TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

LastingAware The greatest movie ever!

ChicDragon It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

Suman Roberson It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

destinylives52 A highly controversial movie by director Sam Peckinpah, "Straw Dogs" stars Dustin Hoffman and Susan George as a married couple living in an English countryside who endure an escalating series of attacks by local goons.Hoffman plays the calm and gentle mathematician who chooses to be ignorant of the menacing nature of the local men he hired to work on finishing his garage; while George plays the young, petulant wife who notices the little threats all around her but cannot persuade her husband to see things as she does. Hoffman judges George to be childish and silly, and George accuses Hoffman of being a coward. Soon both will be tested to their limits, and their true natures will be exposed when the goons lay siege to their farmhouse and demand something that Hoffman cannot comply with.My most memorable, movie moment of "Straw Dogs" is the most controversial segment of the movie, **SPOILER ALERT** the double rape of George. Controversial for three reasons: 1) its raw brutality (this is a 1971 movie, don't forget); 2) George appears to enjoy the final moments of the first rape; and 3) it is insinuated that George is anally raped during the second rape. This part of the movie is something that movie fans will heatedly argue over for many years to come."Straw Dogs" isn't a movie for the faint of heart nor for those looking for a quick thrill. It starts off very slowly, and the suspense builds up gradually until what is left is a devolution of human nature to its basest instincts.Mannysmemorablemoviemoments

opieandy-1 Not many mainstream movies feature an attractive leading lady who doesn't wear a bra. This flick was interesting if not confounding. Takes place in a tight time frame, a matter of days, and generates more questions than it answers. If you like closure and clean story lines, this is not for you. Hoffman was great as usual, even if he reminded me of Benjamin Braddock in some ways. I liked the Irish setting and the acting. The story didn't quite do it for me. About my reviews: I do not offer a synopsis of the film -- you can get that anywhere and that does not constitute a meaningful review -- but rather my thoughts and feelings on the film that hopefully will be informative to you in deciding whether to invest 90-180 minutes of your life on it.My scale: 1-5 decreasing degrees of "terrible", with 5 being "mediocre" 6- OK. Generally held my interest OR had reasonable cast and/or cinematography, might watch it again 7 - Good. My default rating for a movie I liked enough to watch again, but didn't rise to the upper echelons 8- Very Good. Would watch again and recommend to others 9- Outstanding. Would watch over and over; top 10% of my ratings 10 - A Classic. (Less than 2% receive this rating)

oOoBarracuda In 1971 Sam Peckinpah made the bitter, internally aggressive film Straw Dogs. Starring Dustin Hoffman and Susan George, Peckinpah injected such harsh realism in Straw Dogs which tells the story of a young couple who moved to England to avoid the violence becoming common in America. Isolation and class struggles are the driving issues in Straw Dogs and Peckinpah explores such issues thoroughly and with ease.David Sumner (Dustin Hoffman) and his wife Amy (Susan George) are settling into their new home in Amy's native England. Fearing that America had grown too violent, pacifist David seeks to retreat to a more peaceful community. Quickly noticing many divisions in the area, the drunks/sober people, upper/lower class, David realizes idyllic England may not be as peaceful as he thought it would be. Being an astrophysicist, David enjoys a certain wealth and status that those working on his house do not. The more he is exposed to the stark class differences, the more David realizes how different England is than he thought. When a series of strange events happen in and around David and Amy's house, they both begin to believe the impoverished workers repairing their home are to blame. When David attempts to learn more about the workers and goes duck hunting with them, Amy, left home alone, is raped by two of the men. What next ensues is a violent brawl between David attempting to protect his wife and his home against the attack of the hostile men on the outside. Peckinpah spares no expense exposing the violence that surrounds everyday life, and that so often presents itself in the class conflicts that absorb life. Such elements are crucial to explore, and Peckinpah leaves no stone unturned in his raw exploration of isolation and class struggles. As effective as this exploration proves, it falls short with the casting of Dustin Hoffman. I just don't buy him as a leading actor in any capacity ever. He comes off so one-dimensional, especially in this film. We need a somewhat quiet and unassuming lead actor, but Hoffman is not the actor. The movie was paced very slowly and becomes difficult to engage with. With no likable characters anywhere within the film, the slow pacing makes it even more difficult to engage in. A better film with the same bitter personal deterioration is Joel Schumacher's 1993 film Falling Down, starring Michael Douglas. Likewise, there are no likable characters to attach to in that film either, but it is paced well enough to become engaged in watching the story unfold. I recognize the importance of Peckinpah's Straw Dogs, but it struggles with poor pacing and Dustin Hoffman.

Mr-Fusion Can't say that I'm a fan, but I wouldn't argue that "Straw Dogs" is a poorly made movie by any stretch - the acting is solid and the craft is effective, sometimes brutally so. Personally, the draw was seeing Dustin Hoffman go from massive wimp to a man of action with a fortress to defend. But his character was the weakest aspect of the movie for me (no pun intended).From almost minute one, we want this guy to stand up for himself, in some capacity. I mean, it's obvious to everybody that the tormentors working on his garage are the ones behind his cat's murder. Surely the quiet English countryside has a constable the crime can be reported to. Said lawman would also be ideal recourse after they violently assault his wife. But it's when they want to invade this house that he suddenly goes on the offensive? And it's a rental!There's plenty of controversial subject matter offered here - the rape scene is cause enough - but it's the contrived steps that lead to Hoffman's sudden transformation that turned me off. The bad guys aren't barging in because they want to rob him of his wife or his manhood - they want the town idiot/accidental murderer that's resting in the house. It's just a confluence of events that brings about the mental change. And from then on, he's unbalanced fascist. I was hoping there'd be some sort of catharsis after his rage-fueled campaign, but there's just nothing there. It wouldn't be so bad if the movie didn't hinge on his character, but that guy just does not do anything for me.5/10