Straw Dogs (1971)
Genre: Thriller / Drama
Duration: 118 minuten
Country:
United Kingdom / United States
Directed by: Sam Peckinpah
Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Susan George and Peter Vaughan
IMDb score:
7,4 (67.884)
Releasedate: 23 December 1971
This movie is not available on US streaming services.
Straw Dogs plot
"Sometimes a man is forced to defend his honor."
Mathematician pacifist David Sumner and his wife move to a quiet village in England to flee crime in the United States. There they are constantly harassed, threatened and insulted. Until the stops blow..
Actors and actresses
David Sumner
Amy
Tom Hedden
Maj. John Scott
Charlie Venner
Chris Cawsey
Riddaway
Norman Scutt
Bobby Hedden
Janice Hedden
Reviews & comments
starbright boy (moderator films)
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- 22417 messages
- 5125 votes
Just finished my super slow Truffaut cycle and today decided to check out everything I have from Peckinpah. At my own pace, so it can take months. And thus increasing the number of films I saw of him from just two (The Wild Bunch and Cross of Iron) to ten. Decided not to do it chronologically this time, but crisscross.
Found this to be a violent and disturbing film. Very cleverly made in many respects (camera work, music and editing for example). Also had it in my head that this would be a straight forward revenge movie. That's not it. The film is a lot more complex and actually a lot more gloomy.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Fisico
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- 10039 messages
- 5398 votes
All in all, a fascinating thriller about a couple who flee the busier city life and retreat to the countryside to relax. Were it not for the fact that the local population also has its own laws and does not shy away from taking matters into their own hands.
They are not welcomed very friendly in the village. The atmosphere is as grim as the gray drizzly weather. People simply don't like outsiders and potential snoopers. In terms of atmosphere, therefore, well built up.
In terms of plot solid though everything is built up to the climax in the last 20 minutes. The stops are blowing and although the reason is there, I was surprised that people had to rage so drastically for this. Male testosterone and dominance are somewhat central here. Amy is nothing more than a desirable piece of meat, not understanding why she falls for a moron. The violence is a kind of survival of the fittest where the laws of aristocracy do not apply.
Translated from Dutch · View original
rep_robert
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- 27519 messages
- 4087 votes
Reviewed the film and I can relate very well to Chainsaw's review from 3 years ago.
Peckinpah does not have the pacing right and also cuts too much in his shots. Events follow out of nowhere and the behaviors are weird. After 25 minutes, Hoffman and George are rolling their characters in bed and we then switch to a morning where George stands in the study with watery eyes and receives a sermon from Hoffman. The film is full of these kinds of contradictory moments. It steadily builds to a climax and eventually ends in a rape, though George seems to enjoy her character immensely until the other burp puts his cock in it too. Judging by her reactions later in the film, she still had feelings for Charlie.
But it all feels so crooked. This concept is actually released only to turn into a home invasion in the last half hour after they shelter that killer. Anyway, it's hard to go along with Hoffman's thoughts because we as viewers already know that this is a man who committed a crime. If Peckinpah had left the viewer in the dark, this would have been a much stronger plot element. And easier to follow or believe. Then we could have gone along with that dilemma of giving shelter. Now it was actually quite annoying and it really didn't do the movie any good.
Fortunately, the enormous intensity of the film and the invasion makes it easier for you to take all those weaknesses for granted. That too is a quality. Because this could easily have been a gigantic turd with all sides in which the story flies.
3.5 > 3.0*
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