Review of Straw Dogs (1971) by Sam B — 27 Aug 2011

This is the type of movie that has it's own strange kind of energy. Dustin Hoffman finds himself adrift in the English countryside, the lone nebbish American. Running from the tension of his home country with his young English wife by his side, he only proves to be a target for the British ruffians inhabit the nearby town. The movie goes off into many areas in its exploration of violence and sexuality. There is no doubt that Peckinpah would not have been able to make most of the choices he made with this film today.

The tone shifts wildly and the message is not a simple one, but it is dark. It will be interesting to see how the coming remake deals with the imperfections that make this movie something worth thinking about.