As an end of the summer film, “Straw Dogs” brings intensity, drama and a layered story line to the screen.
David and Amy Sumner, a screenwriter/actress couple from L.A., relocate to Amy’s hometown of Blackwater, Miss., throwing into sharp relief the vast differences that exist between regions in the U.S.
The 1971 original film, starring Dustin Hoffman, is set in England and is based on the 1969 Gordon Williams novel, “The Siege of Trencher’s Farm.” This summer’s remake modifies the setting and can appeal to a U.S. audience by stressing racial and economic tensions in the Deep South.
Strong cinematography transports the viewer to the high school football field of a tiny southern town and into the woods of the Mississippi wilderness. With relatable yet almost stereotypical descriptions of a southern state, “Straw Dogs” highlights the working-man way of life.
The dynamic undertone of what it means to “be a man” drives the plot along as David (James Marsden) hires a group of local men to rebuild a collapsing barn roof on his and Amy’s (Kate Bosworth) property. The opposition between David, a calm city slicker who is used to privacy, and the small town, no-one-locks-his-doors attitude of the roofers advances the storyline.
The acting of Marsden and Bosworth properly showcase their characters’ California style, but is masked by the strong performance of Charlie Venner (Alexander Skarsgård), Amy’s brooding carpenter/roofer ex-boyfriend. Skarsgård shows his character’s forceful intentions for getting back his high school cheerleader girlfriend in engaging scenes—some brutal and at Amy’s expense. Juxtaposing props like the couple’s fancy car and the roofers’ pick-up truck, or David’s Harvard T-shirt and the overalls of local townspeople, emphasizes the divergence between cultures; the differences displayed in the movie are right down to the tee in costuming and music selection. Yet the movie’s slow rising action doesn’t match the overwhelming and violent climax. It seems too brash in comparison to the mainly psychologically intense scenes throughout the rest of the film. However, this ferocity compels the moviegoer right up until the last moments to try to figure out the motives of a now-disturbed David who just can’t take the roofers’ brash lifestyle upsetting his own.
With little time for reflection before an abrupt end, I left feeling shocked at the conclusion—there was a complete 180-degree change in character for David and of the status-quo in the last 15 minutes of “Straw Dogs.” Watch this thriller remake to see well-developed characters transform dramatically, even if it may be for the worse.
Poster for the Original ‘Straw Dogs’