There was recently a movie called “Straw Dogs” starring Kate Bosworth and Alexander Skarsgard (aka Eric Northman from “True Blood”). Like the Nicolas Cage version of “The Wicker Man”, it was a remake of a much better film. To be honest, the “Straw Dogs” remake isn’t nearly as bad as the Cage “Wicker Man”, it’s not even a bad film. The original is just much, much better.
Directed by the legendary Sam Peckinpah (“The Wild Bunch”), known for his extreme violence and hard-boiled themes, the film is set in the time it was released, 1971, but given the locale it might as well have been today. In the film, American mathematician David Sumner (Dustin Hoffman) goes to the tiny village of Wakely in Cornwall, England where his beautiful wife Amy (Susan George) grew up in order to have the peace and quiet he needs to work.
Staying at her vacant and rustic family home, the young couple has plenty of time together, but things aren’t going well. Basically, David wants to work and Amy is bored. She keeps trying to get his attention, but he gives her little because he’s trying to work. Being in a remote area of England, where to this day technology can be spotty, she has nothing to keep her occupied other than books and records. So she feels neglected.
What makes matters worse is they decide to have work done on the house, and the men they hire to do it happen to be a rough bunch Amy hung out with before she moved away. They’re led by her former boyfriend, Charlie Venner (Del Venney), who still has feelings for Amy, and he and the men make no secret of ogling Amy whenever they’re around. They’re driven to a frenzy one day when they see Amy undress through a window, and there’s a question of whether she knew it and did it for the attention. Maybe, maybe not. The effect is the same. Their interest is piqued and Charlie, who already thinks David is unworthy of Amy, decides to take her back.
Immortal controversy
Charlie hatches a plan to take David hunting with the group. While they’re all out, Charlie sneaks away, heads back to the house, and propositions Amy. She refuses, and in a famously controversial scene, he forces himself on her. To his surprise, one of his friends followed him back to the house, and when Charlie is done he demands his own turn at gunpoint. The scene is no less controversial or brutal today than it was 40 years ago.
Meanwhile, in the village, Janice Hedden (Sally Thomsett), daughter of the boisterous Tom Hedden (Peter Vaughan) , a drinking pal of Charlie and his gang, has been flirting with Henry Niles (David Warner), a mentally disabled gentle giant. Because of an unknown incident in the past, Henry is constantly reminded by his brother to leave women alone. Reminding often means a slap to the face. And Henry has been leaving women alone, but Janice won’t leave him alone, despite the warnings of her father and his friends.
One night, she takes things too far and Niles accidentally strangles her. He flees and is hit in the road by David and Amy, who take him back to their home. Finding Janice, Tom Hedden and Charlie go on the hunt for Henry Niles. They eventually arrive at David and Amy’s home and demand that they give up Niles.
Brutal siege and standoff
David knows the men will kill Niles, and refuses to release him. The men begin a siege of the home with David and his wife doing their best to keep the men from getting into the house, and then dealing with them when they do. Think of the climax of “Skyfall” without the automatic weapons. Actually, “Skyfall” made me think of “Straw Dogs” and that was probably intentional.
In typical Peckinpah fashion this climax is extremely violent and full of suspense. In the final moments Hoffman is convincingly transformed from a wish-washy nerd into a violent, clever, possibly sadistic killer. And this climax is made more powerful in contrast to the very long, slow, action-free beginning of the film.
The film is a classic, masterfully directed with an outstanding cast, but it’s not for the squeamish.
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