Ace of Hearts

Inspired by the beloved Reader's Digest story, join Officer MacKenzie (Dean Cain) and his junior sleuth daughter, Julia, to prove their heroic dog's innocence in Ace of Hearts. Discover that with love and determination, anything is possible!

The "Ace" in the appealing family film Ace of Hearts is a police dog partnered with a straight-arrow cop. Daniel (Dean Cain) is a veteran lawman in a K-9 unit and the proud caretaker of Ace, a diligent pooch who knows how to track and catch bad guys without ripping them to pieces. Ace's reputation is shattered one day when a smart thief, Torko (Mike Dopud), intentionally injures himself to make it appear that Ace lost control and tore him up. The dog is deemed too dangerous for public work and is ordered euthanized. But Ace escapes, and his flight is covered up, unbeknownst to Daniel. Trying to find his way back home, Ace gets into numerous misadventures while Daniel's young daughter, Julia (Britt McKillip), pursues her own suspicions that Ace is still alive. Julia wants Daniel to believe her and join forces to find their dog. But the reticent policeman has trouble connecting with his earnest girl and brushes off her concerns--until Torko re-enters the picture. Director Daniel Mackay (Ten Inch Hero) makes a crisp adventure out of this slightly suspenseful story. He also focuses just enough on the troubled relationship between Daniel and Julia that one hopes they'll see eye-to-eye before Ace is lost for good, or Julia's persistent curiosity gets her into danger. Of course, there wouldn't be a movie like Ace of Hearts without a dashing, four-legged hero at its center, and on that count Ace is an exemplary hound. --Tom Keogh