Written and directed by Rod Lurie (THE CONTENDER, THE LAST CASTLE), STRAW DOGS (2011) is actually a reasonably successful generic popcorn thriller, focused on revenge. On its own, its no better or worse than most of the Hollywood fare churned out each year. However, as a remake to Sam Peckinpah’s film, Lurie fails completely at capturing the same level of deep character development and situational tension. For those viewers who see STRAW DOGS (2011) without having seen the original, a population which is apparently frightfully large, the film works. Unfortunately, for those who’ve seen the original, I fear you’ll find it difficult to look past the remake’s inadequacies and be left with a foul taste in your mouth.
STRAW DOGS (2011) stars James Marsden (X-MEN, ENCHANTED) as David Sumner, making an effort to fill the shoes of Dustin Hoffman. David is an LA screenwriter, educated and relatively well-off compared to the residents of Blackwater, Mississippi. David and his attractive wife Amy (SUPERMAN RETURNS, THE RULES OF ATTRACTIONG) return to Blackwater, her hometown, to temporarily reside in Amy’s recently deceased father’s home while it’s repaired and David works on his latest screenplay.
Right from the beginning, the setup of STRAW DOGS (2011) is clear; city folk versus southern rednecks. On this level, Lurie hits the proverbial mark, turning the deeper, more meaningful film Peckinpah created into little more than an average home invasion flick, less chilling than THE STRANGERS. Charlie, played by Alexander Skarsgard (TRUE BLOOD) leads a pack of four ex-high school football stars from Blackwater, employed by Amy to repair the roof of her father’s barn. As it turns out, Charlie and Amy have a history that is destined to come back on her like bad Indian food.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. David makes an effort to apply this philosophy to his new, if only temporary home, but Charlie and boys won’t have any of that. This ultimately sets the tone for the rest of the film. Marsden does well enough as David, convincingly playing a generic Hollywood screenwriter type. His performance is centered on the trademark glasses worn by Dustin Hoffman in the original, constantly adjusting or fiddling with them as a crutch. I believed he was a pacifist, an atheist, and a coward.
Alexander Skarsgard, on the other hand, was probably the one factor in Lurie’s remake that I truly looked forward to, but found myself deeply disappointed. His performance was not bad, but rather very, very familiar. Charlie was essentially a slightly toned down version of Eric Northman from True Blood. I give Skarsgard credit for being really good at playing sophisticated creepy roles, even as a redneck, but there wasn’t enough depth to his performance and far too much of what we see so often on the HBO series. Regardless, he does offer some enjoyable moments in STRAW DOGS, so I can’t bring myself to write him off completely. Kate Bosworth is skinny, and she cries a lot in the second half.
Rod Lurie borrows heavily from Peckinpah’s visual repertoire with several shot-for-shot translations, including the final shot. He also delves into the genre pool of kill scenes, extracting moments of graphic violence that feel a little out of place in this remake but serve up excitement for the general audience like football fans rambunctiously hootin’ and hollerin’ over their home team’s touchdown. Amidst these vividly bloody moments is the final kill, with which I have a continuity issue.
Two performances truly stand out, but for two very different reasons. Dominic Purcell (BLADE: TRINITY) struggles with the role of Jeremy Niles, a mentally challenged man who is cast out and misunderstood by the town of Blackwater. He is the brother of Daniel, played by the terribly miscast Walton Goggins (JUSTIFIED). One of Lurie’s biggest mistakes was not casting Goggins as one of the four “straw dogs,” the term used by David to describe how Charlie and his boys fit into society. On the flip side, Lurie was brilliant for casting James Woods as the alcoholic, racist Coach Tom Heddon.
STRAW DOGS (2011) is well-shot, especially the opening sequence that develops the southern, swampy setting, even though the film doesn’t take place in a swamp. Lurie’s version makes no effort to embrace the gritty atmosphere of Peckinpah’s original, except for that final shot. I have a feeling this film will do fairly well at the box office, but will have to compete with Ryan Gosling’s meteoric new popularity as DRIVE opens simultaneously. For fans of Sam Peckipah’s original, I simply recommend avoiding this failed remake.
Overall Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
