Straw Dogs (2011)

Have you seen it? No? There is likely a very good reason for that...it stinks.Like nearly ALL the endless remakes and reboots that have been plaguing movie goers for the past decade or so....all this is, is a heartless version of the original.It has no heart.It has no soul.It is a retelling of a film that we all love and cherish...and it adds nothing to the story. It improves nothing but the special effects--which held up very well over time--and in some cases belittles the fans of the original...particularly in the fact that they remade the movie at all, without adding anything clever to it.Like so many other remakes it is a hallow shell of the original.

There aren't that many films that I would give full marks to but this has to be one of them. Some unusual things happen while you're watching this movie. First there's the story that you're watching unfold in front you and then there's another story running along side it that reminds you of lots of other similar stories of characters being tested. Then there's the story in your own mind revealing itself in response to what you're seeing. The story certainly makes you think, its not passive viewing by any means. For quite a long time I felt myself getting more and more upset with the tone of foreboding. I kept asking myself if I could withstand what I was about to see. Then you realise its not so much about the characters dealing with their problems, its about you and how you would deal with the prospect of this kind of menace. So very rarely as happens in films, you find yourself in the action, in the story and the 'you' in the story is doing exactly what the male protagonist does.There's a tipping point in the processing of events, that switches all of the choices and threats from being extraneous, to intimate and very personal. If that shift is communicated in the original book or if its Sam Peckinapah's contribution I don't know, but its rare all the same. Lots of films try to do it, but most fail. It could be that I've been reading too much about human evolution lately and how we are all essentially still just another species of animal on this earth struggling to survive, I don't know? But the idea that there's a desert island and beautiful tree with one perfect branch and two birds sit on the branch and fight till the death for the right to sit there, is the same for every single living thing. Whether we like it or not. Competition, greed, supremacy and the quest for ownership, however temporary, are everywhere, in all species. I do think though that the notion of choice is something that's only on offer in times of peace.

Straw Dogs (2011): Dir: Rod Lurie / Cast: James Marsden, Kate Bosworth, Alexander Skarsgard, James Woods, Dominic Purcell: The title addresses the descend into evil and its eventual defeat. Remake of the 1971 Sam Peckinpah film, this one stars James Marsden and Kate Bosworth as a couple returning to her home town to fix up her home front. He is a screenwriter and she had a role in one of the series produced from his work. Eventually they encounter her ex- boyfriend whom dated her when she was a cheerleader. He and his friends are set to repair the roof of his barn, which leads to all sorts of stupid problems that could have been avoided had anyone used common sense. Marsden unwisely goes on a hunting trip where he is left stranded while the boys rape his wife. He will eventually grow a pair once his home is threatened and bullets are fired into his home in the violent climax where he must off everyone of them. This is where a bear trap comes in handy. Bosworth as the wife is a total idiot. She becomes enraged when her cat is found hanging in the closet, then she pulls the stupid move of taunting strip tease in front of her future rapists. Alexander Skarsgard plays the ex- boyfriend with all the personality of a shotgun revolver. James Woods plays the racist ill tempered coach whose underage daughter is involved with a mentally challenged male who accidentally kills her. Dominic Purcell plays the unfortunate handicapped guy who just can't seem to win. Complete with really bad CGI deer during two hunting scenes that might have well been made of straw as well. Score: 2 / 10

There are some goofs in the film, but I guess it all adds to the plot and makes it an entertaining movie. Why in the earth would the wife show her top to the men. Who on earth would do that? How come six armed men get bested by a couple trapped inside a house? What the film does best is creating tension that keeps building and gets more intense as the story proceeds. There is tension in every line dialog and the actors do an excellent job of delivering them convincingly. Shouts to James Woods for portraying a character that is an absolute ass. There a holes in the plot, and it is not meant to be realistic, but to deliver a great Hollywood experience and I highly recommend it to anyone who looks for an intense movie to be thrilled and have a good time. I haven't seen the version with Dustin Hoffman, but am very interested after watching this.