Dogman Quick View Courage the Cowardly Dog is Less of a Coward than Marcello Grade: B-

Source: IMDB

Dogman tells a story of a passionate friendly dog groomer Marcello (Marcello Fonte). The neighborhood Marcello lives in, is all feared by a cocaine addict tough guy bully Simoncino (Edoardo Pesce). Marcello is pushed around by Simoncino, as he doesn’t pay for his deals on time, makes him do things he doesn’t want to do. One day Marcello let Simoncino rob his fellow neighbor’s shop, as Marcello took the blame as he was sent to jail for a year. Will Marcello no longer be a coward as he’ll step up and be a man against Simone?! This film was finally available on Hulu to watch, I was looking forward to it as I’ve received nothing but good things. I thought Dogman kept me interested for the entire run time, however I feel conflicted by it. I think the main issue is the character Marcello... It was hard for me to root for this guy. Like there is so many times, where he can just say no or even turn Simoncino in to the police, so he would be locked up for a long time. Like why did Marcello kept helping Simoncino for? Simoncino is a terrible person, the film really doesn’t develop if Marcello and him are friends, I assumed Simoncino like a dog owner bringing in their dog to get groomed was just only a customer to Marcello. I don’t get why Marcello went and help Simoncino with this robbery that put him to jail, after Simoncino and his goon put a dog in a freezer after they robbed the house. Marcello was freaking broken when he heard they put the dog in the freezer, so why keep helping this asshole out?! Oh they both went to a club together, all things are forgiven?! Really? The film is telling us that Marcello loves money, as Simone is his gateway to make a quick buck if helping him. There are two things wrong with this. One: Marcello has a passion for dogs, he loves taking care of them by grooming them, walking them, feeding them. I feel Marcello doing these despicable things for money feels foolish, he has a solid living as a dog groomer and has a good relationship with his daughter. Two: Simoncino is the last guy Marcello should be going to, to make money... SIMONCINO DOESN’T EVEN PAY HIS DEALER MARCELLO ON TIME, WHY WOULD MARCELLO EVER BELIEVE SIMONCINO IS A RELIABLE SOURCE OF INCOME?! It just pisses me off how much of an unlikable coward Marcello is, Simoncino is not established as a childhood friend, so stop helping this bum out. He had a chance to turn him in, as he didn’t for what?! The thing that does get this character Marcello correct, is he kind of has an arc. We see Marcello as a cowardly guy, once he gets out of prison... He now becomes a bit more aggressive towards Simoncino. Though I’m conflicted with this character and his partnership with Simoncino, I can at least say he does have an arc. I enjoyed Marcello Fonte’s performance as Marcello, he did a great job with this role. Other than my issues with Marcello, the story was well written. It kept me engaged with everything going on despite my issues, though conflicted I was invested in the story from start to finish. The third act was violent and brutal, but a satisfying conclusion. I feel the conflicted nature reminds me of last years Lean on Pete, I’ve had many issues with the main character in that film, but it ended up as my fav three star film of last year. I think the differences between both main characters in each films, is that you can excuse the main character in Lean on Pete for his choice making because he’s a kid and very lost in his crucial situation. With the main character Dogman... He’s an adult, with a kid, with a respected business, and respected/loved by the neighborhood. I mean throwing majority of that all away, for a bum that’s not a good friend?! It just irks me on how this guy kept protecting him, knowing damn well he’s got a good life in front of him. Overall, Dogman is a fairly decent film. Check it out on Hulu now if you want, for what it is it’s a nice watch despite my issues. -Mitch Smietana