Baxter Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Baxter Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 10, 2021

“Baxter” is a 1989 French production adapting the general strangeness of a 1977 book, “Hell Hound.” The tale explores the sociopathic interests of a bull terrier who’s passed around to different owners during his life, learning to understand how humans act when dealing with various emotional and physical challenges. It’s dark material brought to the screen by director Jerome Boivin (who co-scripts with Jacques Audiard), who tries to bring viewers inside the mind of a dangerous yet curious canine, yet avoid horror film formula in the process. “Baxter” is a bizarre endeavor, never quite reaching its thematic goals, but it does have some interesting scenes of mental illness to keep it involving.

In a small French town, Baxter is a bull terrier with a lot on his mind. He’s gifted to an old woman for companionship, learning to deal with her insecurities and ailments while keeping a close eye on the neighbors and their youthful passion for sex. Baxter is soon transferred to this couple, enjoying his time with their hobbies and scents, but a pregnancy complicates his position in the house. Ending up with a young boy who’s developed an insatiable curiosity about the final days of Adolph Hitler and Eva Braun, Baxter finds his soulmate, enjoying the kid’s interest in murder, which eventually becomes too much for the pet.

“Baxter” could be accepted as a dark comedy, but Boivin doesn’t get impish with the material, taking the dog’s mission of reflection seriously, offering narration that allows viewers to understand what’s going on inside the canine’s head. He’s a troubled dog in need of a special owner who shares his lack of feeling, and the story breaks down into three acts of domestic experience, following Baxter as he deals with an old woman who restricts his freedom, a couple who eventually ignore him, and a boy who’s as deranged as he is. Suspense isn’t the goal, as “Baxter” is more of a psychological study, listening to the pooch contemplate violence and sexuality, handling challenges as he blankly experiences life. The boy is also a main character in the feature, with his gradual pull towards evil initially thrilling his pet, but Baxter soon recognizes that all his not well with the child’s detachment from reality.

Baxter Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.67:1 aspect ratio) presentation appears to be sourced from an older master of "Baxter." Detail is acceptable, enjoying the highly decorated nature of the film, which visits domestic spaces and junk yard bunkers. Facial surfaces are softer, and animal particulars on Baxter are passable. Colors lead with reds for wallpaper choices and costuming, which also favors lighter blues. Yard greenery is distinct, along with the brownness of muddy areas. Skintones are natural. Delineation is satisfactory. Source is in good condition, with some speckling and hairs. Banding is periodically detected during the viewing experience.

Baxter Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix provides a decent clarity for dialogue exchanges, with most information coming from the inner thoughts of Baxter, who offers a hushed sense of contemplation. Scoring supports as necessary, with passable instrumentation. Sound effects are adequately detailed.

Baxter Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features filmmaker Mark Savage.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included on this release.

Baxter Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

On the page, the story is offered room to explore Baxter's mental searching and unique perspective on the meaninglessness of life. In "Baxter," Boivin often struggles to visually present such an experience, unable to fashion a sturdy arc of awakening, ending up with something more episodic instead. It's meant to be a more disturbing viewing experience, and it has moments of violence that do the trick, including some edgy interactions between the actors and the bull terrier. Expectations for a more insidious picture aren't met, as "Baxter" isn't defined enough to create unease, with only occasional shock value working to charge up the batteries on a slow-burn feature.