straw dogs (2011).

for the majority of my life, i thought that horror movies were my genre of choice. not so much anymore. if i had to choose my most watched and most loved (and invented) genre, it would be disturbing movies. straw dogs definitely fits that bill.

straw dogs is a remake of the 1971 film which was originally based on gordon william’s novel the siege of trencher’s farm. this particular version was made in 2011 and stars james marsden, kate bosworth, james woods, dominic purcell, and my favorite, alexander skarsgård. while all performances were generally good, marsden, woods, and skarsgård did most of the work in regards to moving the story along and captivating in the audience. in all honesty though, skarsgård could just stand there and i would sit through a silent film and still enjoy it. sorry *g*.

the first time that i watched this film, i came away thinking that it was an excellent blend of great storytelling with just enough action and gore. the second time around, i caught on to the double meanings and the distinctive looks that were delivered by the characters, and loved it even more. also, the connection between marsden writing a script on stalingrad and the plot of straw dogs itself was somehow lost on me during the first viewing. it took me seeing the film twice to understand the significance. overall, the build up of the suspense is addicting, and the ending is one of the best that i have seen in awhile.  most of all, i felt a deep connection to the setting of the film, as it and the people reminded me of where i live (though grossly exaggerated).

both the original film and the book are on my list of what to read and watch next, and i could not be more excited. if you are looking for a great movie this weekend, you should consider straw dogs. :-)