Review of Straw Dogs (1971) by Scott C — 10 Nov 2012

A story of a man (Dustin Hoffman) pushed to his limits. His wife is a childish, attention whore and the ruffians of the town don't give a damn what they do and the man eventually fights back. After all is said and done, this movie is extremely moving and powerful. Probably Dustin Hoffman's best performance, Straw Dogs is one hell of a movie. From the opening credits until the end, you never feel safe in the small village that they moved to.

The movie successfully keeps you engaged with very little comfort room. Everything is in stark daylight and most of the settings are surrounded by vacant moors. The setting works so well, that when things start to pick up, you really cannot stop watching. The beginning is great and sets the mood. The middle is disturbing and builds up on the character's weaknesses. The end is the definition of intense and really wraps up the movie nicely.

The only real weakness is Susan George's character Amy. It's really hard to care about her character and her acting isn't as solid as the other cast members. However, the unlikable nature of Amy, works for the movie as well, because it puts Dustin Hoffman in the forefront and that's the movie at it's strongest.

It's honestly really hard to review this movie without giving much away or just talking about the amazing mood/atmosphere. Yeah, the pacing is great, the editing is crazy good (way ahead of it's time), and everything just works for the movie, as opposed to against it. This movie is powerful, disturbing, and terrifying all at the same time. For once, I have hardly anything bad to say, this is truly an American classic.

PROS: Dustin Hoffman, jaw dropping last 40 minutes, intense, visceral, well acted.

CONS: Susan George.