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I really enjoyed this film. It explores the emotional bond between an animal and a human being.
The film is based on the true story of a marine corporal who forms a unique bond with a bomb-sniffing dog. Megan Leavey (Kate Mara) enlists to get away from what seems to be a hopeless civilian life. She is an aimless young woman with a deadbeat mom, Jackie (Edie Falco). Megan struggles to fit in as a Marine and, after a disciplinary hearing due to misappropriate behavior, she is caught urinating outside of the Provost office after a night of drinking. She is assigned to clean up the K- 9 unit under the command of Gunny Martin (Common). Gunny Martin is a commander who uses tough love while being a mentor.
My favorite scene in the movie is when Megan finds out that she will get a dog to train and it turns out to be a can. It seems that newbies practice training a dog with a can. It is a bit humorous but shows Megan’s determination to get a real dog. Megan bonds with an aggressive German shepherd name Rex and is given the opportunity to train him. Megan and Rex end up completing more than 100 missions, but an IED explosion injures them both and puts their fate in jeopardy.
The Dog: Let’s face it, the best part of this movie is getting to see the dog trained to sniff out bombs. The director does extraordinary work with developing the dog’s status as a warrior. Watching Rex perform all the duties required of him is awesome, I myself silently praying he would make it home alive.