Kyle Wincott (Robbie Amell) and his dog Max are hunting for weapons in Afganistan. His superiors suspect some of the confiscated weapons have gone missing. Kyle's younger brother Justin is a disappointment to their father Ray (Thomas Haden Church). Pamela (Lauren Graham) is their loving mother. When Kyle is killed, Max is devastated and becomes uncontrollable. Max is taken to Justin during the funeral and Justin adopts him. Justin's friend Chuy's cousin Carmen helps him train Max. Chuy's other cousin Emilio is a drug dealer. Kyle's suspicious comrade Tyler Harne comes to visit and Max is not happy.The plot is more convoluted than necessary. Max as a war dog should be enough to make a tear jerker. Instead, this is overloaded with convenient bad guys with an interconnected villainous plot. A simpler villain for Justin and Max to tackle would have made this infinitely more compelling. I don't find anybody overly objectionable. It is the story that needs some cleaning up. Also, I was hoping the Mexican kids could buck the stereotype but they end up having a drug dealing cousin. A feel-good old fashion war dog movie could be good family fun but this keeps going off track.

Always being curious (and wary) of movies with Dogs as prominent 'stars' - took a chance on "Max" and was well pleased. Directed with flare by Boaz Yakin ('Remember the Titans') and sporting a smart screenplay by Sheldon Lettich along with some input from the director. Max moves at a good pace and manages to engage all age groups - although some moments may seem to stretch its PG rating to the limits - with some scenes involving grim heavies dealing in illegal weapons - who will stop at nothing to ply their nasty trade (including possibly killing kids and dogs) this could at times seem a little out of place.What keeps it all on track are the values involving families and friends working together in the most meaningful possible ways. Max, a Belgian Malinois Shepherd begins his working career serving as a combat dog in the mid-east war zone. Situations take a dramatic turn sparking events that will alter the lives of the Wincott family forever. Justin Wiggins does very well in the role of the Wincott's rebellious younger son - with Thomas Heden Church as his battle hardened father - Lauren Graham as mom, attempts to offset their differences with her positive nature.German born Cinematographer Stefan Czapsky (Edward Scissorhands) delivers many striking scenes and ex 'Yes' Band member turned prolific movie composer Trevor Rabin, wraps it up within an imaginative, lush score. Action scenes are often exceptionally well staged - with one exiting scene set on an old railway bridge. For some, it might at times seem a bit over intense for its genre but this won't be noticed by many of today's users of mindless computer games and over-the-top blockbuster movies. This one though, could prove to be more thoughtful and equally as interesting as any on offer. Might even find it's well worth taking this remarkable dog for a stroll...

Review: For a movie about a dog, I actually quite enjoyed it! I wasn't expecting deceptive gun runners and dog fights in the film and the emotional content did touch me, so I must admit, it was a joy to watch. It's about a US Marine, Kyle Wincott (Robbie Amell), who handles a dog, Max in Afghanistan. Max guides Kyles squad towards some hidden weapons but when the artillery goes missing, Kyle is questioned by his superior officers. Kyle soon realises that his close friend, Tyler Harne (Luke Kleintank), is involved in the missing weapons and he warns him that he's not going to cover for him again. Whilst on the battlefield, Max heads the squad toward a suicide bomber were Max gets injured and Kyle get shot and killed during a gun battle. Kyle's younger brother, Justin (Josh Wiggins), who makes money from pirating video games and his father, Ray (Thomas Haden Church) and mother Pamela (Lauren Graham), are informed about Kyle's death and during the burial, the US marines bring in Max to say goodbye to Kyle. Since the shooting in Afghanistan, Max has become uncontrollable but everyone can see that he is calm around Justin, because he can sense that he's Kyle's brother. As Max is due to be put down, the family agree to adopt him, as long as Justin takes control of him and they soon become best friends, with the help of his best friends cousin Carmen (Mia Xitlali). Tyler then visits the Wincotts and Max goes to attack him, because he knows of his dodgy gun dealings. Tyler then tells Ray that Kyle died because Max turned against.him so Justin goes to his fellow officer to investigate his brothers death. Justin is given a DVD to prove that Max wouldn't have turned on Kyle and while he is watching the film with Carmen and his best friend Chuy's, he is brought to tears and convinced that Tyler is lying. When they finish watching the DVD, Justin is approached by Chuy's other cousin, Emilio, whose a cartel member, about the pirate video games and they follow him into the woods and witness a arms deal with a police officer and Tyler. The police officers dogs can sense Max is nearby so they chase after him and Justin tries to flee the scene, leaving his bike behind. After Max fights of the police offers dogs, badly wounding one of them, they head home after hitchhiking a lift and when the police officer finds his bike, he goes to Justin house with Tyler and demands Max to be put down. Max manages to escape the pound and heads back to Justin house while Ray is held hostage because he has caught Tyler making an arms deal with the cartel. Max then leads Justin, Chuy and Carmen to Ray whereabouts and they manage to rescue Ray, after fighting of Emilio and the police officer. Tyler then comes face to face with Justin on a damaged bridge but he's attacked by Max, which kills Tyler and badly damages Max. After the whole dramatic incident, Max and Justin visit his brothers grave and the Wincotts adopt Max again. A sweet ending to a dramatic movie! The dog was brilliant throughout the movie and the emotional scenes at the funeral were brilliant. I would have liked to have seen some more footage of Max in Afghanistan with Kyle but apart from that, it's a decent film with enough elements to keep it interesting throughout. The dog is the real star of the movie but everyone puts in a good performance, which made the movie, surprisingly, a good watch. Enjoyable!Round-Up: This movie was directed by Boaz Yakin, who also brought you Fresh in 1994, A Price Above Rubies with Renee Zellweger, Remember The Titans, Uptown Girls, Death in Love and Safe with Jason Statham. He's had a versatile career to date and he has worked with some big stars but taking on a movie with a dog must have been a big project, so I have to give him credit for that. He also put a lot of effort into the script, which I found quite entertaining, so for a family drama, this movie gets the thumbs up from me.Budget: $20million Worldwide Gross: $44millionI recommend this movie to people who are into their family/adventure movies starring Thomas Haden Church, Josh Wiggins, Luke Kleintank and Lauren Graham. 6/10

The best movie i have ever watched. Its shows how intelligent dogs are and it also shows love between dogs and there fellow man. Its a film about action but there is also a lot of love. It is defiantly a must see film, It doesn't matter if your on your own or with your kids its the perfect film for everyone. When i first heard about this film i thought it would be alright, just another animal movie but this film was fantastic.I couldn't take my eyes of the screen it was that good ,it is absolutely a film i will tell everyone about been cause everyone,should get the chance to see this amazing film.The heart stopping scenes in this film were amazing, i don't want to spoil any details because that would ruin the story of this amazing film. I hope in the future they bring out a Max 2 or bring out the same sort of film again in the future because now i have seen this on chance go buy the i must see another one thats how good it was. Anyway to finish my review all I'm going to say is if you have the chance buy the film and sit down and watch because i promise you, you won't forget this film after you have watched it.