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I Don't Know My Way Home: Straw Dogs Trailer

By TK | Posted Under Trailers | Comments (26)

Alexander-Skarsgard-in-Straw-Dogs-2011-Movie-Image.jpg

There should be a rule.

I think we’ve all come to accept that remakes are a part of the modern cinematic landscape, an inescapable and near-bottomless source of material for today’s film makers. Frankly, I’m OK with that, to a point. There have been a few remakes that have been great. A few that have been horrible. A few in between. But there should be a rule.

Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs is not his finest film — that honor goes, in my view, to The Wild Bunch, though I wouldn’t fight you over your choice. Regardless, Straw Dogs is an unusual, disturbing, fascinating and grueling experience, and to this day it can spark endless debate. The performances in it are excellent, and however morally questionable and/or repellent people may find it, it’s still a remarkable achievement. This is one of those films I’d have figured would fall under the rule of “thou shalt not remake the classics.”

And yet, that’s what Rod Lurie has done. To his credit, he assembled a serviceable cast — James Marsden, Kate Bosworth (who looks to actually be acting in this), Alexander Skarsgård, James Woods, and Walton Goggins. But it still feels ultimately hollow.

Watch:

Marsden seems fine, and I suppose Skaarsgaararad is suitably menacing. But the whole thing feels more Last House On The Left than Straw Dogs. Maybe it’s the way the trailer is cut, maybe it’s the choice of scenes. But this just looks so… simple. Boring. Tired.

Maybe we’ll be surprised.

Maybe.









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Comments

1. SKAAAAAAAARRRRRSSSSSÅÅÅÅÅÅÅÅÅÅRRRRDDDD!

2. Agree with your sentiments--didn't need a remake and looks like the average modern horror film.

Posted by: Cindy at May 16, 2011 10:45 AM

Walton Goggins.

WALTON Goggins.

Walton GOGGINS.

WALTON EMMEREFFING GOGGINS!

And you guys laughed at Benedict Cumberbach's name?

Posted by: frank_247 at May 16, 2011 10:52 AM

Also, what Cindy said about this being a pointless, souless, mindless re-use of someone else's ideas, I couldn't agree more.

C'mon Hollywood, spend some cash, employ some young, talented screenwriters and let's try to spend our way out of this recession.

There is a perfectly good version of "Straw Dogs", which I can avoid watching, we don't need a newer, slicker, more horrifically violent version just because it's already on the books and you don't need to spend any money developing it.

Posted by: frank_247 at May 16, 2011 11:00 AM

Umm hows this supposed to work when all the pajiba women would rather be with Skarsgard than Marsden in the first place?

Posted by: logan at May 16, 2011 11:06 AM

Logan makes a valid, valid point.

Posted by: Nadine at May 16, 2011 11:16 AM

I wasn't a huge fan of the original (except for Hoffman's performance) so I'll give this version a try.

Posted by: Adam C at May 16, 2011 11:25 AM

Hell they could spend the cash and hire old talented writers. Don't really care. There has to be creative ideas lurking somewhere.

Posted by: Lisa at May 16, 2011 11:25 AM

Ooooo... I love the cast though. I know a lot of people hate on Bosworth, but I thought she was excellent and adorable in Wonderland.

And because I can't get enough of this: Skarsgard your loins.

Posted by: Mel C. at May 16, 2011 11:27 AM

Straw Dogs Redux: The Rape-ening.

Now with more intense rape flavor!

WARNING: Product contains rapeseed oil.

Posted by: Matty at May 16, 2011 11:31 AM

Assuming this follows the original closely, which it seems to do, why would I want to watch it if I've already seen it, particularly when they show you nearly the entire climax in the trailer and even explicitly tell you that it's the end of the movie? Trailers are awful.

Posted by: DarthCorleone at May 16, 2011 11:41 AM

Is that Larry the Cable Guy bringing up the rear, so to speak?

Maybe it's a comedy. Now THAT would be interesting.

Posted by: Slash at May 16, 2011 11:48 AM

The original was certainly not Peckinpah's finest, and maybe not even Peckinpah-worthy (Wild Bunch!!).

A lot of women will see this because of Skaaarsgaaaard, whom I find to be wooden and lifeless (tee hee), and they will rave... predictably.

But this whole movie looks wooden and lifeless. And not in a good way.

Posted by: klingonfree at May 16, 2011 11:52 AM

I dunno. I think this looks kind of great. But I haven't seen the original.

Posted by: elizabeth at May 16, 2011 11:52 AM

In which Hollywood persists in believing that someone under 25 is incapable of watching:

-a movie made before 2000
-a movie set in a foreign country

And you know, they're mostly right.

Posted by: Ana C at May 16, 2011 11:57 AM

I'm not sure I'd take Skaaarsgaarrrdd over Marsden, but I've always liked 'em a bit smaller and geekish.

I never saw the original Straw Dogs, but I did enjoy The Wild Bunch.

Although nothing can touch the Monty Python Peckinpah spoof. Can't remember what it's called.

Posted by: Captain Tuttle at May 16, 2011 12:07 PM

Skarsgard had playing the "I know I'm tall and great looking, eat it up everyone" character down to a T. I'll now go back to my 5'7" hobbit hole, with my non-existent abs and terrible haircut.

Posted by: e at May 16, 2011 12:20 PM

I have a valid point?!!? Wow no one has ever said that before.

Posted by: logan at May 16, 2011 12:50 PM

No we won't be surprised. It will be rubbish compared to the original. I've never been more sure of anything in my life. What's next, a remake of "A Clockwork Orange" starring Shia LeBeouf as Alex Delarge? Hollywood is beyond pathetic, they couldn't come up with an original idea if it infected their own genitals. This is an outrage on all levels and should be avoided like the plague by anyone who has a cerebellum and a pulse.

Posted by: James at May 16, 2011 1:00 PM

I'm not picking between Skarsgaard and Marsden, I'm going to have them both.

Posted by: Even Stevens at May 16, 2011 1:17 PM

You know, if we're going to be remaking a movie from the "Normal person loses their shit due to external circumstances" genre, I'd prefer it be Falling Down.

Posted by: Blake Shrapnel at May 16, 2011 1:31 PM

Hollywood, please pay close attention: STOP IT!

Stop remaking excellent, classic films. You don't need to, they've already been done. Instead of tired, failure-ridden retreads of already superb cinematic achievements why don't you find genuinely original writers and directors and create something new?

Or are you admitting to us all that your best years are far behind, that you have nothing brilliant left to offer us and that we should forget going to the theatre ever again and concentrate on building a collection of really great movies?

Which is it?

Posted by: Wintermute at May 16, 2011 3:46 PM

Hey, this could be great, remember the Baldwin/Bassinger version of "The Getaway"? I'm waiting for a new "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia" with Will Ferrell as Bennie, Sofia Vergara as Elita, and Danny DeVito as Alfredo Garcia's head.

Posted by: Monte X. Hector at May 16, 2011 6:10 PM

@Captain Tuttle: That would be Sam Peckinpah's "Salad Days", and it is brilliant. Anyone for tennis?

Posted by: MarkM at May 17, 2011 1:05 AM

In a semi-perfect world, Hollywood would have a board of directors one would have to apply to anytime someone wanted to make a remake/reboot/sequel. They would then need to put a proposal together arguing for why this material needs to go through the works again, what would be done different to make it worthy on its own merits and how revisiting this mterial could be just as good as(if not arguably better than) the original effort.

If the only answers fall to "modernizing it to make more money" or "repeat the success of the first one by doing the exact same thing" the project should get soundly rejected as one especially nowadays can simply watch the older movie at their convenience.

It sounds a bit extreme but it wouldn't be necessary if studio weren't constantly squeezing every last buffalo from the property rights they own rather than investing more in new original works. There are countless fresh ideas out there that are begging for attention and could be the next great thing if studios were given more incentive (or had their hand forced) to consider them.

Posted by: bleujayone at May 17, 2011 9:00 AM

Maybe I'm the odd one out here, but I'd definitely watch this, if not only to see how convincing the guy from the easter bunny movie can play a badass.

Posted by: DangadaDang at May 17, 2011 11:19 AM

At pretty good 'take' on this movie (the original) was made in Denmark a few years ago, definitely worth watching:
'Deliver us from evil':
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1272012/

Posted by: Jo at May 17, 2011 2:36 PM