Straw Dogs

While writer-director Rod Lurie's remake follows the same plotline as Sam Peckinpah's 1971 shocker exploring the consequences of violence, this Straw Dogs adopts a markedly different perspective, asking whether animalistic behavior is innate to human nature or nurtured within specific cultures. Based on Gordon Williams's novel The Siege of Trencher's Farm, the story finds Hollywood screenwriter David Sumner (James Marsden) and his actress wife Amy (Kate Bosworth) traveling to her hometown of Blackwater, MS, where she begins to prepare her late father's home for sale while David works on a new project. Only now, Amy is a local celebrity and David is unnerved by her exhibitionistic behavior, particularly in front of her rugged ex-boyfriend, one-time quarterback Charlie Venner (Alexander Skarsgård), who—along with three former teammates—is repairing the roof of the Sumners' barn. Because Friday night football reigns supreme in the Deep South, Harvard grad David condescendingly refers to the men as Straw Dogs, comparing them with the grass offerings once revered in ancient Chinese ceremonies—tossed aside when no longer needed. The disappearance of Janice (Willa Holland), the flirtatious teenage daughter of barfly/former coach Tom Heddon (James Woods), sets in motion a chain of events that will culminate in an explosive confrontation. Skillfully building psychological tension, this savage thriller is recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by writer-director Rod Lurie, the production featurettes “Courting Controversy: Remaking a Classic” (8 min.), “Inside the Siege: The Ultimate Showdown” (8 min.), “The Dynamics of Power: The Ensemble” (7 min.), and “Creating the Summer House” (4 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the BD-Live function. Bottom line: A solid extras package for a decent remake.] (S. Granger)[Blu-ray/DVD Review—June 27, 2017—Criterion, 117 min., R, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and Blu-ray, 1971's Straw Dogs features a fine transfer and an uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray release. Extras include audio commentary by author Stephen Prince, the 1993 documentary “Sam Peckinpah: Man of Iron” on the director (94 min.), the 2003 “making-of” documentary “Mantrap” (52 min.), a new conversation between critic Michael Sragow and editor Roger Spottiswoode (36 min.), interviews with film scholar Linda Williams (27 min.), costar Susan George (21 min.), producer Daniel Melnick (19 min.), and Peckinpah biographer Garner Simmons (10 min.), a behind-the-scenes featurette (8 min.), and a booklet with an essay by scholar and critic Joshua Clover, and a 1974 interview with Peckinpah. Bottom line: an excellent edition of Peckinpah's controversial classic meditation on violence.]