Writer: Ezekiel Lee Zhiang Yang

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Watch this if you liked: “Hachikô Monogatari” (1987), “Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey” (1993), “10 Promises To My Dog” (2008)

Shall we call this genre dog drama? This one's an American reupdate on the Japanese movie "Hachikô Monogatari" (1987), based on real life events about an Akita whose owner died and the animal theatrically waited everyday for the next nine years at the train station for his master to return. Entrusted to the able hands of that Swede Lasse Hallström, the man behind offbeat, sensitive stuff like "Chocolat" (2000), "The Cider House Rules" (1999) and "My Life As A Dog" (1985), you get a winsome, heartfelt tale without too many forced soppy moments. That's where someone like Richard Gere is able to fit fine, with that unassuming face of his.

Devoid of splashy Hollywood moments like "Marley And Me", this flick didn't make theatrical release in the U.S. and instead went straight to video as adjudged to be best by Sony. That's a shame because audiences reading into that and also the PG nature of "Hachiko" would think it scarcely more than tame family viewing. Truth is, with a great piano score by Jan Kaczmarek to boot, the flick can border on art and perhaps that's why they didn't have the confidence to market it as a mainstream movie, despite such recognisable stars.

In "Hachiko", the focus is mainly on the dog but the emotions are captured and reflected on the human beings who surround the animal. Richard "Smiling Eyes" Gere obvious aced this role while you also get to see Sarah Roemer ("Disturbia", 2007) and Joan Allen (the "Bourne" movies) while they are smaller roles from Jason Alexander (TV's "Seinfeld"), Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa ("Memoirs Of A Geisha", 2005) and Erick Avari (the "Stargate" movies).

Dog lovers and anyone who enjoyed movies like "Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey" (1993) and "10 Promises To My Dog" will find "Hachiko" a great watch. Less enthusiastic audiences will find "Hachiko" a surprisingly tender and inoffensive addition to the dog drama catalogue.

Cinema Online, 17 September 2010