"Straw Dogs" proves that it has bite

Director: Rod Lurie

Time: 1 hour 49 minutes

Genre: Thriller

Starring: Kate Bosworth, James Marsden, James Woods, Alexander Skarsgard

"Straw Dogs" is the modern remake of the controversial 1970 flick of the same name. Hollywood screen writer David Sumner and his actress wife Amy move to Amy's hometown in the southern U.S. As they adjust to a less "spectacular" life, the couple soon learns that the new culture threatens both their relationship with each other as well as their tensions with the neighborhood. The always passive Sumner must soon make the ultimate decision -- remain non-confrontational and be trampled upon, or meet confrontation with violence.

"Straw Dogs" is a very uncomfortable movie. I don't usually give spoilers but I think it is important to mention that there is a gang rape scene and it is pretty extreme. I wouldn't call the scene blatantly crude, but it is a very powerful scene. While it is probably the least violent of all the uncomfortable scenes in the film, it is probably one of the most shocking. The other scenes are very despicable acts of violence that really get your blood boiling. Clearly director Rod Lurie is trying to get a point across here as opposed to just putting the scenes in for shock value however, I am unsure if he succeeds in his goal.

All in all, "Straw Dogs" is a decently directed film. It has an underlying theme that it wants to get across and does a fairly amiable job of doing that. However, whether that theme was necessary or even relevant of discussion is up for debate.

2 out of 5 stars.

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