In lesser hands "Hachi" could have been just another canine chaos movie, the sort of amusing fluff which was "Beethoven" but director Lasse Hallström never allows this tale inspired by a true story to ever become cheesy. Yet he still manages to bring in some of that expected canine chaos controlling it to be amusing but never allowing it to dominate this beautiful tale. And yes "Hachi" is a beautiful tale about the bond and deeper connection which forms between Parker Wilson and the Akita dog which he finds as a pup wandering around the train station. It has that sweet, emotional style which Hallström does so brilliantly and draws us into this tale allowing us to connect with Parker but also the Akita dog he names Hachi.

Returning home from his job teaching music studies Professor Parker Wilson (Richard Gere - Nights in Rodanthe) discover a lost Akita pup wandering on the platform at the train station. With no one to look after it Parker takes him home much to the annoyance of his wife Cate (Joan Allen - The Bourne Ultimatum) who doesn't want a dog in their home. But her annoyance softens when she realises that Parker has fallen for the pup which he names Hachi. As the years go by and Hachi grows he becomes Parker's loyal friend, walking him to the train station each morning and then returning to wait for his arrival home in the evening, making friends with many of the locals who see him every day loyally waiting for his master's return.

As already mentioned "Hachi" is in fact based on the true story of a Japanese professor who in the 1920's took an Akita dog as a pet and their bond became legendary. Of course this has been altered, we now have the story set in America and some of the finer points have been changed but the essence of this tale is still present and to be honest it is a remarkably simple tale. We watch as music Professor Parker Wilson finds himself connecting with the little Akita pup that he finds wandering on the train station platform and whilst his wife is not so keen on having a dog in the house he soon becomes part of the family. And that bond between man and dog grows deeper as each morning Hachi walks his master to the station and then returns every evening to walk him home, becoming well known amongst the town as they see this loyal dog every day.

There is more to "Hachi" than just this and if you don't know the story then there is a heart breaking surprise which comes along. But it is well worked as we watch how close Hachi has become to Parker, loyal to his master no matter what. To explain any more would spoil what is a surprising twist and one which I can assure you will make you remember "Hachi" long afterwards.

Now you have to say that most movies which feature a dog usually have scenes of canine chaos and to be honest "Hachi" is no different. Throughout the story we have scenes of the young pup getting up to mischief, be it destroying a model building or whimpering all night long. And there is also the whole cuteness thing be it Hachi as this fluffy pup or as a grown dog who makes his rounds on the way home for the station to get treats from the local butcher. But the great thing is that none of this dominates the story but adds moments of expected humour which bring a smile to your face.

It's credit to director Lasse Hallström that he manages to bring in these moments of expected lightness yet never allows it just to be about these amusing moments. It's also credit to Lasse Hallström that he manages to deliver this simple tale in such a way that we connect with both Parker and Hachi. It means that we can really feel the bond which forms between them, not only Parker's love of his dog but also Hachi's love and loyalty to his master. And as the tale progresses you beginning to realise that connection is much deeper than you first think as shown in the scene when Hachi suddenly decides to play fetch with Parker having never done so before.

Now there is a surprising amount of star power in "Hachi" you have Joan Allen as Parker's wife, Sarah Roemer as his daughter and in supporting roles you have the likes of Erick Avari, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Jason Alexander and Davenia McFadden names which may not be so recognizable but their faces certainly are. But "Hachi" is a movie all about Richard Gere as Parker and his Akita dog and it is one of Gere's more enjoyable performances from the last few years. Ironically he doesn't actually do much but what he does is the most important thing and gets across how much Parker loves Hachi, that simple thing makes this tale believable and natural as well as heartbreaking. And as for the various dogs which play Hachi through the years, well other than being unbelievable cute they are also frighteningly good at delivering that deeper connection between Hachi and Parker.

What this all boils down to is that "Hachi: A Dog's Tale" is a surprisingly enchanting movie which manages to take a simple tale of the bond between man and dog and make it something very personal and greater than many other movie about a man and his dog. And at the same time it also manages to bring in all those expected elements of canine cuteness and chaos without every becoming just an amusing series of doggy anarchy.