Paramount Pictures, 1982

starring: Kristy McNichol, Jameson Parker, Burl Ives, and Paul Winfield

directed by: Samuel Fuller

the plot: While driving home one night, actress Julia Sawyer (McNichol) accidentally hits a white German shepherd on the road. She brings the dog to a vet and, after he’s checked out, brings him home with her. The dog proves to be lovable and fiercely protective—when a rapist breaks into Julia’s house, the dog wastes no time in mauling the attacker. But soon, the dog starts attacking others, and as Julia slowly realizes, the victims are almost always African American. Her boyfriend, Roland (Parker), thinks the dog should be put down, but Julia believes the animal deserves a chance. She brings the dog to Carruthers (Ives), an animal park owner, who quickly determines the dog is a “white dog”—an animal trained to attack only African Americans. He refers Julia to Keys (Winfield), a black animal trainer, dog breeder, and amateur scientist. Keys sees the dog as a challenge: if he can condition the dog to unlearn its vicious behavior, perhaps racism itself can be unlearned. But, for every step forward, the dog takes two steps back, and as it claims more victims, Keys finds the dog may be a hopeless case.

why it’s good: “White Dog” walks a fine, strange line. At a glance it looks like a horror flick, a proto-“Cujo,” or maybe a canine version of “Jaws.” But, while “White Dog” is scary at times, its goal isn’t to terrify. The film grows into a strange cousin of the noir thrillers director Samuel Fuller helmed three decades earlier: there’s a troubled protagonist with a dark side, a young woman who wants to heal and nurture him, and, of course, a crime that must be covered up. But, even beyond that setup, “White Dog” takes another turn and directly addresses racism and how poisonous thinking can manifest as vicious acts. Paramount shelved “White Dog” after production wrapped up in 1982; NAACP leaders threatened to boycott the film and studio execs were unsure of the movie’s commercial prospects. “White Dog” was given a handful of screenings and sporadic airings on cable, but it wasn’t officially released on DVD until Criterion picked up the film in 2008. The film’s tortured path is a shame, but it’s not surprising. Fuller, who, along with Curtis Hanson, adapted “White Dog” from Romain Gary’s novel, was a blunt, matter-of-fact filmmaker. “White Dog” isn’t visually explicit (Fuller moves the camera away during most of the dog’s attacks), but it’s confrontational when discussing racism. That attitude succeeds partly because of Fuller’s style, but mostly because of an excellent performance by Paul Winfield. As Keys, he’s the only character willing to take on the dog’s racist conditioning. By the end of the film, he edges into “mad quest” territory in his zeal to deprogram the dog. Because “White Dog” is an off-kilter noir, you’ve probably guessed the ending isn’t a happy one. But even less happy are the questions Fuller asks: can hate be unlearned? And, even if it can, how much damage does it leave in its wake? The only answer “White Dog” provides is that, no matter what, it is hatred’s victims who suffer the most.

why you should own it: “White Dog” is a fascinating bit of genre filmmaking and fans of Fuller’s other movies (such as 1963’s “Shock Corridor” or 1953’s “Pickup on South Street”) will want to check it out. The Criterion DVD features a wealth of extras, including interviews with cast and crew, as well as critical essays.