User Reviews

A maladjusted bull terrier finds the perfect master in a psychotic suburban teenage boy who, when he isn't slapping his hand on thumbtacks to teach himself pain, is busy building a scale replica of Hitler's bunker. Needless to say, the star of this unusual French novelty item is a far cry from Lassie, and the already perverse scenario is made even more strange by maintaining the dog's point of view, with voice-over narration by Baxter himself, a device that could only have worked in a subtitled film. It all adds up to a small cautionary fable about the consequences of neglect and cruelty, to both animals and children, with an implicit critique of fascism summed up by Baxter's last words: "never be obedient". The moral is clear, but the message is mixed, because Baxter's obedience is already selective: his primitive canine instincts can sometimes override his training. But the film certainly has cult potential, and with a concise running time of only 82 minutes it won't likely tax anyone's patience.

No one, human or otherwise will ever be as loyal and loving as a dog to his keeper. When you walk through the door after a day's work household members more than likely will greet you with a smile and civility if all is going well. If problems pre-exist then it can be a decidedly colder welcome. Not so with the worshipful family dog who lapses into a dance of euphoric hysteria upon your return. Whether away a few hours or a month the reaction never differentiates. Man's best friend is just that, unless of course your a thinking canine like Baxter.

An English pit bull terrier, Baxter is a pound dog that is first given to an old woman on the verge of dementia as a companion. It is a bad union since he craves discipline and leadership and finds it lacking in the senior whom he grows to dislike. Through tragic circumstance, (probably Baxter's fault) he is soon freed from this relationship and moves in with a young married couple. Their youth and energy seem a good fit for the happy Baxter until a "hairless monstrosity" (a baby)arrives and changes the dynamic. Baxter plots against it but is given away before any permanent harm is done. Now in the care of an adolescent boy who has a fascination with the cult of Nazism, Baxter feels he is on the right path. The boy is not affectionate to the dog but he has what Baxter desires, the ability to challenge and dominate him. If nothing else Baxter craves direction.

Baxter is no Benji. He is far more introspective than other dogs and a lot more self interested and predisposed to having the disposition of a cat whose independence he admires and hopes to have the chance to kill some day. He is not the ideal of trust and loyalty we expect from the domestic canine but his ruminations and view of the world are both grisly and darkly comic. He is both dangerous and lovable; after all he is a dog.

Co-writer and director Jerome Boiven moves Baxter along at a quick pace as the dog goes from owner to owner. Characters are well developed and their situations detailed in a way that allow the dog to more fully state his case and move within the various subplots with ease.

It may be disturbing and make some dog lovers growl but Baxter overall is a fresh, original and thought provoking work that deserves best of breed consideration.

Bizarre but truly original French thriller/black comedy that is strangely scary and disturbing even though you damn well know that the premise is pure and far-fetched fiction. The titular 'character' is a cool-looking bull terrier whose thoughts and impressions we follow throughout the entire movie. Baxter's life isn't very easy, as he keeps ending up with the wrong guardians. At first, he's given as a present to an elderly lady who clearly fears him and doesn't really want him in her house. When the lady dies under 'mysterious circumstances', Baxter is donated to the young and cheerful couple that lives on the other side of the street. For quite a while, everything goes well and Baxter is really happy in his new family…Until the couple's first baby is born. Baxter doesn't understand why he receives no more attention all of a sudden and sees the infant as a real threat for his own happiness. Baxter's final guardian is a lonely and introvert 11-year-old boy who teaches him tricks and commands. The kid has a dangerous interest in Hitler's persona, however, and he slowly turns Baxter into an aggressive killing machine. It may sound unbelievable, but I assure you it's very unsettling to hear a DOG hatching plots to kill people! Although there's absolutely no violence shown on screen, there are some very macabre things going on in this film and the atmosphere is almost unbearably tense. During several of Baxter's twisted monologues, you wonder what exactly goes on in the mind of man's best friend. We can all assume that our pets love us unconditionally, but who says they're not plotting to get rid of us? Also one of the reasons why Baxter comes across so spooky is because he talks through a very grim and monotonous voice. The actor who's credited as Baxter's voice – Maxime Leroux – would sure do a great job as a host of horror anthologies, or something. I particularly loved the climax of this ingenious French film. It shows that, no matter how egocentric and mean the dog is, it'll always be the human mind that is the most deranged…even when it's a child. Don't expect a happy ending here! Highly recommended!!

I rented Baxter one night just on a whim after reading the cover. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't. But I was truly stunned by this picture, about a disturbed evil bull terrier and how he came to go from master to master, until he meets his match in a maniacal pre-teen neo-nazi. Any film that can have you laughing out loud while a dog is plotting to drown an infant in a fountain, will not be for all tastes. For those who like a comedy blacker than midnight on a moonless night will definately enjoy this movie.

I usually like black comedy. This wasn't. I actually didn't find anything in this movie really funny. Certainly not worth sitting through the distressing parts. (Puppies being killed, dog being beaten multiple times. The shtick was all pretty ordinary. The dogs narration was just weird.. especially coming from this obviously sweet dog. Pretty sure that the brand of insanity we were listening to coming from the dog was very human. It was very much what people who are afraid of dogs and really know nothing about them are terrified that they might be thinking. Pretty depressing all the way through. I'm really sorry I wasted my time with it.

Bull terriers can be independent and stubborn, but have a good temperament, get along well with people and can be a loving member of the family when socialized early. Like other terrier breeds, they were raised to kill rats and fight one another. In the U. S., we associate this breed with America's party animal, Spuds MacKenzie, who if we are to believe the 1980s commercials was scoring human women thanks to his love of beer. Today, Spot, the Target dog, is also this breed.

So is Baxter.

Let me tell you, I don't care what Baxter does in this movie, I love him more than any of the humans.

Baxter can't find a family that he belongs to. The old woman is boring and must be killed. The couple across the street don't understand when he tries to show his heart and when he brings them dead animals. They make a child that he hates and so he is given to the boy across the street. The boy wants to be Hitler and goes so far as to destroy Baxter's puppies. Baxter wants to kill him in retaliation, but he can't see the boy as anything other than his master, allowing him to kill him.

I wanted more for Baxter, as his voice (Maxime Leroux) speaks to you about what he desires in this world. He isn't human. He's a dog. He wants what a dog wants. He wants the firm hand of ownership, he wants discipline and he wants structure. I wish that Baxter found something else. I wish that he had a large field to run through and an owner that made him feel the belonging that he craves.

Directed by Jérôme Boivin, who wrote the script with Jacques Audiard, based on the book Hell Hound by Ken Greenhall (and republished under his pen name Jessica Hamilton), this is a bleak affair, a movie of darkness and constant looming death. It's not an easy watch.

In the book - Will Ericckson brought it to light in a series of books he spotlighted for Tor Books - Baxter has a lot to say about mankind. "Pity is not something I want to encourage in myself. It is something for humans to feel, one of the jumble of odd sentiments they burden themselves with. Their emotions are like diseases, I think; diseases that can spread among those who try to understand them. Let their feelings be a mystery, like the dozens of other strange traits they have... The ways in which they deceive themselves are endless."

Poor Baxter. Sure, he's a sociopath, but he's also a good boy.

Chilling, brooding, low key adaptation of the extraordinary Ken Greenhall/Jessica Hamilton novel about an evil, cynical bull terrier (Baxter) who moves from owner to owner (killing as he goes) until he finds the Master of his dreams, a small boy with Third Reich ambitions. Just as Hamilton's novel, 'Elizabeth', examined the nature and allure of evil, so does "Baxter". As the novel was narrated by the dog, so is this film. The voice-over, in fact, is that of an old, mean-spirited man whose tone is one of despair and malice.

Director Jerome Boivin creates a bleak world for Baxter to exist in, a world the dog slips quite easily into. Baxter, like many creatures, has a talent for altering his demeanor to suit the moment or Master's needs. He is occupied with doggy pursuits also, of course, but, at heart, he is an opportunist who feels nothing but contempt for four- and two-legged animals.

The score, by Marc Hillman and Patrick Roffé, is extremely spare. At times, we hear only a strange "blip" or single, resonating note on the soundtrack. Cinematography by Yves Angelo has a reddish, saturated interior tint and a bluish exterior one. Performances are measured and fascinating. Lise Delamare as Madame Deville makes an impression.

The overall tone of "Baxter" is disturbing and some viewers will be upset by the brutal (faked, of course) animal cruelty. The film is devoid of light, but rich in atmosphere, suspense and revelation. A scene involving a baby in jeopardy is powerful and unnerving.

A minor masterpiece.

Cult Cuts Volume 5

#4/4: Baxter (1989)

(7/10):Baxter is a French darkly comedic that dabbles in horrific elements.

It follows Baxter,a white Bull Terrier who goes from owner to owner until he is adopted by a young boy who also worships Hitler.

It's all told from Baxter's perspective as he monologues throughout the film. It is not an upbeat or positive film,I barely found it funny,however I've never seen anything like it.

It's a Genre Film at its core and will remain such an interesting descent into the tragic story of a cute little Bull Terrier that just wants to move on from his past and find an owner who loves him,truly loves him.

The Idea of a Bull Terrier being adopted by a racist owner,having some of their ideals rub off on them and then the dog plotting to overthrow their owner is just a wholly unique concept that,while it's not a particularly positive film,it gets points for the sheer level of originality.

Baxter is so cute and I felt bad for him,even when his actions were horrific and I couldn't really condone them because he just wants love,that's all he wants.

I feared that this film also might have took the generalization route and the message was that all Bull Terriers are bad and aggressive,which they're not,but instead it sympathizes with the dog and even though you don't agree with the his actions you understand why they were done.

With a tagline of "Beware the Dog that Thinks" it also makes you think about the dog itself,giving you an insight into canines and that they're not just two dimensional beings that are pets,they too have personalities.

I don't know whether or not to recommend this film,especially to dog lovers as,like I said it's not an uplifting story but it's still a film that I don't see talked about much at all,which is a shame because it's pretty good,it's just a bit of a tough watch.

Maybe like thirty years ago this movie was acceptable. But at now this movie would be banned. No dog lover will enjoy this. It is an horror movie without actual horror just an reality like you would go and make movie about child abuse. Amores perros was way more classier and realistic. This was just mean not in a good way . And this movie is not good for people it is marketing wrong things. Kids abusing dogs like hedgehogs and other small creatures is reality most of the time they become serial killers and rapist that is why making an movie like this is dangerous. Would not recommend you to watch this. Animal abuse in this way not an good movie there needs to be an happy ending for a bad story.