Project) is arrested in New Jersey while driving a truck full of dogs. A gifted psychiatrist Evelyn (played by: Jojo T. Gibbs from Fresh, Civil War, Past Lives, and Twenties) is called into the police station to interrogate the stranger. He starts to tell the story of his life as he explains what really happened. He shares his troubled childhood, his juvenile institution experience where he first fell in love with his teacher Salma Bailey (played by: Grace Palma from Bloody Good Sleep), and his secret life as a drag queen with a cabaret act. He is the master of numerous dogs that help him steal expensive items and he protects scared people in need from the dangerous underworld lead by El Verdugo (played by: John Charles Aguilar). Can he save the weak or Will he become one of them while trying to do good for his community????Unfortunately, DogMan was released overseas in 2023 with little success and then it received a limited theatrical run the next year in the states that continued to bomb in theaters. DogMan flopped in every market that it was pushed so it wasn’t given a major push when it finally hit the states. Iconic director and producer Luc Besson has been quiet over the years, he’s mainly been behind the scenes for most of his projects. Besson finally gets behind the camera for the unique DogMan. Lead actor Caleb Landry Jones honestly deserved an Oscar nomination for his role as the tormented Doug Munrow. It’s the best performance so far for the usually bizarre actor. He has made a name for himself with his odd characters over the years but this might be the strangest one yet. Doug Munrow means good but he’s gotten himself into some serious trouble with some vicious people. It’s his redemption for all his previous experiences and troubles in the past. Jojo T. Gibbs is fantastic as Evelyn. She’s the one that guides you into this wild story and life. She has great chemistry with Caleb Landry Jones. Those two just make everything more interesting in DogMan. It has a solid supporting cast that includes John Charles Aguilar, Grace Palma, Christopher Denham, Clemens Schick, Michael Garza, and Alexander Settineri. The most impressive thing about these actors were that most of were new to the business so all their performances felt more natural and real here. You get more invested into the characters as the flashbacks keep showing up in this. Doug goes through so many different hells when he’s growing up, it kinda explains why he turned out like this and why he wants to keep his community. His relationship with his dogs are amazing, you really root for them as they help their master with their loyalty. It’s mainly a crime film but it mixes several sub-genres during it’s running time. It gets very violent, wild, and action packed when the amazing finale explodes on the screen. I didn’t even hear about this until it showed up for coverage. DogMan really went under the radar in the United States so I’m hoping that this brand new home video release will give this top notch crime feature a second life. I can say after experiencing this for the very first time with this review that it’s one of best films from 2023 and it’s a new personal favorite for me. DogMan is one of most underrated, unknown, and underappreciated films in recent years. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!Let’s discuss this high definition presentation from Universal Pictures! This 1080p (2.39:1) transfer looks amazing on blu ray. It has slick cinematography, sharp production design, and a variety of interesting locations. All these really pop on the screen, it’s one of the best looking crime features in awhile. It has a few different audio options which includes English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1and English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 on the disc. DogMan sounds great on home video. All of the dialogue is crisp, the action is elevated, and the music has a killer boost to it. It has English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles. Unfortunately, there’s no extras on this home video release. It’s available everywhere June 11th including MovieZyng.com, CHECK IT OUT!!!!