Top Dog

Directed by Aaron Norris, Top Dog follows grizzled cop Jake Wilder (Chuck Norris) as he reluctantly agrees to work with a police dog to take down white supremacist. It’s a decent-enough premise that’s employed to low-rent and progressively tedious effect by Norris, as the filmmaker, working from Ron Swanson’s screenplay, delivers a perpetually generic endeavor that contains few interesting, attention-grabbing attributes – with the arms-length atmosphere compounded by an almost total lack of exciting action sequences. (The one exception is a surprisingly entertaining interlude wherein Norris’ character takes on dozens of goons at once, although this ultimately proves to be the exception rather than the rule.) And while Norris offers up charming (albeit very lazy) work that remains a highlight, Top Dog is otherwise lacking in dynamic appearances from a supporting cast riddled with underwhelming players – which generally ensures that the movie is at its best when focused on the relatively engaging bond between Jake and his appealing pup. By the time the violent and drawn-out climax rolls around, Top Dog has confirmed its place as a mostly forgettable endeavor that seems unlikely to appeal to either kids or adults.

*1/2 out of ****