Hatchi

Finally a film without explosions, computer graphics, and violence. A family film with a message. Adults will relate to the story of life-long friendship and loyalty. Children will love the "dog story" A tender story will huge box office potential. The possible "sleeper hit" of the holidays. Pet lovers everywhere will relate to this film and will leave theaters in tears. A weepy, wonderful film about the bond that develops between one man and a dog after a chance meeting at a train station. Bring extra tissues! Based on a true story, this film was shot mostly in Woonsocket, Rhode Island at a historic old train station. Beautifully shot and edited. The film runs less than 2-hours. The film generally adheres to the actual true story of a dog in Japan. The dog became a national treasure and a monument was erected to honor him.

Its really hard to articulate when you have so much to write and so little words to express. And even lesser words which could actually help you convey what you want to say. The closest word which comes to my mind in this case is 'stupendous'.

Hachiko is a true story about a dog in Japan and the special bond he shared with a professor whom he met when it was a little puppy. The story has been put forward exceptionally well by the cast and the director.

The movie has been kept extremely simple with minimum effort on the scenes, yet remarkably you are kept spellbound after a couple of minutes into the movie. And as the other reviews suggest, making the whole theater grab onto their tissues explains how good it really is.

Lastly, coming for someone who also rates 'Eight below' as one of his favorite's, a high rating of Hachiko would seem a little biased to many. But in my honest opinion I don't think that anybody who has watched this movie can rate it below 10.

I first knew about "Hachiko: A Dog's Story" because of Sarah Roemer, my favorite actress. When I read more about this movie and found out that Richard Gere and Joan Allen were in the cast too, I was really excited.

I saw the movie on 29 Setember at "Festival do Rio de Janeiro" and I loved it! It's really powerful and touching. I loved how they showed the dog's vision in black & white.

The only thing that I didn't like at all was that the characters seems to "never take flight". I know Parker (Richard Gere) and the dog Hachiko are the main characters, but I think that the other characters could have been explored a bit more. But I do understand why it wasn't done.

If you are a dog person, you will definitely love this movie! It's a sad, beautiful story that touches everyone's heart! A must-see.

I just saw this movie today, and I'm so glad I did.

It is based on a true story and it's only natural that the movie is great because the real story itself is very touching. One of the things that sets this movie apart from the other movies that involve animals is how they stuck to reality instead of throwing in some a-little-hard-to-believe elements here and there just to make it more entertaining.

Sometimes they show things through Hachi's eyes as opposed to human eyes, which helps you relate to him and understand how he felt and what he thought then, as well as emphasizes that Hachi is the main character of the movie.

This is not just a kids' movie. In the end everyone including myself was crying because we were so moved. It is a must-see.

Knowing the real-life story behind it, Hachiko: A Dog's Story (2009) has been made in a sort of staged documentary style, similar to the kind of movies often seen on documentary channels (e.g. NatGeo), however without a narrator so common in documentaries, and including well-known actors (Richard Gere, Sarah Roemer and Joan Allen), making it more suitable for theatrical distribution.

Before my last year's visit to Tokyo I've been unaware of the true-life story this movie is based upon. In time an occasion came up to meet a friend in Shibuya city, contemporary center of Tokyo's youth culture (shopping, fashion, nightlife...), and that's how I've learned about the popular local meeting point for all Tokyoites, the Hachikō Akita dog statue just outside of Shibuya Train Station, but the real story behind it has been still eluding me ever since. After seeing this movie, and some additional research on the web, all pieces have fallen into place.

In retelling the story of common bonding between the dog and its owner, so usual that it comes so natural, film is moving at slow pace, following events of an ordinary life, though not without occasional comedic and dramatic overtones. Even past the dramatic highpoint, when common acts of affection and loyalty evolve towards such an unheard-of faithfulness and ultimate devotion, pace of the storytelling does not change, relying primarily on fine details and emotional build-up. Of course, this might not attract everybody, providing that majority of movie audience today is highly dependent on fast paced, action packed scenes, getting thrills from 3D CG stylized ambiance and suspense, high volume amplitudes and aggressive, often rude highlights of any other nature. However, for those who can do without it, and keep alive their interest even in a simple story, who won't shy away from emotional involvement (as if this can be controlled), they shall easily find themselves consumed by its mere beauty and warmth. Usual man's-best-friend story, spiced with an intriguing yet inspiring detail, shall leave you a bit sad, inevitably pensive, but ultimately delighted. Even more so after the reading of the real-life epilogue.