Straw Dogs Movie Review
Hollywood faces a dilemma. You see, with the rising multicultural awareness and political correctness we have enjoyed over the last fifteen years or so, there is no longer a go to race we can paint as the villain. For years it was Native Americans (then called Indians), but the slow realization that we more or less were the real bad guy in that dynamic and the fact that they were never really a threat and perhaps not as bloodthirsty or dangerous as they were painted to be kind of killed it. With WWII we had Germans and Japanese for a while, but now the Japanese are like another state and we are hoping the Germans can keep the EU from economic collapse. For a while it was the Vietnamese, but the guilt and shame we feel about that war and they way we treated our returning veterans doesn’t make for a real feel good situation (look at how Rambo returning to Vietnam was received). In theory it could be the Iraqis or the Afghanis, but since we are trying to build stable governments there from locals that are friendly to the US we can’t really demonize them as a race. Really it should be the Chinese, but since we count on them to manufacture 80% of our country and they are also responsible for a lot of overseas movie sales we can’t really alienate them. And the one group who actually could be seen to deserve being the villain in a lot of situations, white people, is the group for the most part Hollywood is trying to sell it’s product to.
Who, then, to make the bad guy? Well, the answer is pretty obvious. Redneck hillbilly white trash. Poor in culture, hygiene, and tolerance of outsiders with a bent towards drunken violence and a tendency to own a lot of guns, they are the clear cut winner in the “What marginalized group can we ostracize without getting into trouble with the rest of them?” contest. The funny thing is, most white trash really don’t have that much of a problem with it. They kind of see things in movies and are for the most part cool with it in ways no other group would be. It’s a weird phenomenon. (Trailer park image courtesy of the funny t shirts category)
So, Straw Dogs. I know it’s yet another remake of a film shot in 1971 staring Dustin Hoffman, and a few of the reviews I saw try to compare the two, but I never saw the original and therefore will review this film on it’s own merits. I think the movie had issues from start to finish, the main one being I couldn’t figure out who to have sympathy with. In theory it was the protagonists, Hollywood script writer David Sumner (James Marsden – Cyclops from X-Men, Superman Returns) and actress wife Amy (Kate Bosworth – Superman Returns, 21, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton (?), the Warrior’s Way (ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. I forgot she was in that one. God awful)). They are the outsiders coming into town and getting abused. However, he comes across as way too good for the locals and does everything in his power to alienate them, including bailing out of church service mid sermon in order to take a nap in his $100,000 car. It’s like he taped his own “Kick Me” sign on his back as he rolled into town. She is originally from the town, but does all she can to stir up trouble. I totally support a woman’s right to dress as she sees fit, but at some point you have to take reality into check. I don’t care where you are living, if you have a crew of men including your ex boyfriend working on your property try wearing something other than super short short shorts and a braless tank top, if only out of respect for them. She also manages to avoid visiting any of her old friends, which kind of pisses them off. In a way, you could have some sympathy for the local yokels who later attack them, headed by Charlie (Alexander Skarsgard – Zoolander, True Blood), as they really were just minding their hillbilly business, but then they turn out to be rapists. There is a developmentally challenged young man you could be sympathetic to, but then he actually commits the crime everyone was afraid he would (blatant rip off of Of Mice and Men). There is a young girl who you might care about, but she is obviously trying to create problems for the challenged guy. The guy I felt most sympathetic for was the local Sheriff (Laz Alonso – Avatar, Fast and Furious 2009, Jarhead) as he seemed to be trying to keep the peace in a really tough situation, but even he seemed to not want to really take any kind of stand. By the end of the movie it becomes apparent who you are supposed to be rooting for, but the murky nature of what was going on really drained a lot of my sympathy.
Anyway, this movie starts off with David Sumner and hot wife Amy coming to Blackwater, Mississippi. She spent most of her childhood trying to escape this backwater and really doesn’t want to come back, but he seems to think it would be a great place for him to work on his script about Stalingrad (absolutely no foreshadowing there. I guess subtlety is not director Rod Lurie’s strong point). Also, he must think forcing your wife to relive childhood trauma is good for a relationship. Anyway, her father passed on and they are going to live in his old place. The barn was damaged by Katrina and he hires Charlie and his crew of white trash stereotypes to rebuild it. Turns out Charlie was Amy’s ex boyfriend, something 30 seconds of conversation might have established before offering him the job. Charlie and crew do the whole creepy eye thing with Amy, which bugs her at first but then, after a fight with David, encourages by undressing in front of an open window. She and her husband bumble about town alienating the locals. Eventually they have to fire the crew.
I’ll say that up until here I was with the movie. Seemed a little annoying, but solidly in the 3-5 star range for me. Then, while most of the work crew take David in a snipe hunt (if you don’t know what that is Google it) we get to the horrific, graphic multiple rape scene. I am pretty sure this scene was part of the 1971 version and kept in for artistic integrity, but it really threw the whole film off the rails and into a deep canyon. The scene itself was eye gougingly, skin crawlingly creepy and awful as possible. The worst part was the progression. At first it looks like it could happen, but you keep thinking, “OK, David’s going to come home and interrupt, or the guy is going to feel like he made his point and cut out.” But no, it keeps progressing to it’s as bad as you can imaging ending. Then, another guy comes in for anther one. Sorry, but as I mentioned yesterday in my Drive review violence against women is something that I do not abide, and rape is so disgusting an act that it makes me ashamed to be at all associated with men capable of that, even genetically. Then, to make matters worse, Amy does the rape victim thing and does not report it to anyone, not even her husband.
Other stuff happens. The very predictable sub plot of the developmentally challenged kid comes to fruition. David and Amy end up besieged in their house by Charlie and his crew. Stuff blows up. David uses a lot of ingenuity to shoot, burn, nail, and at one point bear trap the hated white trash foe. The end.
The stars. Good acting from the entire cast. One star. The dialog and screenplay was well written. One star. Filming and editing was really good. Some of the hunting scenes were really well shot. One star. Kate Bosworth was looking really hot (although given what happened to her character I feel dirty saying so). One star. In spite of Hollywood’s attempt to demonize them, I find Southern culture and accents charming. Everyone is so polite. One star. Total: five stars.
The black holes. Horrible, graphic rape scene (come on guys. We weren’t making the Accused here. I’m going to have to play a lot of video games to wash those images out of my brain). Four black holes. Every interaction David and Amy had with locals had an obvious “We are going to kick your ass” undertone that neither of them seemed capable of perceiving. One black hole for stupidity. The last 20 minutes of violence, while entertaining (and, to be honest, cathartic), took on a Wile E Coyote slapstick comedy note that was not really in tune with the rest of the movie. One black hole. The whole not sure who to be sympathetic to thing. One black hole. And one more black hole for exploiting every southern white trash stereotype possible. Total: Eight black holes.
So a total of three black holes, a pretty bad score. Unfortunately the actors did a better job than this, and if the writers had tightened things up a bit and done something different with one scene it probably would have scored in the stars region. It was kind of entertaining if you can ignore a couple things. See it on your TV, as most of the film work does not require a big screen to see it.
Follow me on Twitter @NerdKungFu for laughs and annoying questions. I’m going to try to see something tonight or tomorrow. Maybe I’ll suffer through that Bucky Larson fiasco. Should be fun to review.
