David and his wife Amy move to her childhood home in Mississippi. Things take a turn for the worst when David hires Charlie, Amy's ex-boyfriend, as a builder for the renovations.
Straw Dogs is a film I wanted to watch when it was first released but I have never gotten around until now, 10 years after it was first released.
I believe this remake follows the original very closely, with plenty of nods to the 1971 film in its story of human nature and grisly violence. The film is well-casted with Bosworth & Marsden as the leads, bringing simmering intensity to their roles. I found Skarsgard was great too in an incredibly disturbing turn. As a whole, it works well as a visceral, disturbing, and well-made thriller about ordinary people fighting for survival. It follows an interesting story that raises questions about the way we treat each other. The arguably better first half of the film does a great job of establishing its characters and conflicts between them with tense drama, whilst the second half is more focused on emotional,
ambiguous, and exciting violence. While it might not be a perfect film and certainly not an original one or for all audiences, it's a testament to the power of the story and it works for what it's intending to do and be. The plot boils up nicely, heated by Alexander Skarsgard's sinisterly compelling thug leader and set bubbling by James Woods's terrific turn as a semi-psychotic town elder. I will check out the original at some point in the future.
