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Amazon.co.uk Review
Forty years after Sam Peckinpah's hugely controversial 1971 original, Rod Lurie adapted and directed a new version of Straw Dogs, with a very deliberate change of location and an updating of the social context. Instead of being set in Britain, the story now takes place in small-town Mississippi, where Hollywood screenwriter David Sumner (James Marsden) is moving with his wife Amy (Kate Bosworth). She grew up in Blackwater, which she aptly refers to as "backwater," but has since become a much-desired TV actress. In their isolated house, David will write while Amy's ex-beau (Alexander Skarsgård) repairs the adjacent barn with his redneck buddies. In drawing the unease between this effete, conflict-averse intellectual and the swaggering, flag-waving, God-fearing locals, Lurie (The Contender) seems to be aiming at the hostility between red state/blue state America in 2011. But the movie breaks down when it gets to the sadistic plot turns that lead to the savage finale, a siege in which David is pushed to his primal self. In the Peckinpah film, this was a hellish and ambiguous exorcism, but here the events just seem ugly, and the movie loses control of its perspective about halfway through. James Marsden is a game actor, but he can't be as convincing a bookworm as Dustin Hoffman was in the original film. Kate Bosworth's ambivalence is the most interesting thing at play here, as she suggests the marriage might have been less than perfect all along. That subtle discontent is more intriguing than the movie's lurid collapse into ultraviolence. --Robert Horton
DVD Description
A young couple (James Marsden and Kate Bosworth) moves to a quaint southern town. Soon their perfect getaway turns out to become a living hell when dark secrets and lethal passions spiral out of control. Trapped by a pack of depraved locals led by a ruthless predator (Alexander Skarsgard, TV’s True Blood), they face a night of agonising suffering and endless bloodshed. Now their only hope for survival is to become more savage than their merciless torturers. Also starring two-time Academy Award® nominee James Woods (Best Actor, Salvador, 1986 and Best Supporting Actor, Ghosts of Mississippi, 1996).
Special Features:
Special Features:
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Commentary with Writer/Director Rod Lurie
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Courting Controversy: Remaking a Classic
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The Dynamics of Power: The Ensemble
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Inside the Siege: The Ultimate Showdown
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Creating the Sumner House: The Production Design
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
Firstly I truly loved the original version.This version which I watched in the cinema did have some merit and some excitement but compared to the original it simply falls flat.Sam Peckinpah's version for it's time was brutal and contained nudity, this version contained some violence and tense situations - no nudity by Kate Bosworth here and the rape scene was no where near as graphic as the original.It seems this version is simply to tame.I am surprised this is getting an 18 rating as I have seen much stronger 15 rated films recently .There are a few differences here and not to give too much away - some of the character names as with the original remain the same and the story has moved to America.This started out on the right track but then feels hurried, when it came to the end I felt cheated big time.My advice would be to just watch the original again...
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This remake of the 1971 Straw Dogs features James Marsden (Cyclops from X-Men) as David Sumner, a man who moves with his wife Amy (The beautiful Kate Bosworth) back to her hometown of Blackwater Mississippi to finish his screenplay. After bumping into local-boy and Amy's high school sweetheart Charlie (Alexander Skarsgård - Zoolander) they hire him and his buddies to do up the dilapidated barn on Amy's property. As the men labour, they covet Amy and frictions between the intellectual David and Charlie flare. Will they manage to resolve their issues peacefully?
To avoid launching into an essay-length comparison between this version and the Dustin Hoffman one, I think it's worth noting that this is a loyal remake that keeps the same plot devices as the first. It's exactly the same story but with the volume turned down. In doing so, it's lost a lot of the symbolism and comes across as celebrating the violence rather than lamenting what David has been driven to.
The cast are capable but I wasn't impressed with anyone's acting (not even James Woods as the coach) and Kate Bosworth's rendition of the plot-critical scene is truly confusing, I have no idea if she was meant to be half-enjoying it or not, but that's the way it's filmed (if you've seen the original, you'll know what I'm talking about) but it's pretty abhorrent regardless. Nonetheless it still fails to even compare.
In conclusion, this film doesn't really gain anything by being moved from Cornwall to Mississippi, the cast are solid but uninspiring but it's a noble attempt at contemporising the story for a new generation, unfortunately, the imagery from the first ends up diluted and feels like they are just glamorising violence. Worth a watch, but if you have the choice, go for the 1971 version.
To avoid launching into an essay-length comparison between this version and the Dustin Hoffman one, I think it's worth noting that this is a loyal remake that keeps the same plot devices as the first. It's exactly the same story but with the volume turned down. In doing so, it's lost a lot of the symbolism and comes across as celebrating the violence rather than lamenting what David has been driven to.
The cast are capable but I wasn't impressed with anyone's acting (not even James Woods as the coach) and Kate Bosworth's rendition of the plot-critical scene is truly confusing, I have no idea if she was meant to be half-enjoying it or not, but that's the way it's filmed (if you've seen the original, you'll know what I'm talking about) but it's pretty abhorrent regardless. Nonetheless it still fails to even compare.
In conclusion, this film doesn't really gain anything by being moved from Cornwall to Mississippi, the cast are solid but uninspiring but it's a noble attempt at contemporising the story for a new generation, unfortunately, the imagery from the first ends up diluted and feels like they are just glamorising violence. Worth a watch, but if you have the choice, go for the 1971 version.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Having read a lot of the other reviews and the general consensus being that this remake is not a patch on the original, I am inclined to agree. The film is violent in places, and yes the rape scene is not as brutal, but in my eyes, this is no bad thing. Recently there seems to have been an uplift in the number of films (e.g. the Last House on the Left) with unneccesary, disturbing rape scenes. It seems writers and directors have run out of ways to shock and they are using sexual violence to achieve this aim. I would never watch a film with graphic rape scenes again as I don't feel comfortable watching them. I'm sure that I am not alone in feeling this, so ultimately film makers who use such tactics are failing in their primary responsibility, which is to provide the viewer with entertainment. I try not to buy a DVD to watch it just once, but in this case, the film will probably never see the light of day again. Fundamentally, I think we are all aware of what is happening in such a scene but I don't believe that we need to be too aware, if you catch my drift.
Going back to the film, it seemed weakly acted, with Alexander Skarsgard cast as a villain with no real depth. Unfortunately he has failed to lose the character of Eric Northman from True Blood; for a villain to be convincing, he needs to have real depth. The film also seems to take a while to get going, and when it does, it is at the end which is frankly, too late. The aim was obviously to create a hostile environment when everything comes to a head at the end, but the tension wasn't built up strongly or quickly enough. Not really worth watching. If you're looking for a horror/thriller that really gets underneath your skin, try Eden Lake.
Going back to the film, it seemed weakly acted, with Alexander Skarsgard cast as a villain with no real depth. Unfortunately he has failed to lose the character of Eric Northman from True Blood; for a villain to be convincing, he needs to have real depth. The film also seems to take a while to get going, and when it does, it is at the end which is frankly, too late. The aim was obviously to create a hostile environment when everything comes to a head at the end, but the tension wasn't built up strongly or quickly enough. Not really worth watching. If you're looking for a horror/thriller that really gets underneath your skin, try Eden Lake.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Should Be Humanely Destroyed
What a completely pointless remake. Just the same lack of pace and plot as Peckinpah's original, adding nothing interesting and sorely lacking any credibility. Read more
Published 19 days ago by BoatDrinks
DO NOT REMAKE A PECKINPAH!
The Remake of STRAW DOGS is better than the remake of THE GETAWAY, still there are some movies that never ever should be remade. Peckinpah movies are some of them. Read more
Published 21 days ago by Sick-o
straw dogs remake
I'm not a massive fan of the original Straw Dogs but it certainly had a distinct atmosphere and style to it. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Flobbydobby
Haven't I seen you somewhere before?
There are remakes and there are remakes. Granted, right now in Hollywood, you can't step on a celebrity star without tripping over a remake, but, sometimes they can work. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Albatross
STRAW DOGS
Why I do declare, they relocativated Straw Dogs to the deep South for some good ole Tennessee Williams style homoerotic sweaty redneck action. Read more
Published 1 month ago by nelson viper
WHEN IN ROME
The buisness of rebranding and almost franchising movies is becoming a common pursuit in Hollywood.Just as common is the teary eyed film lovers bemoaning these movies. Read more
Published 1 month ago by mister joe
Straw Dogs
I can't remember seeing the original but I quite enjoyed this version. It's not your usual 'redneck' type film because I can't recall seeing any 'inbreds' or Hills Have Eyes types... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Je Salter
A good siege movie, American small town horror
This movie is going to suffer if it is considered purely in contrast or comparison to the original, which is arguably a classic. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Lark
A remake which is good.
Forget the original for now,or if you have never seen the 1971 version,then this is pretty good,nasty and violent as before,but what stands out is James Woods,who just beats up the... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mrgvase
Rubbish!
I was looking forward to watching this but was left disappointed to say the least. I have not yet seen the original so I had no pre-conceived idea of what the remake should be... Read more
Published 2 months ago by A Ditchburn
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