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Plot Summary
A young couple (James Marsden and Kate Bosworth) moves to a quaint southern town. Soon their perfect getaway turns out to become a living hell when dark secrets and lethal passions spiral out of control. Trapped by a pack of depraved locals led by a ruthless predator (Alexander Skarsgård, TV’s “True Blood”), they face a night of agonizing suffering and endless bloodshed. Now their only hope for survival is to become more savage than their merciless torturers. Also starring two-time Academy Award® Nominee James Woods.
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Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews
TOMATOMETER
41%- Reviews Counted: 119
- Fresh: 49
- Rotten: 70
- Average Rating: 5.2/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Fresh: Lurie informs his movie with plenty of nods to the original and at least manages a story that will have people talking - if not about the nature of human violence, then about the grisly depiction of it.
Fresh: While Lurie could have gone lighter on the symbolism, he ratchets up the tension with deft intelligence. He's not just making a thriller but a horror film, and we feel his own fear in every scene.
Rotten: One of those movies that sits in an armchair, smokes a pipe and reflects "seriously" on "the question of violence," but the main reason to see it is for the hilariously nasty uses it devises for a bear trap, nail gun, etc.
Rotten: Back in 1971, the Peckinpah film horrified moviegoers with its bloody climax, whereas today people are so vengeful and sadistic that the remake is just another multiplex crowd pleaser.
Customer Reviews
Why remake if you don't make it better?
The most disturbing part of this movie is how skinny Kate Bosworth is. Being an avid runner, I can vouch that if you are skin and bones, you are not a true runner. I could not keep my eyes off the bones sticking out of her chest and her bone thin legs... it became so distracting that my boyfriend got disgusted and stopped watching (also due to the bad plot and boring dialogue).. Another strange thing about the film is the lack of chemistry and back story between the main characters James Marsden and Kate Bosworth- they seem more comfortable fighting. i didn't enjoy the movie and I cannot recommend it to anyone without embarrassment. There are no redeeming qualities to this remake. The so called "protagonist" characters at the end are still annoying and weak and the story doesn't really make much sense.
A COMMENDABLE, YET MISGUIDED, REMAKE
"Straw Dogs" is certainly an intriguing movie in its own right. A retelling of the controversial 1971 film that became infamous for its "X" rating in the UK, it follows the story of a young married couple who move to a small town. Soon their initially quaint stay turns into an all-out nightmare as dark secrets are revealed and restrained tensions are let loose. It all leads up to a bloody showdown between the couple and a gang of locals led by a maniacally ruthless predator. While the movie boasts considerably exceptional performances from James Marsden and Alexander Skarsgard, the story progressively becomes more stilted and inconsistent as it goes along. And although "Straw Dogs" does its best to recapture the provocativity and believability of its predecessor, it doesn't contain enough character study or emotional depth to make you truly believe the authenticity of its straightforward premise. However, I could easily forgive all those slight missteps if it wasn't for the film's undeniable hypocrisy. While it initially lays down a moral message against violence, it eventually becomes totally committed to pouring on as much grisly human gore as it possibly can. And believe me, this movie goes all out with the blood and guts. From setting people on fire to killing them with a menagerie of ridiculously clever weapons, the film doesn't disappoint when it comes to shock value. Sure, "Straw Dogs" may be end up being a pretentious, hypocritical drama with decent acting and a misguided storyline, but I won't say that it's not worth checking out. To be honest, I had a considerably fun time watching it. Overall, it's an over-the-top smorgasbord of dramatic violence that's worth nothing more than a one-time-only rent.
Awful!
Story didn't translate from the original. The only good part of the movie is the very end and it's just because that when the action happens(even if it doesn't make much sense.) Not to mention the build up leading to the end is just so uninteresting that you just don't care about what happens to anyone, you just want SOMETHING to happen! Don't waste your time or money......horrible remake- as Hollywood is known for!
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