Benedict Cumberbatch’s Haunting Western Still Has Viewers Talking — And Its 94% Score Is Only Part Of The Story

Nearly five years after its debut, Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog remains one of Netflix’s most gripping psychological dramas. With a remarkable 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes, the film takes the traditional Western and turns it into something far darker, more intimate and psychologically unsettling.

At the centre of the story is Benedict Cumberbatch as Phil Burbank, a powerful Montana rancher whose intimidating personality hides layers of resentment, repression and carefully buried secrets.

A Western Where The Real Battle Is Psychological

Based on Thomas Savage’s 1967 novel, the film is set on a Montana ranch during the 1920s.

Phil is fiercely committed to projecting an image of toughness and control. He dominates those around him through ridicule, manipulation and psychological intimidation.

But his carefully controlled world begins to shift when his brother George, played by Jesse Plemons, marries Rose Gordon, portrayed by Kirsten Dunst.

Rose moves onto the ranch with her quiet teenage son Peter, played by Kodi Smit-McPhee, immediately creating a tense new dynamic inside the household.

Phil takes an instant dislike to Rose and subjects her to increasingly cruel treatment, pushing her towards anxiety and dependence on alcohol.

Yet his relationship with Peter develops in a far more complicated direction.

The boy initially becomes another target of Phil’s mockery, but Phil gradually begins taking him under his wing. As their relationship changes, fragments of Phil’s own history begin to emerge, including his deep connection to his former mentor, Bronco Henry.

A Cast Full Of Award-Worthy Performances

The film’s extraordinary performances were recognised across Hollywood.

The Power of the Dog received 12 Academy Award nominations, with all four principal performers earning acting nominations.

Cumberbatch was nominated for Best Actor, while Dunst, Plemons and Smit-McPhee were recognised in the supporting categories.

Campion ultimately won Best Director, becoming only the third woman in Academy history to receive the award and the first to receive multiple directing nominations.

The Details You May Miss The First Time

What makes the film so effective is what it chooses not to show.

There are no endless shootouts or traditional Western action sequences. Instead, Campion builds tension through silence, expressions, gestures and tiny details that seem insignificant at first.

Cumberbatch went through extensive preparation for the role, learning skills including horseback riding, roping, ranch work and playing the banjo to make Phil feel completely authentic.

And then comes the ending.

The film’s final stretch quietly reinterprets much of what came before it, turning seemingly harmless conversations and small details into something far more sinister.

That is why The Power of the Dog rewards viewers who pay attention.

A 94% Rotten Tomatoes score. A career-defining performance from Benedict Cumberbatch. A breathtaking Western landscape hiding a deeply disturbing psychological battle. And a final revelation that can make you rethink the entire movie.

If you somehow missed this Netflix masterpiece, now may be the perfect time to discover what all the fuss was about.