Man's Best Friend

I was highly disappointed to see that the dog who plays Max in this film is not credited anywhere on the IMDB page - and he was the best actor in the whole darn movie! The whole half-dog/half-human brain thing (at least I think that's what it was supposed to be) was pulled off incredibly well by this pooch. I mean, he had EXPRESSIONS! When he looked up at Ally Sheedy's boyfriend after he tried to slip him some spiked dog chow - that LOOK! GRRRR!!! It was great! That dog should get an Oscar! ;-)

This mutated dog sci-fi/ horror / black comedy requires complete suspension of disbelief, and if you can live with that premise, you will find "Man's Best Friend" entertaining. Although Lance Henriksen receives second billing, his screen time is somewhat disappointing. The sci-fi element is never explored, giving way to "Cudjo"-like maulings and some moments of "dark comedy". There is a little too much cutesy stuff involving the genetically engineered dog, but overall other than the lack of Henriksen, this is a totally acceptable time waster. The dog is really the star, with the actors assuming a secondary role. - MERK

It's the same old story... Girl rescues dog from test lab, girl wants to keep cute and heroic dog as her pet, dog turns out to be a genetically altered killing machine that wants to destroy girl's fiancée by peeing acid on his face. Hm, on second thought, it's not that common at all! In fact, with its absurdly ingenious plot, tongue-in-cheek humor and excessive gore, "Man's Best Friend" is one of the best horror movies of the overall disappointing 90s decade.

It's been approximately 25 years since I watched "Man's Best Friend" for the first and last time. I loved it instantly, but due to my youthful age at the time, I only had eyes for the virulent dog-attacks and thus never really realized that writer/director John Lafia delivered a pitch-black comedy. Lance Henriksen is exquisite as the mad scientist who turned an ordinary cuddly Tibetan Mastiff into the undefeatable and super-intelligent Max-3000. When TV anchor Ally Sheedy sets him free, she doesn't realize she activated a drooling time bomb.

Name any cliché involving dogs in the movies; - "Man's Best Friend" features it! Max runs after paperboys on bikes, chases kittens up trees, bites sadist dog abusers in the crotch, fools around with dog catchers and fanatically grabs arrogant mailmen by the throat. The difference with Max is that everything is just a tad bit ...bloodier! For the skeptical viewers who then still don't believe "Man's Best Friend" is a parody, just look at the sequence where our furry anti-hero Max spots a cute blond Lassie, and a cover of Paul Anka's "Puppy Love" spontaneously begins to play. Delicious!

"Man's Best Friend", about a genetically altered dog that kills any perceived threat, is pretty much what you'd expect. Ally Sheedy really chews the scenery as the reporter investigating cruelty to animals and inadvertently releasing the bloodthirsty pooch. But no matter, the movie still is pretty fun to watch, with the full understanding that it's basically a totally dumb flick. Lance Henriksen, playing the scientist who created the murderous hound, lets his face do the acting.

Like I said, it's mostly just a fun movie to watch. Definitely nothing special about it. Although I should admit that I'd never heard of a Tibetan mastiff until I read a description of the movie.

A dog turns from man's best friend into man's worst nightmare as he attacks everything that moves.

John Lafia co-wrote the screenplay for "Child's Play" (1988). He went on to direct "Child's Play 2" (1990). These two hits under his belt, he was given directing duties on "Man's Best Friend". Unfortunately, third time was not the charm, because this amounts to a rather forgettable "killer dog" movie that cannot hold a candle to "Cujo".

Lance Henriksen is a great genre icon, and Ally Sheedy is one of the most under-appreciated actresses of the last thirty years. Unfortunately, they are both wasted because this film is just stupid. We might expect that from Henriksen, who has such a long list of credits you have to expect a few duds. But Sheedy has just had bad luck. This should have been better, just as "Only the Lonely" should have been better.