Straw Dogs (2011)

David and Amy Sumner (James Marsden and Kate Bosworth), a Hollywood screenwriter and his actress wife, return to her small hometown in the deep South to prepare the family home for sale after her father's death. Once there, tensions build in their marriage and old conflicts re-emerge with the locals, including Amy's ex-boyfriend Charlie (Alexander Skarsgard), leading to a violent confrontation.

I have never seen the original Straw Dogs, which has somehow escaped my list, but from what I’ve gathered, it was a vicious film that went on to become a critical darling. With all this acclaim and recognition, this remake ultimately seems unnecessary. There is no reason to remake a film that you cannot improve. It defeats the purpose of a remake. Despite the wave of caution, I sat down and watched Straw Dogs and by the end wished I had just gone out and got the original instead.

The film is filled with fake characters played by untalented actors that chug through a half assed storyline that brings all them onto a one way collision into each other. When David decides to move into his wife’s hometown, a group from the community harasses him because his city lifestyle doesn’t fit in with the town. Because of his reactions to these harassments, his wife begins to question his manhood. All of this coils inside him just waiting to be released. This is supposed to be crucial for his character because the latter half of the movie turns into a home invasion flick, but James Marsden plays the character all wrong. He’s too confident, too charming, and too comfortable in the role. You never believe in the character and cannot root for him to overcome these obstacles.

On the flipside, the villains are a little more developed, placed in situations that create more of an intrigue to them. The main source of it comes from the ambiguity of the rape scene. It makes you question the motives behind them and the wife. It’s not disturbing by any means, but the difference in intention between the characters gives the audience something to think about.  They do a good job here, specifically, Alexander Skarsgård, who is recognizable as Eric from True Blood. His deadly calm stare can burn a hole right through you.

If you’re looking for a decent film with some thrills and some violent death scenes, you could definitely do worse than this remake. It does enough to not be terrible, but not enough to be considered good.  It’s a film that you can watch and enjoy, but you don’t really have to.

Overall Score: 5/10