Sam Peckinpah Archives - Movie SmackdownÂ®

Straw Dogs (2011) -vs- Walking Tall (2004)

September 15, 2011 Eric Volkman 0

The gloomy 1970s were a good time for dark, bloody, man-against-tall-odds dramas. Two of the more successful movies in this genre were Phil Karlsonâ€™s cult classic Walking Tall and Sam Peckinpahâ€™s controversial (at the time, anyway) Straw Dogs. Now that we live in the Age of the Remake, over the last few years weâ€™ve inevitably gotten shiny new versions of both.

The two films feature loner protagonists, overmatched against hostile forces much better equipped to prevail in a fight. In the case of Walking Tall, Iraqi war vet Chris Vaughn (Dwayne Johnson, or â€œThe Rockâ€ to fans of his pro wrestling career) squares off against an evil casino owner and the minions heâ€™s been able to corrupt with his money. Meanwhile, nerdy Straw Dogs protagonist David Sumner (James Marsden) has to contend with a pack of violent rednecks including both Alexander Skarsgard (Zoolander, TVâ€™s True Blood) and the ever-volatile James Woods, either of whom would be a scary opponent all by himself. […]

Rod Lurie Talks Smack

September 13, 2011 Eric Estrin 6

I remember my shock back around the turn of the millennium, when I learned that Rod Lurie, whom I knew only as the former film critic at Los Angeles magazine, was writing and directing his […]

Straw Dogs (2011) -vs- Straw Dogs (1971)

September 12, 2011 Bob Nowotny 4

Now, after a summer of sequels that did little to further movie franchises or the film business in general, comes a remake of Straw Dogs, the 1971 classic considered by some critics to be among the most visceral and memorable statements regarding violence ever put on the screen. Then again, what else would you expect from the maestro of malignant mayhem, the irrepressible Sam Peckinpah?

The updated remake is helmed by journalist/film critic-turned-director Rob Lurie. How does it compare? Can Lurie teach an old Dog new tricks? Like Westminster, this â€œbest in showâ€ is winner take all. […]