At the heart of Heart of the Beast is a surprisingly convincing relationship between a man and his dog.

Odin is the emotional centre of the film. Quite what the logistics are of making a film where a dog plays such a significant role, I’m not sure, but the four dogs portraying Odin bring an earnest, almost heartbreaking quality to proceedings. Even where digital manipulation is required for practicality, the artifice rarely shows. The bond between Odin and James Belmont (Brad Pitt) feels entirely genuine, and it’s this that just about saves the film from itself.

The conceit is simple. Man flies plane, lands plane, lovely adventure ensues. Storm hits, man flies plane successfully through storm, man has heart attack, man crashes plane, dog and man enter survival mode. And then the film loses itself in its increasingly grandiose treatment of Belmont’s heroics. What follows is a somewhat predictable, yet somehow still emotional conclusion, despite the film doing everything possible to stretch our suspension of disbelief to breaking point.

The locations are jaw-dropping, a visual feast, with New Zealand doing a remarkably convincing impression of the Alaskan wilderness. The peaks and troughs in pacing are largely justified, giving both man and dog time to recover and their relationship room to breathe. But the film doesn’t always seem to recognise the increasing urgency of their situation.

As their circumstances become more dire, you’d expect the pace to build with them. With a little more realism and an increasing sense of urgency, their journey could become a truly suspenseful and gripping attempt to escape what feels inevitable. Instead, there are moments of almost implausible calm, particularly at night, when the wilderness seems to stand still to accommodate their rest.

Both James Belmont and Odin bear the scars of an intense and painful military career, one we’re only privy to through out-of-context and out-of-focus flashbacks. The film establishes that these two have survived a war together, but gives remarkably little weight to the history that forged the bond it ultimately asks us to mourn. Their shared past remains hazy and distant when the relationship at the centre of the film desperately needs context.

Ultimately, it’s impossible not to be touched by the film’s conclusion, and many will need tissues. The relationship between Belmont and Odin is believable enough that, when the film finally strips everything else away, their companionship carries genuine emotional weight. The problem is everything Heart of the Beast piles around it. It has everything it needs to deliver a few beautiful punches, yet repeatedly gets in its own way. The result is an indulgent film, saved almost entirely by the heartbreaking relationship at its centre.