A Boy and His Dog

Set in the year 2024, based on a novella by Harlan Ellison, and released in 1975, "A Boy and His Dog" has been a film on my to-watch list for many years. Alex Garland, I maintain, has a working thesis, a theme if you will, that men are violent, sex-crazed animals. Enter Don Johnson ("Miami Vice" heartthrob of the 80s) in one of his earliest roles as Vic, a violent, sex-crazed nomad living in a post-apocalyptic, post WW IV world. He has a companion, a dog, Blood (voiced by Tim McIntire) with whom with he communicates telepathically. Blood is actually smarter than Vic. Blood helps sniff out females for Vic so he can rape these women. It's dark and disturbing but the talking dog keeps it seemingly light (something out of "The Cat from Outer Space" playbook). In "A Boy and His Dog" the scavengers live in a desert wasteland, with faux generals and makeshift barter towns where guns are checked at the door. The entire look of the film is "Mad Max" four years prior to "Mad Max" and six years prior to "Mad Max 2 - The Road Warrior." The rest of the world lives underground in nuclear fallout bunkers. Jason Robards plays the leader of the clown underworld and lures Vic down for breeding purposes. Reasons to watch: 1) Don Johnson gives such a great performance you believe he is communicating with the dog. 2) Mad Max fans will be enlightened and entertained. 3) Looking at the future from the perspective of the past - what does a possible 2024 look like in 1975. 4) The Dog - he is adorable and very funny.