As American Sniper proved a monster hit at the US box office, director Boaz Yakin and the team behind Max must have been counting their blessings. Because this one combines inspirational military behaviour, a cute dog and a troubled teen all wrapped up in one mostly easy-to-digest package. The first trailer for the film is now online.
The Max of the film is the dog – a working Marine pooch that has been serving in Afghanistan alongside his handler, Kyle (Robbie Amell). But when Kyle is killed in action, Max is shipped home to recuperate and learn to live without him.
Which is where Kyle’s family come in, particularly his bolshie little brother Justin (Josh Wiggins). Josh is looking for a little direction in his life and when it’s discovered that no-one can work with Max given his PTSD, Justin is roped in to try and reach out to the dog. We’d say you can guess what’s coming next, but the trailer pretty much spells that out, and we don't mean it goes all Cujo. How you approach this one might depend on your tolerance for big metaphors dropped into the story and scenes of a dog being sad at a funeral.
With Lauren Graham, Thomas Haden Church, Luke Kleintank, Jay Hernandez, Joseph Julian Soria, Dejon LaQuake and Mia Xitlali among the two-legged cast, Max will be out here on October 9. The filmmakers will not doubt be hoping the reviews are not too... negative. AND YOU THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO SAY “RUFF”! HA! THINK AGAIN!