I should start off by saying that I’ve never seen/had never heard much about the original Straw Dogs, I’d just occasionally seen it listed on some “most-shocking” lists and stuff. I’m usually kind of wary of all of these modern-day remakes, but since I’d never actually seen the original, and since the new one stars Alexander Skarsgård aka Eric from True Blood I was down.
Directed by Rod Lurie, Straw Dogs starts with Hollywood screenwriter David Sumner (James Marsden) and his actress wife Amy (Kate Bosworth) relocating to Amy’s hometown of Blackwater, Mississippi. While they’re there they intend to repair Amy’s deceased father’s house (ravaged by Hurricane Katrina) and David also hopes to find a little peace while working on a new screenplay. It doesn’t take long for the couple to run into Amy’s old boyfriend Charlie (Skarsgård) at a local bar & grill, whom David promptly offers a roofing job to as a showing of good faith and an attempt at assimilation. David never manages to assimilate, though, and he quickly comes to find that Charlie is interested in much more than work. Namely, his “Amy-cakes.”
From the moment Charlie and his crew start their work at the Sumner household we are led down a slow burning, uncomfortable, and confrontational path as we watch cultures clash and tensions rise, culminating in an explosive finale at the Sumner barn-house residence.
There are lots of things to like about Straw Dogs. The tension built through the dialogue is pretty incredible. Every word spoken from the time the Sumners arrive in Blackwater, whether it be between David and Amy, Amy and Charlie, Charlie and David, etc., holds a very noticeable amount of contempt. By the time the pacing really starts to pick up the confrontation has already been built to an alarming level, making the pay off all the more effective.
When it comes down to it, Straw Dogs doesn’t qualify so much as a Horror film as it does a Psychological Thriller; It ultimately ends up playing out as an intense character study. There is no shortage of violence, but make no mistake that the brutality, blood, and even a rape scene serve to heighten the tension and progress the story. So many films today aim just to shock and often use these elements to do so. Straw Dogs is not one of those films. Everything about it reads as genuine and as a result, it can be difficult to watch at times.
Like I said, I’ve never seen the original Straw Dogs, but I’d have to imagine this one is just as effective, if not more, at what it’s trying to do. Those who go into it expecting a Horror film will likely be disappointed. However, those who look at it for what it is: A character driven thriller raising questions of manhood, relationships, culture, politics, and violence among other things, should not be.
****/5
kucritic 