Ace of Hearts

The police dog film has had a long and chequered history, arguably reaching its zenith with the Tom Hanks picture Turner and Hooch and its lowest point with Jim Belushi in K9 (or Top Dog with Chuck Norris, depending on who you talk to). Now comes Ace of Hearts, a straight-to-DVD family film in the same vein. If you’re wondering what a "straight-to-DVD family film entails” it usually features an actor from a TV show that isn’t on anymore, who you recognise but haven’t seen a while. In this case, Dean Cain (Superman from Lois and Clark) stars as the cop whose partner happens to be a super-skilled German shepherd. Based on a true story featured in Reader’s Digest, Ace of Hearts follows Officer Daniel Harding (Cain) and his faithful police dog Ace, who is also Daniel’s family’s pet. While on the trail of the city’s most nefarious criminal (a burglar), Ace is unjustly accused of mauling the prime suspect and is to be put to sleep as a result. Ace escapes and Daniel is left with no choice but to clear his dog’s name. One of the main problems with the movie is that Daniel’s fixation with Ace (at times at the expense of his family’s happiness) is a little creepy. He seems like a little boy, interacting well with his pet ("let’s go get ’em, buddy!”) but detached and awkward around his wife and daughter. That being said, the dog is quite good. It’s a pretty silly movie but as far as entertainment for small kids goes, it’s quite sufficient. They could be watching worse movies than Ace of Hearts, though at some point after the age of six they should be starting to wonder why the dog is acting more sensibly and realistically than any of the adults.