by Linda Kay
Directed by: Kriv Stenders
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!
Synopsis: Based on a book by Louis de Bernières which was based on true events. A free roaming Australian cattle dog (and possible Red Kelpie mix), known affectionately as Red Dog, not only wins the hearts of the locals in the mining town of Pilbara but also changes many of the residents’ lives.
Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): Red Dog is masterless until he meets a bus driver named John (Josh Lucas) and becomes loyal to him. John, in turn, falls for a new resident named Nancy (Rachael Taylor) who lives in a mobile home park where dogs are not allowed. This is because the generally unpleasant manager of the park, Mr. Cribbage (Paul Blackwell) and his wife (Jacquy Phillips) own a feisty longhair brown and white tabby cat known as Red Cat who seems to share his owners’ hatred of canines. John approaches Red Cat and tries to make friends only to be swatted at for his efforts.
The suspicious Mr. Cribbage and Red Cat keep an eye on everything going on in the park.
Red Dog doesn’t heed the “No Dogs Allowed” signs and confronts Red Cat, even climbing up onto the trailer where the feline lords over the park to engage him in a fight (digitally animated to have the feel of a Warner Bros. cartoon).
We don’t want to give away too much of the plot of this film (which will bring you to tears more than once) but at one point the Cribbages threaten Nancy with eviction if she doesn’t get rid of Red Dog.
Most of the residents of Pilbara show up to defend Red Dog and this ends up scaring away the Cribbages once and for all. Incredibly, though, they leave Red Cat behind!
Eventually Red Dog and Red Cat have a showdown and most of the town turns up to watch.
Again the battle is animated with the dog and cat forming a whirlwind and spinning around the trailer park, causing destruction in their wake.
The fight ends with Red Dog chasing Red Cat up a tree.
After some time Red Cat comes down and amazingly he and Red Dog become friends.
The story of Red Dog is well known down under and while some liberties are taken with the characters and events in this film the true story is quite fascinating, with Red Dog being memorialized with a statue in Pilbara that still stands today. Whether or not there ever actually was a Red Cat is unknown. Incredibly, while dog actor Koko gained much notariety for his role as the titular pooch, the cat actor wasn’t even credited! The cat trainer for the film was Leeza Hura of Animals in Action located in Melbourne.
Final Mewsings: Cats deserve credit, too, even when they are playing villains.
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