Benedict Cumberbatch is a simmering threat in Netflix's 'The Power of the Dog' trailer

All is not well on the ranch.
 By 
Rachel Thompson
 on 
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Benedict Cumberbatch is a simmering threat in Netflix's 'The Power of the Dog' trailer
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The eerie, intense trailer for Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog is here, soon to arrive on Netflix after significant buzz from film festivals around the globe.

Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, and Jesse Plemons, the adaptation of Thomas Savage's 1967 novel of the same name is directed and adapted for the screen by Campion, Palme d'Or recipient for The Piano, and creator and writer of drama series Top of the Lake.

So, what's it about? Phil Burbank (Cumberbatch) and his brother George (Plemons), wealthy ranchers living in Montana in 1925.

When the brothers meet Rose (Dunst), a widow and restaurant proprietor, Phil bullies her son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee), though they'll become family. Later, the story takes a sinister turn: Phil continues to behave cruelly, and as the trailer shows, he then appears to take Peter under his wing. But is it sincere or just a continuation of his cruelty?

The Power of the Dog will be available on Netflix on Dec. 1.

Rachel Thompson, sits wearing a dress with yellow florals and black background.
Rachel Thompson
Features Editor

Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.

A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.

Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.


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