Katie Walsh | Tribune News Service
Move aside Messi — there's a new dog actor in town. Ukai, the mix of Australian shepherd, border collie, and bouvier who stars alongside Mark Wahlberg in the movie 'Arthur the King,' delivers a physically demanding performance, though not as emotionally intense as the one delivered by the French border collie in the Oscar-winning film 'Anatomy of a Fall.'
Dog movies and dogs in movies have been important since the silent era, easily tugging at audience's heartstrings.
Arthur's tale didn't need to make much effort to begin with. This inspiring film is based on a true story, originally a unique human interest sports news about an Ecuadorian stray dog who bonded with a team of Swedish adventure racers during a challenging six-day trek, following them to the finish line and eventually back to Sweden with racer Mikael Lindnord. The story became widely popular, resulting in a memoir and several other books by Lindnord, a short ESPN documentary, and a dog rescue foundation.
Lindnord’s memoir 'Arthur: The Dog who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home' is the basis for 'Arthur the King,' written by screenwriter Michael Brandt and directed by Simon Cellan Jones, who also directed Mark Wahlberg in 'The Family Plan.'
This story of perseverance, suffering, and salvation through physical challenges aligns well with Wahlberg’s current interests. The star, a deeply devoted Catholic, follows a prayer and exercise routine starting around 3 a.m. His 2022 film 'Father Stu,' where he portrays a Catholic priest surviving a motorcycle accident and left disabled by a degenerative muscle disease, features a story of spiritual salvation through physical suffering that's a darker side of the themes in 'Arthur the King.' However, the amount of time his character, Michael Light, praises the virtues of pain and suffering while racing in the film indicates that this is the kind of material Wahlberg thrives on.
Changing the location from Sweden to Colorado and the race from Ecuador to the Dominican Republic (where the film was shot on location), Wahlberg plays a washed-up adventure racer who has struggled with being a team player. With one last chance to prove himself, he forms a team for the adventure racing world championships, including an old rival, Chik (Ali Suliman), a new superstar, Olivia (Nathalie Emmanuel), and a former teammate turned influencer, Leo (Simu Liu). Together, they will have to run, hike, bike, climb, and kayak over hundreds of miles of rough terrain over the course of several days to reach the finish line.
Interwoven with the race preparation is the story of a stray dog in Santo Domingo who is starving and injured while living on the streets. When Michael tosses him a meatball during a rest at a race transition, the dog starts following the team through jungle downpours, river crossings, and ocean paddles, serving as both motivator and mascot. He even has his own 'Lassie' moments, indicating danger to the team along the way. They name him Arthur for his strong, noble behavior.
It’s pretty typical and often overly sentimental heartwarming dog entertainment, reminding people of other adventurous dogs in TV and movies, like Lassie, Benji, and Rin Tin Tin, but with a focus on adventure sports and lively, handheld cinematography by Jacques Jouffret that makes the film look and feel more grown-up and action-oriented (there is one computer-generated image shot of Arthur that could have been reconsidered given the film’s grittier style).
Wahlberg is known for playing characters who suffer, but this movie shows him in a lighter and more uplifting way, and he seems to enjoy the extreme physical demands of the role, even though the emotional tone is well within his established star persona. And if you’re a dog person, you won’t be able to resist the story of Arthur and his extreme sports friends.
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‘ARTHUR THE KING’
2.5 stars (out of 4)
MPA rating: PG-13 (for some strong language)
Running time: 1:47
How to watch: in theaters Friday
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