Megan Leavey 2017

      This film is based on the true story of a young woman Marine corporal and her military combat dog.  As a team, they worked together to save many lives during their deployments in Iraq.  Originally Rex was paired with a male handler but he bit this man.  Rex became the dog that everyone feared the most.  Megan and Rex had a bond, served two deployments in Iraq and they were both wounded.  Rex could not detect an IUD because it was buried too deeply in the ground.  The device detonated and they were both injured.  Leavey was awarded the Purple Heart and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with a V denoting heroism in combat. 

     Leavey wanted to adopt Rex when she did not reenlist but he was sent with another handler back to Iraq.  Leavey campaigned to adopt Rex when he was released from the Marine Corps because of facial palsy in 2012.  The adoption still required the intervention of Senator Chuck Schumer in April 2012.  Rex lived with Leavey until December 2012.  I thought this was very good, interesting and informative.  It shows the daily risks involved with serving in Iraq and how a dog nose can detect much more than a human nose.  4* (I really liked this movie)

116 min, Bio directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite with Kate Mara, Ramon Rodriguez, Tom Felton, Bradley Whitford, Edie Falco, Common, Will Patton, Miguel Gomez, Geraldine James, Ramon Rodriguez, Catherine Dyer, Sam Keeley, Phil Dunster.

Note:  Imdb 7.1 out of 10, 84% critic 83% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3 ½*, Metacritic 66 out of 100 with 25 critics 6.5 out of 10 with 26 reviews, Rollingstone 3* out of 4* review by Peter Travers, Amazon 4.7* out of 5* with 178 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Rome, Georgia; Charleston, South Carolina; Cartagena, Mucia; Zaragoza, Aragon; Mazarron, Murcia, Spain.  Kate Mara and Megan Leavey were both born in 1983 and grew up in the suburbs of New York City.  Megan has a cameo role as a drill instructor.  There is a mistake when Megan returns to her home at Christmas.  There are patches of snow on the ground but the leaves are still on the trees?  This film was expected to gross about $3 million but actually grossed $13,406,304 in the USA.  Cowperthwaite also directed Blackfish of 2013.