In an ancient Chinese tradition, straw dogs were used as sacrifices in hallowed rituals. These objects were held in high regard during the ceremony, but afterwards thrown into the street and forgotten.
With such an enigmatic title, one would expect "Straw Dogs" to be an engaging and thrilling film for the ages. Unlike a straw dog, this movie will never be esteemed. Like a straw dog, it's safe to say it will be cast aside and quickly forgotten.
The 2011 revamp of Sam Pechkinpah's 1971 film features James Marsden, Kate Bosworth and Alexander Skarsgård. Each of these talented actors effectively executed his or her role; however, even phenomenal acting cannot save a film with a slowly moving and sub-par plot.
The story begins with David and Amy Sumner (Marsden and Bosworth) relocating to Blackwater, Miss. The town incorporates every stereotype — from cliched to offensive — of the Deep South, including a venerated high school football team, townspeople with strong religious convictions and a group of beer-swilling men who jump at any excuse to go hunting. These men, the so-called straw dogs, are formerly loved teenage football stars who have grown into washed-up members of the small southern community.
Charlie (Skarsgård) leads the eccentric crew; he is a conniving man who exudes southern charm and stirs up conflicts with the town's newest residents. Blackwater may be Amy's hometown, but her successful Harvard-grad, screenplay-writing husband has a harder time fitting in.
"Straw Dogs" barely deviates from audience expectations — unless audiences expect an enjoyable film, in which case it deviates immensely. Like any other thriller set in the southern boondocks, it pairs shots of a Spanish moss-covered swamp with eerie background banjo music. The minor characters woven into the story are hackneyed as well: there's the prototypically short-fused, drunken has been, as well as the harmless, mentally handicapped man who gets himself into trouble.
There's potential for great tension to arise from the clash between a pedantic, white-collar Yankee and drawling, blue-collar simpletons. However, all of the conflicts within the film are completely predictable from their inceptions. Whether audiences have seen the original or not, they'll be scratching their heads, wondering if they've watched this flick before.
The director of the film, Rod Lurie, was also responsible for adapting the screenplay from Peckinpah and David Zelag Goodman's original version of the film. Unfortunately, Lurie struck out completely in his attempt to craft a suspenseful thriller. Good-humored audiences will chuckle when the screenplay-writing character, David Sumner (Marsden), mentions that he "really isn't into" writing thrillers. His comment reads like Lurie's own subtle plea for mercy — it's as though he realizes his film is a letdown.
Above all, the pace of "Straw Dogs" is extremely slow, and the film spends far too much time on its exposition. Though suspense is a crucial element for any thriller, it is nowhere to be found. For over 50 minutes, the audience impatiently waits for something to happen, and when something finally does, the scene is completely trite. The climax, and the only really electrifying scene, occurs less than 15 minutes before the credits start rolling.
Though "Straw Dogs" does contain a few gruesome scenes, these sparse, unsettling clips fail to energize the film. Boredom broken by brief flashes of excitement is a terrible formula for any film. Furthermore, the abrupt and dramatic conclusion to the otherwise bland "Straw Dogs" leaves viewers frustrated and apathetic, rather than curious, about what happens next.
Those who are at all curious about "Straw Dogs" might as well save themselves $10 and just watch the trailer. Every remotely interesting scene can be found there.
