Maybe it'll show up in the discount theater and I'll go see it, but otherwise if I'm going to the movies I will (hopefully) be spending my money on repeat viewings of Drive.
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Bloody Disgusting Horror - "Straw Dogs (remake)" Movie Info, Review, Headlines, Gallery
Straw Dogs almost works. It's just that, by the very nature of its existence, it invites comparisons to something more iconic and singular and it doesn't always stack up. The main issue is that, like many remakes, it gets stuck between audiences. I just can't see this film existing today without the original being the branding launchpad that it (curiously) is. In updating the story for a modern audience, writer/director Rod Lurie has held on to so many elements of the original that the movie falls into a gray zone. It's hard to blame him for being so reverential (I can't imagine many directors veering off-text in adapting this material), but the result is a movie that feels just a bit like an echo.
Review: Rod Lurie Delivers ‘Straw Dogs’ For Dummies > The Playlist
“Straw Dogs” gets off on the wrong foot by never once seeming real. Shot on location in Louisiana, the interiors feel like elaborate Hollywood sets, and the supporting players all from central casting. As a main antagonist, Charlie seems entirely reasonable (his controlled rage at David upon storming out of a church service is a moment in which his aggression feels justified), until weapons and bloodshed are present, and his crew essentially play follow the leader. And, in case you were wondering, yes, there is a moment where the cheerleader’s father, the town drunk, is given a gun and becomes a bizarre defacto leader. Not even the sheriff thinks to disarm him, despite not being anywhere close to sane. It all makes sense: how would you recreate the alchemy of something like “Straw Dogs” without merely just stacking up contrivances? [D-]
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