Prime Video movie of the day: Dog is the kind of low-key drama we need more of

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Learning to open up with the help of a dog? What more do you want from a movie?

Channing Tatum and a dog sit in a bathtub
(Image credit: MGM / Amazon)

If you're looking for something new to watch on Prime Video, you wouldn't be making a bad choice at all to start with Channing Tatum's criminally under-seen movie Dog. 

Tatum directed it as well as starring, and he does a great job in both roles, turning out a movie that's a nice dose of personal drama for adults, and that's likely to be a gentle tearjerker for a lot of people. We used to get these kinds of movies all the time, and it's such a shame that they struggle to find visibility any more – we need more stuff like Dog.

Tatum plays Briggs, a former Army Ranger who's struggling in civilian life due to PTSD, but who can't rejoin the military due to a brain injury. When his former partner dies suddenly, Briggs is asked by his old boss to transport the military dog his partner handled to the funeral, and then to a facility where it will be euthanized, because they don't believe it can ever adjust to a non-military life.

It may not shock you to discover that over the course of the movie, Briggs and the dog, Lulu, will go from being barely able to interact safely to comforting each other during respective PTSD episodes. The journey to get there is actually weirder than you might expect, but the series of vignettes we go through are quite effective at getting through what they're both struggling with, and include some great supporting performances – Ethan Suplee in particular is kind of incredible as a self-assured veteran friend of Briggs, who is now taking care of Lulu's brother. Suplee plays him as such a calm and positive influence, but simultaneously portrays that this man worked hard – and still works hard – to achieve it.

The movie earns its big heart-felt moments towards the end, and the choking up (or outright tears) that they're likely to cause. I'm not sure everyone will put it on their list of the best Prime Video movies, but that's okay – like I said up top, this is a good, grown-up, emotionally resonant drama that's under two hours long, and that makes it worthy for me.

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Matt Bolton
Matt Bolton
Managing Editor, Entertainment

Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Entertainment, meaning he's in charge of persuading our team of writers and reviewers to watch the latest TV shows and movies on gorgeous TVs and listen to fantastic speakers and headphones. It's a tough task, as you can imagine. Matt has over a decade of experience in tech publishing, and previously ran the TV & audio coverage for our colleagues at T3.com, and before that he edited T3 magazine. During his career, he's also contributed to places as varied as Creative Bloq, PC Gamer, PetsRadar, MacLife, and Edge. TV and movie nerdism is his speciality, and he goes to the cinema three times a week. He's always happy to explain the virtues of Dolby Vision over a drink, but he might need to use props, like he's explaining the offside rule.