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Straw Dogs (1971)
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All Critics
Top Critics
91
Average Rating: 8.3/10
Reviews Counted: 33
Fresh: 30 | Rotten: 3
A violent, provocative meditation on manhood with some of the most controversial scenes ever shot for a mainstream movie.
No Score Yet...
Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 4
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 2
A violent, provocative meditation on manhood with some of the most controversial scenes ever shot for a mainstream movie.
audience 81
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Average Rating: 3.8/5
User Ratings: 20,821
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Movie Info
Sam Peckinpah examines the instinctual capacity for violence in his controversial 1971 film, loosely based on the novel The Siege of Trencher's Farm. To avoid the Vietnam-era social chaos in the U.S., American mathematician David Sumner (Dustin Hoffman) moves with his British wife, Amy (Susan George), to the isolated Cornish town where she grew up, but their presence provokes antagonism among the village's men. As the hostilities escalate from routine bullying to the gang rape of his wife, David finds his pacifistic self backed into a corner. When the hooligans attack his house, David finally resorts to the gruesome violence that he abhors. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi
R, 1 hr. 58 min.
Mystery & Suspense, Drama
Directed By: Sam Peckinpah
Written By: David Zelag Goodman, Sam Peckinpah
In Theaters: Dec 29, 1971 Wide
On DVD: Mar 13, 2001
Sony Pictures/Screen Gems
Straw Dogs Trailer & Photos
More Trailers and Videos (4)
Straw Dogs
Sep 7, 2011
Straw Dogs: I Will Not Allow Violence Against This House
Sep 7, 2011
Cast
Dustin Hoffman
David
Susan George
Amy
Peter Vaughan
Tom Hedden
T.P. McKenna
Maj. Scott
David Warner
Henry Niles
Colin Welland
Rev. hood
Peter Arne
John Niles
June Brown
Mrs. Hedden
Chloe Franks
Emma Hedden
Del Henney
Venner
Ken Hutchison
Scutt
Len Jones
Bobby Hedden
Robert Keegan
Harry Ware
Michael Mundell
Bertie Hedden
Sally Thomsett
Janice
Donald Webster
Riddaway
Jim Norton
Cawsey
Cherina Mann
Mrs. Hood
Critic Reviews for Straw Dogs
All Critics (38) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (35) | Rotten (4) | DVD (33)
The most offensive thing about the movie is its hypocrisy; it is totally committed to the pornography of violence, but lays on the moral outrage with a shovel.
October 23, 2004 Full Review | Comments (11)
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic
Upon first viewing, it seems like a straightforward film, but the more one watches it, the more tension one sees in the relationship between the couple.
August 5, 2003 Comment
Douglas Pratt
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic
Mr. Peckinpah has made some good films (Ride the High Country) and a couple of great films (The Wild Bunch, The Ballad of Cable Hogue) -- which may be why Straw Dogs is a special disappointment.
May 20, 2003 Full Review | Comment (1)
Vincent Canby
New York Times
Top Critic
Eyes Wide Shut -- and the cooked-up debates surrounding it -- are only about sex in the head. Peckinpah gives you sex as a kick in the groin, a jolt to the brain and a shot to the heart.
December 19, 2001 Full Review | Comments (2)
Michael Sragow
Salon.com
Top Critic
A taut drama with great performances and a recipe for action and tension that modern-day thrillers could learn from.
December 29, 2011 Full Review | Comment
James Plath
Movie Metropolis
But what if the mask of your neighbor tilts for a second and you catch a glimpse of the riot going on behind his face? What if you accidentally see the monster feasting on his prey? Now what if you're looking in the mirror?
October 1, 2011 Full Review | Comment
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
It ends up hackneyed, unnecessary, and clich?d, improved only by the A-list acting talent and slickness of the production values.
September 24, 2011 Full Review | Comment (1)
Jonathan W. Hickman
Paste Magazine
Fox gives Sam Peckinpah's ferocious near-masterpiece a killer visual/audio upgrade, but offers nothing in the way of context with a barren supplemental section.
September 14, 2011 Full Review | Comment
Chris Cabin
Slant Magazine
Ugliness that must be taken seriously
January 22, 2010 Full Review | Comment
Dan Jardine Cinemania
Anchored by Dustin Hoffman's seminal performance, Peckinpah's second masterpiece (after The Wild Bunch) is still one of the most provocative, controversial, and ambiguous explorations of actual violence and our reaction to screen violence.
July 28, 2009 Full Review | Comment
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com
Gory and shocking.
March 26, 2008 Full Review | Comment
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Um assustador estudo sobre o animal interior do Homem que, mesmo moralista, conservador e mis?gino, impressiona por sua complexidade.
April 1, 2007 Comment
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena
One of Sam Peckinpah's finest films, a relentless study in violence and machismo that is shocking, not only for its explicit gore, but for the degree to which it manipulates 'civilized' audiences.
August 30, 2006 Full Review | Comment
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Peckinpah's treatise on violence and masculinity is disturbing on a fundamental level... and equally difficult to forget.
December 9, 2005 Comment
Rob Vaux
Flipside Movie Emporium
A meaty uncompromising movie from the masterful Sam Peckinpah.
December 5, 2005 Comment
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
...Hoffman delivers a stunning, unforgettable performance.
May 27, 2005 Full Review | Comment
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
More Critic Reviews
Audience Reviews for Straw Dogs
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An amazing study on violence with a breakout performance from Dustin Hoffman. October 28, 2011
Graham Jones
Super Reviewer
Based on some novel I've never read or even heard of, this is the story of a cowardly American mathematician named David who, along with his wife Amy, move from the U.S. to the English village where she grew up. All he wants is some peace and quiet while he does research and writes a book. He doesn't fit in with or get along well with the locals, and his marriage isn't doing so well either. As the animosity and tension grow, things really come to a head when David and Amy find themselves under attack in their home after they harbor the village idiot (and implied pedophile) who is wanted after (accidentally) killing a local girl.Co-written and directed by action master Sam Peckinpah, this is a gritty, violent, and unsetling masterpiece. This was released the same year as Dirty Harry, The French Connection, A Clockwork Orange, and Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song among others, and I think it's rather significant given the violentcontent and controversy surrounding all of these films. Thoguh the violence is graphic and unrelenting at times, I agree with Peckinpah himself who said that this film was merely an exploration of violence, rather than a glorification of it, or something like that. I've seen some rather disturbing films, some more than this, but this is still nonetheless a visceral gut puncher. Now, really none of the characters are all that likeable, but that's okay, because not everyone is likeable in rea llife either. The performances are quite good though, especially Dustin Hoffman. He's seems like such a really nice and likeable guy, so for him to play a character that spends his time either being a wimp or a jerk that you don't really care for is an amazing display of his talent.This film has some strong controversial scenes, but they feel like a payoff to some great buildup instead of being overwhelming. The whole film has a great sense of mood, tone, and atmosphere, and the tension and suspense are maintained at a high level throughout, so when the payoff its, things really get cooking.This is a tremendous film. It's worth arguing about. Some of the themes are rehashed from The Wild Bunch, but it's all done so well that it's no big deal. Also, he may have actually been a misogynist, but the film is that way. Not too big a deal for me, because it's just another good topic for discussion, but it is something to note. Give this one a watch. It's really something. June 22, 2006
Chris Weber
Super Reviewer
Straw Dogs Quotes
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David: Jesus. I got 'em all!
– Submitted by Payam A (2 months ago)
David: This is where I live. This is me. I will not allow violence against this house.
– Submitted by F?lix C (8 months ago)
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Foreign Titles
Wer Gewalt s?t (DE)
Straw Dogs (1971) (UK)
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