Modern exploitation film is alive and well, and if you disagree, you need to see t his major studio film that is a remake of a 1971 film by the same name. The movie that I’m referring to is Straw Dogs, and it is a relatively updated movie with more graphic and sexual violence than 90% of the horror movies that have come out in the last few years. In fact, this film is so hard to watch at times, that I’m already betting a majority of women out there will not agree to seeing it again or even sitting through the mid-point of the film.
The story is an easy one to follow, featuring a screenplay writer and his wife moving back to her hometown deep in the southern part of the United States. While there old flames seem to be rekindled, only they are unwarranted and that leads to some interesting misunderstandings. The locals don’t like the intruder, and therefore mess with him, and when he doesn’t retaliate in a way, the local crew he hired to fix up a barn, decides to leave him for dead while raping his wife, twice. The assault on the wife in this film is hard to watch, not quite as hard to watch as Irreversible, but enough for me not to want to see this multiple times. The violence is juxtaposed in a way with the violence of killing a deer, and that’s an interesting jostling, but it’s nowhere near as brutal in the psyche.
The movie moves forward with a side story, featuring one of my favorite guys from Prison Break, and develops into a vigilante story more than anything else. The movie really takes its toll in the final act, with gore beyond compare. The bloodshed is insane, brutal, and disturbing. You will have to not eat anything while watching the display of violence that is shown here.
Straw Dogs is a modern example of how exploitation film can be made. The movie is hard to watch, and makes me wonder why the MPAA says this is R and then says something like Clerks is R too. Clerks is far less violent and sickening compared to what you get to see on display here. As far as revenge flicks, this one is about as good as you’re going to get, but I wonder what the original was like? I’ll have to investigate the notion.
The original from 1971 is a (at the time) controversial and strong and brutal piece of cinema by Peckinpah that is worth checking out. I wasn't planning to see the remake but after reading your review I'm very curious. I also liked the remake of "I Spit On Your Grave", while the original is also a great piece of cinema history it isn't as cinematographic like Straw Dogs is.
ReplyDeletehey rip, definitely check this one out, it's brutal. As for remakes, some of the best are remade, my favorite being black xmas the updated version
ReplyDeleteIndeed, great stuff. Love the original Black X-Mas and the remake makes good use of the existing concept and adds some new and good ideas with a wacky 80's vibe to it. You can really feel the love for the slasher genre.
DeleteSir Jorge, although the 1971 original had both an American star and director it was shot in Britain, which, by definition, makes it garbage.
ReplyDeleteThe 2006 remake of "Black Christmas" is indeed a very under-rated movie and Michelle Trachtenberg is one of the hottest chicks i`ve ever seen.
ReplyDeleteSir Jorge, i cannot believe that the MPAA still exists in this day and age, it is an ocean of lies, hypocrisy, double standards, and out-moded absurd nonsense.
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