Straw Dogs

Sam Peckinpah's controversial 1971 exploration of the nature of violence split the critics on its initial release--who simultaneously hailed it as either a masterpiece or a moral cesspool. Based on Gordon M. Williams' novel The Siege of Trencher's Farm, the story follows American expatriates David (Dustin Hoffman) and Amy Sumner (Susan George), who have come to live in a small Cornish village that boasts a handful of local thugs. Hoffman is maddeningly effective as a passive mathematician whose non-involvement borders on cowardice: when his cat is murdered, and his wife is raped, David continues to scrawl mathematical formulas on the chalkboard. Things come to a confrontational head, however, when David shelters a retarded man suspected of murder, and the villagers attack, prompting the heretofore milquetoast academic to mount a bloody retributive defense of his abode. An uncomfortable, disturbing movie that gets under your skin (for better or worse), Straw Dogs remains a chilling, thought-provoking film some 30-plus years after its initial release. Although this uncut version of the film was previously available from Anchor Bay Entertainment in a respectable looking transfer, this Criterion double-disc edition is a noticeable improvement, boasting an unbelievably clean, sharp, color-saturated image and solid sound. The bountiful array of extras include a fine audio commentary track from film scholar Stephen Prince, the 82-minute documentary Sam Peckinpah: Man of Iron (minus, unfortunately, most of the film clips in the original doc that weren't cleared for use), the wonderful 26-minute archival piece "On Location: Dustin Hoffman"), new interviews (roughly 20 minutes each) with costar Susan George and producer Daniel Melnick, and more. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)[DVD Review--October 5, 2004--MGM, 118 min., not rated, $14.95--Making its third appearance on DVD, Sam Peckinpah's 1971 Straw Dogs bows on an extra-less disc that sports an excellent widescreen transfer (nearly identical to the one in the double-disc Criterion set, priced at $39.95) and Dolby Digital mono sound. Bottom line: if you didn't pick up the superior Criterion edition--which is the exact same cut--this one's a bargain at $14.95.][Blu-ray Review—Sept. 13, 2011—MGM, 118 min., not rated, $24.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1971's Straw Dogs features a nice transfer and DTS-HD 5.1 audio. The sole extra is trailers. Bottom line: although disappointingly extra-less, Peckinpah's disturbing film makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]