Straw Dogs Blu-ray review

            I see no reason for a remake of Sam Peckinpah’s 1971 classic, because Straw Dogs is every bit as effective today as it was 40 years ago. And yet they are re-doing this film, giving extra reason to release the original classic on high definition Blu-ray for the first time. The 40^th Anniversary is additional reason, though apparently not enough to create some new special features for the disc.

            What the Blu-ray does have is the unrated version of this shocking cult classic thriller, with even more graphic material in the tale of household invasion. Dustin Hoffman stars as a mathematician who moves to a Cornish village in search of a peaceful lifestyle. Convinced that America is full of violence after the tumultuous 1960s, he moves his wife to an isolated area of the world and discovers a completely new kind of savagery. Setting aside his peaceful ideals in order to fight back against the violence put upon him, the mathematician proves that there is violence in human nature, regardless of where you live.

            The film is even more complicated by the performance of Susan George as his wife, because she almost seems to encourage the events which propel the violence. Resenting her husband, it almost feels as though the rape in Straw Dogs is encouraged and enjoyed, though the violent reaction which follows changes everything. Beneath the expertly executed sequences of violence and terror lies a simple yet profound message about courage in the face of conflict.

Straw Dogs

            I see no reason for a remake of Sam Peckinpah’s 1971 classic, because Straw Dogs is every bit as effective today as it was 40 years ago. And yet they are re-doing this film, giving extra reason to release the original classic on high definition Blu-ray for the first time. The 40^th Anniversary is additional reason, though apparently not enough to create some new special features for the disc.

            What the Blu-ray does have is the unrated version of this shocking cult classic thriller, with even more graphic material in the tale of household invasion. Dustin Hoffman stars as a mathematician who moves to a Cornish village in search of a peaceful lifestyle. Convinced that America is full of violence after the tumultuous 1960s, he moves his wife to an isolated area of the world and discovers a completely new kind of savagery. Setting aside his peaceful ideals in order to fight back against the violence put upon him, the mathematician proves that there is violence in human nature, regardless of where you live.

            The film is even more complicated by the performance of Susan George as his wife, because she almost seems to encourage the events which propel the violence. Resenting her husband, it almost feels as though the rape in Straw Dogs is encouraged and enjoyed, though the violent reaction which follows changes everything. Beneath the expertly executed sequences of violence and terror lies a simple yet profound message about courage in the face of conflict. The Blu-ray includes only a trailer gallery, though the high definition presentation of the film is visually satisfying.