THE POWER OF THE DOG

Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst Fri., Dec. 1, on Netflix R

Montana, 1925: Wealthy Phil Burbank (Cumberbatch) is a sadistic rancher whose life is dramatically disrupted when his gentler younger brother George (Jesse

Plemons) marries a widow (the heartbreaking Dunst, who is Plemons’ off-screen partner). After mocking the widow’s lisping son Peter (Kodi Schmit-McPhee), Phil then begins to bond with the younger man, teaching him how to ride a horse. But can Phil change course? Director Jane Campion’s Western thriller is an expert exploration of toxic masculinity.