Synopsis
To escape the Vietnam-era chaos in the U.S., American mathematician David Sumner (Hoffman) moves with his British wife Amy (George) to an isolated English village. Their presence provokes antagonism among the village’s men. Escalating from routine bullying to vicious brutality, David finds his pacifist self being backed into a corner and responds in the violent and gruesome manner he abhors.
Sam Peckinpah puts together a very tense film through strong characters, good writing and attention to detail directing. That’s one of the best parts about Straw Dogs, where the tension builds from the first moment you see Hoffman’s Sumner become silently recognized by the residents of the small British village. What’s great is that it continually builds and builds, and you can see his pacifist side slowly become fragile until it finally breaks at the end. What’s even worse is that he has nothing by the end of the film, which isn’t typical of these types of movies. It’s a beautiful collapse in the worst of ways. This movie still gives me the chills when I watch it, especially in that moment of climax for the story where all hell breaks lose and our good guy suddenly becomes a dog backed into a corner fighting for his life.
Of course, Peckinpah has always been extraordinary at creating these types of stories and rich, deep characters. If you need an example then look no further than The Wild Bunch, which revolves completely around men who no longer have a place in the west. That misplacement causes tension, which in turn causes violence because those men are out of place. It’s the same deal with Dustin Hoffman’s David, who is out of place and has nowhere he can fit. Peckinpah creates all these horrible characters that help push and push David until he can’t be pushed anymore.
Usually I would praise the actors for bringing this story to life, but Peckinpah’s attention to detail in his writing and directing really made this movie work. Be warned! It’s violent, uncomfortable, but it’s a very thrilling, suspense filled ride that doesn’t disappoint at its moment of zenith.
As for the Blu-ray portion of the classic, it’s pretty good for the most part. Fox/MGM did a good job with bringing out a lot of reds, yellows and whites in this movie. The HD looks pretty sharp. The problem the film runs into is when the less than sunny days of the British countryside hit and graininess starts rearing its ugly head. You’ll see it at the beginning of the film when David is bringing stuff to the car for his wife. You’ll notice the white sweaters pick up grain in them, and when the sky is noticeable it leads the way with a large amount. When the scenes are inside their home or in the darkness the grain goes away. This is a small knock, but this Blu-ray thankfully avoids color banding (which is always good). Other than the grain, you get a very solid Blu-ray release that puts the DVD counterpart to shame.
As for features, there isn’t much here. You get a set of television spots (which are okay) and a theatrical trailer. For a film that has been known for so much and is considered a classic it certainly deserves better. Vintage featurettes or maybe even commentary from Hoffman would have made this eons better. Still, the movie is the main focus and deservedly so.
