Pluskylang Great Film overall

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

Sexyloutak Absolutely the worst movie.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Coventry 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!!

paclar To start, the young boy in "Baxter" gives a highly credible, palpably evil performance as the young, Nazi-obsessed boy who comes to own this very strange pitbull suffering from existential dilemmas. The movie is also helped by the sense of dread hanging over every scene with the dog. If you've been trained to be wary of pitbulls, this movie will freak you out.The whole thing adds up, however, to little more than an exercise in morbidity. While it accomplishes that goal very smoothly, there isn't much else to recommend "Baxter." The rest of the characters aren't very well fleshed-out, and the dog's endless yammering is laughable.4/10.

dbdumonteil What's amazing on the site is that this movie retains a rather important following..for a French movie almost unknown in its native country.I wonder whether there is one single French comment among the -rather numerous- lot.Jerome Boivin made ,outside TV work, only one movie I haven't seen yet after "Baxter".And on the site,it has not got the same reputation,by a long shot.It's really a shame M.Boivin could not pursue a career that was promising."Baxter" is imperfect ,not always convincing,particularly before the cherubic-boy-with-a-dark-side appears.But,and this is crucial,it is a demanding,harsh and unique work,completely different of what French directors usually do."Heavenly creatures" which featured Kate Winslet(not the Titanic side) comes to mind.The whole story is told by the dog in voice-off:its monologue is strange indeed.The animal 's looking for a human(?) being who knows neither love nor fear.He fails with the old lady and the young couple(the scenes with the baby are impressive ,with echoes of Richard Matheson's short story "I monster" in the words of the dog.)Then THE boy appears:he's fascinated by Hitler and Eva Braun:we will never know why:it seems he found some old nazi papers in the garbage dump.But his family is totally harmless,the father(played by Jacques Spiesser,the only known actor of the cast:he was featured in JJ annaud's first effort "black and white and in colors"-"la victoire en chantant"-,an AA winner) is a bit listless but he seems to be a good man:it's apparently not the father figure this vicious son dreams of..When the dog and the boy meet,tragedy is round the corner.And don't expect a happy end :the boy's last thoughts will make your hair stand on end."Baxter" is definitely is a movie to remember.Not mommy's little boy then!

wbhickok 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.