Every man has a breaking point no matter of how much of a pacifist he is. This is the way of Straw Dogs, an upcoming remake of a 1971 film that will be released this year. The main character of David is a reserved character best described as shy and introverted. When he is placed in a situation where he must take a leader role, he does so to protect the woman he loves from danger.

He cannot be the shy person anymore but must act and act fast. The original movie starred Dustin Hoffman and Linda George. The new release will star James Mardsen, Kate Bosworth, Alexander Skarsgard and James Woods. Both the remake and the original movie are both based on the novel The Siege of Trenchers Farm by Gordon Williams. The movie is written and directed by Rod Lurie.

One of the actors in the film, Drew Powell, who plays the character of Bic in the movie, said he hadn’t seen the original movie until he started to work on the remake. “I’m not saying ours is better than the original but it certainly  plays homage to the original and updates it.”

The original movie was very controversial due to the rape scene that took place in the middle of the movie, claiming the film was glamorizing a woman being physically molested. At that time, there really hadn’t been such a violent attack on woman in American cinema and the public felt it unnecessary to over-expose a woman being sexually abused for  such a long time.

It was as if the audience were intended to be entertained by it. Fans of the original, especially on the user boards on IMDB.com, claim this movie is a weak remake. They say it won’t live up to the quality of the original film and don’t understand why anyone would want a remake. Usually fans of any classic remake have an expectation of a remake being exactly like the original.

What many fail to realize with remakes is that most producers feel it’s important to remain faithful to the original idea. At the same time they want to update it which can give the film a different feel to it and fans can feel discouraged by this.

The original movie was a thriller classic, so this movie has a lot to live up to. Lurie’s version is overall faithful to the original — only with a few variations. David and Andy Sumner move to Amy’s hometown so that David can write in peace, only to be brutally antagonized by the locals. In the original version David was a mathematician and in the remake he is a screenwriter.

The setting is a fictional town of Blackwater Mississippi not in rural England. The film has a slow building tension to it. It is not an extreme case of violence that is coming at the screen. It is not as controversial as the 1971 original. It  is as brutal and discomforting but it is a deliberately paced, thought-provoking thriller.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.facebook.com/StrawDogsMovie

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About the author

Laszlo Bak
I was born in Hungary but grew up most of my life In Australia I have always loved writing and a passion to see the truth in media and love to see lives being changed what I believe is the most influential medium in the world. I love watching films,listening to music spending time with friends and spending time outdoors.