Straw Dogs (1971)
- Yasmin Leticia
- Sep 13, 2023
- 2 min read
Within my initial watch I kept thinking “I despise every single one of these characters. Every single one of these characters are unbearable and have slim to none likability, why am even watching this? I actually feel enraged watching this.” Without realising this is exactly what Peckinpah wanted the audience to feel. I was so caught up in emotion to even come to this realisation.
The film’s key themes within the film are an exploration of allowing hatred and violence to consume us. Most of the characters actions are nonsensical and convoluted as hell which perfectly reflects the extreme consequences of allowing emotions to dictate our way of thinking. These characters aren't supposed to be appealing to us, they’re the drunken idiots you see at the pub with clear pent up savagery, ready to be released at an given moment. Or the ‘unmanly weak men’ struggling to fit the status quo so they pent up their anger till they mentally break.
We don’t want to be anything like them but they exist in our reality and at times we can a reflection of ourselves in them. So of course their resolutions won’t make any logical nor should we expect them to be when savagery and fury consume them.
When it comes to the violence aspects, do I even need to say? It’s Peckinpah. Though I will add some of the violence within the film did feel overkill. Certain violent sequences didn’t add to any plot progression, it definitely seemed like they were only placed in order to create shock value which only did the opposite.
Overall the film is full of intriguing and realistic characters which is by far it’s selling point though it falls flat when it comes to it’s pacing, lacklustre subplot which literally just felt like I was watching an r rated, underdeveloped Of Mice and Men. I think it had potential to be great but if it’s only selling points are its grotesque scenes and characters but essentially fails in all else then it just falls short as a film and you’re left wondering what a masterpiece it could’ve been if only it had been done right.
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