Off the Chain

A documentary about pit bull terriers that tries to do several things simultaneously, Off the Chain offers a history of the breed that emphasizes how, in the early 20th century, it was embraced as the quintessential American family dog, celebrated for service among the troops in World War I and featured in Our Gang comedies and Buster Brown shoe commercials. But the film also demonstrates how the image of pit bulls has been altered by the so-called “gaming” underground that trains them for ferocious one-on-one combat and has led to legislation banning the dogs in some regions of the country. And it adds a coda about rescue movements that try to save the animals from abuse and place those without aggressive tendencies with loving owners. Featuring interviews with owners, “gamers,” and law enforcement officials, the program suggests that the problem may lie more with human beings who mistreat them than the animals (there's some very graphic footage of dogfights here, and some equally disturbing observations about U.S. society—one “gamer” argues, in a sort of Patton parody, that Americans love both competition and brutality). Unfortunately, the presentation is technically ragged and not terribly well organized. The DVD bonus material is truly eclectic: a Betty Boop animated short featuring a pit bull, an Our Gang short (in which Pete the dog plays a very minor role), a rap music video for the title song, some stitched-together “dog tricks,” and excerpts from man-on-the-street interviews with some real oddballs. Despite the production drawbacks, this is a fairly compelling program, and therefore recommended, with reservations (though the gruesome fight scenes make it decidedly inappropriate for younger viewers). Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)