Archive FM

Two for Space Jam, Please

Episode 71 – The Power of the Dog (2021)

played by Benedict Cumberbatch, roughly castrates a bull with a knife, then with his bare hands. This is maybe a representative scene for much of the tense hypermasculinity/repressed sexuality at play in the movie, or maybe it's a way of showing the violence that Phil is capable of. It's a taut, tight, suspenseful Western -- with a twist ending (that we very helpfully spoil!).
Broadcast on:
07 Dec 2021

In one jarring scene of Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog, cattle rancher Phil Burbank, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, roughly castrates a bull with a knife, then with his bare hands. This is maybe a representative scene for much of the tense hypermasculinity/repressed sexuality at play in the movie, or maybe it’s a way of showing the violence that Phil is capable of. It’s a taut, tight, suspenseful Western — with a twist ending (that we very helpfully spoil!).

Thanks to slfhlp for providing us some SICK BEATS for our intro and outro.

As always, send yr comments, questions, and movie suggestions to twoforspacejamplease @ gmail.com and subscribe on iTunes or Spotify.

played by Benedict Cumberbatch, roughly castrates a bull with a knife, then with his bare hands. This is maybe a representative scene for much of the tense hypermasculinity/repressed sexuality at play in the movie, or maybe it's a way of showing the violence that Phil is capable of. It's a taut, tight, suspenseful Western -- with a twist ending (that we very helpfully spoil!).