Without a doubt, Hachi: A Dog's Tale's position as the 191st movie in the IMDb Top 250 is one of the most curious entries ever - and not at all in a good way. That's to say, this overtly sentimental, mushy, and entirely mawkish picture isn't particularly notable no matter which way you look at it: it's a genuine wonder as to how the general population managed to upvote this into a position of such influence (why this and not, say, Marley & Me, which everyone on Earth also seems to adore with similar levels of enthusiasm?). Critically, Hachi: A Dog's Tale received mixed reviews, but most critics - whichever way their reviews fell in the end - tended to agree that the movie did everything in its power to play with your emotions. You know, in that sickening, manipulative way that movies about humans and their dogs often do. This flick is average at best, though; somebody really needs to investigate its position in the Top 250 as a result.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
