It is sometimes difficult to watch Cumberbatch, so convincing is his portrayal of the wholly unpleasant Phil, but his performance is never over the top; rather, it’s nuanced and fascinating in an unnerving manner. Real-life couple Plemons and Dunst are just as convincing and no less captivating as the subdued counterparts to the volatile Phil. Smit-McPhee is excellent as the meek, studious young Peter, seemingly out of place among the rough ranch hands. All are deserving of their Oscar nominations. Campion is also nominated for her adapted screenplay, as one of the producers for Best Picture, and as Best Director. The Power of the Dog is both a period piece and a psychological drama, as well as a finely crafted character study of complex individuals. 

Outdoor scenes filmed on location in New Zealand have an austere look, wonderfully capturing the rustic atmosphere of cattle ranching at the end of the Wild West era. The color palette is on the cool side, with dusty cattle-wrangling scenes sometimes showing slight aliasing, but otherwise the picture (shot in ArriRaw at 4.5K and presented in Dolby Vision on Netflix) has excellent sharpness and detail. While the exterior shots are bright and sharp, the dimly lit interiors can look a little soft, but the lighting has a natural organic quality even though the interiors were shot entirely on soundstages. 

Ari Wegner’s cinematography, which was also nominated for an Oscar, is breathtaking, with the untamed New Zealand landscape looking both stark and dazzling. Images are framed with the picturesque scenery in mind, and wide shots will look truly majestic on high-quality video displays. There aren’t a lot of bright primary colors to be seen as exteriors are dominated by dry, prairie-like landscapes and the characters wear mostly earth tones, but the film’s UHD presentation is simply gorgeous in an understated manner.

The Oscar-nominated sound design by Richard Flynn, Robert Mackenzie, and Tara Webb is similarly subdued. The opening scenes start off with well recorded, rambling plucked strings and the atmospheric sounds of a cattle drive on the open plains setting an appropriately melancholic tone. But much of the rest of the film consists of only dialogue, occasional Foley effects, and very limited use of the music score. Foley is often mixed at low levels but is well suited to the onscreen action, and the minimalist sound design meticulously captures the feeling of the story’s setting during simpler times.

The lack of surround presence during most of the film serves to highlight a scene where Phil’s banjo playing emanates from the right surround channel then moves to the front speakers once his presence is established. This sudden use of the surrounds is unexpected and helps to heighten the significance of Phil’s actions. There is more liberal use of Jonny Greenwood’s haunting, Oscar-nominated score near the end of the film as the story builds to its deliberate and satisfying conclusion. 

The Power of the Dog is Campion’s first film in more than ten years, during which time she created two limited television series, Top of the Lake and Top of the Lake: China Girl. Both are slow burns like The Power of the Dog and worth seeking out if you’re a fan of her work, but her return to the big screen is beautiful to look at and an absolutely compelling film.