This movie is incredible, and very inspiring if you want to train your dog. The movie is a little dark, but it's also a great family movie. If you own a dog, right after you watch this movie you feel like training your dog. It has a great animal theme, and if you are a dog lover, then I assure you, that you will love this movie.I was a little shocked when I first saw this movie, because it's supposed to be kind of a family movie, but a lot of people died, or got shot. Also Ray (the dad) points a gun at Max (the dog obviously) and threatens to shoot him. A lot of the movie is based on guns, and at the beginning of the movie there is war. There is also a lot of gangs, and low lives in the movie, and all of them but one die at the end.The movie is about a 23 year old guy named Kyle who is a marine. At the beginning of the movie Kyle is on an a mission in Afghanistan, and dies, his dog named Max gets sent to Texas where Kyle's family lives. Max bonds to Kyle's brother Justin, so Justin starts to work with the dog. Justin Makes Bootleg Video games, and sells them to a guy named Emilio. A friend of Kyle's named Tyler sells guns to Emilio...

Max really is a movie to be watched by a younger audience or people who have nothing else to do on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Max is the story of a shepherd dog who helps soldiers in the Middle East. One day, during a normal operation, the soldier who takes care of him dies and Max is taken back to the US. Unfortunately, after the shock of losing his owner, and the terror of war, the dog is totally untrainable and is about to be sacrificed. At the last minute, the soldier's younger brother is given the dog and a set of adventures unfold between them. Together, they develop a strange friendship that leads them to dismantle a dodgy business of counterfeit weapons. Children, a bit of bicycle riding. Seems like E.T without all the special effects and the magic touch of Steven Spielberg.

This movie reminds us of the contribution dogs have made to the military effort & still do. Like the canines that assist local law enforcement, military canines provide an invaluable service. This movie about one such dog - Max - is well made and acted. The story centers on the bonding between one teenager & Max. Max has been traumatized by the war & the teenager played by Josh Wiggins has his own set of problems - together they come through it together. This movie might be too intense for younger audience but should appeal to teenagers. There is even a sub plot involving a coming of age romance. The parents played by Church & Graham are alternately strong & nurturing.

Fifteen minutes into it and I was almost bawling my eyes out especially at the scene where Max was at Kyle's funeral, but that's because I have a dog myself and couldn't bear the idea of separation between a man and his best friend. Who knew that was the best part. Everything else just became cornier and clichéd. The film revolved around the poor life choices of a teenage-angst kid paired with a fresh-out-of-school acting. At least, it was all bearable. A little bit entertaining bu with the constant sighs at the turn of events. If you have kids, this would have been a nice film to watch with them.