Review of Straw Dogs (1971) by Taylor S — 16 Apr 2008

I'll be honest, Straw Dogs is my favorite movie of all time, and I personally dub it the most unique of the 1970's ultraviolent movement. Much in the same way Deliverance depicts, Straw Dogs does not hesitate to challenge its audience in the area of morality.

At first glance, the protagonists and antagonists seem obvious. The perfect couple venture to the perfect rural town and are harrassed by the locals...a classic formula. However, what each individual who watches this film should be asking him/herself is "what provoked the tragic bloodbath during the last third of the film?".

If you analyze it deeper, you will find that the local men (Scutt, Venner, Causey, Headman) were only one integral part of the violence taking place in the film. In reality, David, his wife Amy, and the local men provoked the violence in tandem.

David's refusal to be anything but a pacifist, Amy's flirtateous jousts at Charlie Venner and Norman Scutt, and, of course, the local men's rough nature and substance abuse all factored in to bring about the conclusion.

I feel that Sam Peckinpah depicted this relationship of characters in its most perfect form, and I am thankful as a viewer for his superb directing talent. I'll just comment on one more aspect of the film.

Straw Dogs, like no other film of its time, shows what sane human beings can be pushed to under relentless pressure. This, above all things, is the most disturbing aspect of the film. Cheers.