Review of Straw Dogs (2011) by Jennifer K — 23 Apr 2012

When I heard that someone had the audacity to take on Peckinpah's gloriously violent and important "Straw Dogs," I had a reaction akin to Frank Booth's reaction to warm beer. ("One thing I can't fuckin' stand is warm beer. It makes me fuckin' puke!") I was surprised, though, at how well it conveyed Peckinpah's message.

The plot of the remake is similar to the original with some differences in setting (Louisiana instead of rural England), and roles (James Woods as a football coach instead of town drunk, James Marsden as a screenwriter, Kate Bosworth is American instead of British). However, there are some important distinctions that make this remake inferior to the the original.

First, the chemistry between Marsden and Bosworth just wasn't there. While Marsden is decent as David, him and Bosworth just do not have the same ferocity in their arguments as Hoffman and George did.

Another important distinction is the way violence is treated in the movie. Lurie does not effectively convey David's final stand as a slow boil, but rather a more zero to pot-of-oil-in-the-face change. You also do not get the same element of the importance gender roles hold in this one, which has important role in David's change in the first film.

Yet I was surprised at how he managed to maintain some of the elements of the ambiguous rape scene. Lurie actually does a decent job at making it unclear as to whether or not Amy likes what is going on. As well, James Woods is deliciously lascivious as the drunken football coach.

Overall, Lurie's movie is a decent adaptation of the Peckinpah classic. However, he doesn't hit the same important notes as Peckinpah's does. It plays down the gender ideals David and Amy have in favour of more violence. If you have seen the original, though, I recommend seeing it for comparison's sake. If you haven't, ennnnh maybe rent it.