Straw Dogs (2011)

Los Angeles screenwriter David Sumner relocates with his wife to her hometown in the deep South. There, while tensions build between them, a brewing conflict with locals becomes a threat to them both.

Director:

Rod Lurie

Writers:

Rod Lurie (screenplay), David Zelag Goodman (earlier screenplay)

Stars:

James Marsden, Kate Bosworth, Alexander Skarsgård

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Marsden	...	David Sumner
Kate Bosworth	...	Amy Sumner
Alexander Skarsgård	...	Charlie
James Woods	...	Tom Heddon
Dominic Purcell	...	Jeremy Niles
Rhys Coiro	...	Norman
Billy Lush	...	Chris
Laz Alonso	...	John Burke
Willa Holland	...	Janice Heddon
Walton Goggins	...	Daniel Niles
Anson Mount	...	Coach Milkens
Drew Powell	...	Bic
Kristen Shaw	...	Abby
Megan Adelle	...	Melissa
Jessica Dockrey	...	Helen (as Jessica Cook)

Storyline

Screenwriter David Sumner travels with his wife Amy in his Jaguar to her homeland Blackwater, in Mississippi. Amy's father has passed away and David intends to write his screenplay about Stalingrad in the house. David hires the contractor Charlie and his team to repair the roof of the Barn. Amy was Charlie's sweetheart when she lived there and neither he nor his crew show respect to her now. Charlie invites David to hunt deer with his group and him; but they leave David alone in the woods and rape Amy. She does not tell David what happened. When the drunken coach Tom Heddon calls Charlie and his friends to hunt down the slow Jeremy Niles, who likes his daughter, David decides to protect not only Jeremy, but also Amy and his honor.

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Plot Keywords:

rape | sexual humiliation | rape victim | gang rape | panties pulled down | 

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Taglines:

We take care of our own.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong brutal violence including a sexual attack, menace, some sexual content, and pervasive language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film, a remake of the controversially violent 1971 movie, is considered fairly faithful to Sam Peckinpah's original, though the location has been moved from Cornwall, England to the U.S. Mississippi Gulf Coast, and the hero's profession has been changed from mathematician to screenwriter.

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Goofs

After the fake hunt, the Sheriff asks David if his rifle is registered. In Mississippi, where the film is set, there is no state licensing or registration requirements for long guns.

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Quotes

David Sumner: Hey Charlie, there is something in the Bible I do believe.
Charlie: Whats that, sir.
David Sumner: "Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's wife."
Charlie: I believe in that, too. But what happens when thy neighbor's wife covets you?

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Alternate Versions

The versions released in India (English original and Hindi dubbed) are relatively shorter in duration as compared to the original.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #20.1 (2011)

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Soundtracks

Funk #49
Written by Joe Walsh (as Joseph Walsh), Dale Peters and Jim Fox
Performed by James Gang (as The James Gang)
Courtesy of Geffen Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Remake is always hard

I mean I know this is a hard one to go see, but if you are going for the entertainment part, it will be a bit tricky because there are some violence and plot wise in the movie might be offensive to some people. However, that been said, it is also I think this movie is very tricky to make at the first place, with all the original version pressure, casting and Director comparisons and the most importantly the most notorious and controversial scene in the movie.

I like the movie a lot, but I am not going to compare this one with the original, because I felt they both got a different feeling to it, Rod really did a fantastic job about letting people understanding the feeling of being alienated... it's like an adult version of being bullying by your neighbors without even knowing you. The humanity side of the movie is that at the end of this movie how the protagonist totally snapped and freak out, not out of the blue but under extenuating circumstance.

Many people been distracting too much away from the notorious scene and forget the real motto and messages the director tried to convey from this movie. I think it's also very interesting how many people didn't even know why the title was named "Straw Dogs"....

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 September 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Straw Dogs

Filming Locations:

Bossier City, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,123,760, 18 September 2011

Gross USA:

$10,324,441

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,168,712

Company Credits

Production Co:

Screen Gems, Battleplan Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital Datasat

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1