The thing about the 'dog is man's best friend' formula is that while it is a formula, when the formula works it just works so well, and here is a wonderful example of it from Guan Hu. Through the familiar starting point of an ex-con released on parole, returning to his hometown, we get the stoic, silent man without a sense of purpose going about the motions, until encountering the titular dog who changes his life. Said ex-con here is Lang (a marvellous Eddie Peng, who expresses so much through so little dialogue), and aid dog here is one of the most remarkable canine performers you'll ever see. From rocky beginnings to the growing warmth between the two, every interaction between the two is the stuff of purest, enthralling cinematic joy.

It doesn't hurt too that the two are often captured with the most gorgeous cinematography of the Gobi Desert that Lang often traverses on his bike or the various details of the hometown in a flux of transformation, with the film utilising the specific period of 2008 China pre-Olympics clean-up, to create a vivid sense of place and time, with stray dogs populating the landscape to give it such a rich atmosphere. There's obstacles in the way of a dog patrol team, a gang of vengeful fellas looking to make Lang pay for his prior crimes, Lang's history with his father (which is one aspect I did feel was a tad underwritten), and nice little observant touches of the town life and history of place...but really it's all about the man and the dog and what a wonderful, wonderful film it is. 

Full review for The Asian Cut: https://www.theasiancut.com/post/cannes-2024-black-dog-guan-hu-review