White Dog (1982)

Kristy McNichol plays Julie, an actress who hits a dog while driving home one night. After taking it to the vet, she places ads trying to locate its owner. She decides to keep it and learns that not only is he an attack dog, but a "white dog" trained to attack and kill black people. Rather than have the dog put down, she takes it to an animal trainer in an attempt to have it reprogrammed.

This film was completed in 1982, but Paramount shelved after the NAACP protested it's controversial subject matter. It didn't see a release until nearly a decade later, and then as an edited for TV version or in arthouses. It is an uncomfortable film, I imagine so for both sides, dealing not only with racism in the present, but also with passing down prejudices to future generations. The dog is the face of evil, but in reality, is completely innocent. He's a tool acting on his training, making man the monster. Julie's compassion for the dog is strong, but not as strong as trainer Keys' persistence in reversing his training, even after discovering the full extent of the violence he's capable of. Julie finally gives up on the dog after a pivotal scene in the film and asks Keys to shoot him, but he refuses. His devotion to correcting this racism is undying, claiming "you can't experiment on a dead dog." Can racism be unlearned, though?

This is the only Sam Fuller film I've seen, but I've read he had a history of making confrontational films. He was so disgusted with Paramount's decision to shelve the film, he moved to France. Stylistically, this was fine. There were a few too many slow motion shots for my tastes and the casting of Burl Ives is a bit of a head scratcher, but everything else seems okay. Kristy McNichol did a decent job, though her character was a little underdeveloped. Paul Winfield (Keys) and the dog are the real stars here. There was no need to expand on Julie's character when there was so much going on between the dog and its trainer. The ending is great, no giving it away here. This one's worth seeing. Not a fun film, but entertaining.

4/5