Ummm...This one is a bit complicated. First off the cinematography is half decent here. Some good framing and the setting of the South is interesting and memorable. But the direction while not terrible doesn't hold a candle to Sam Peckinpah's. The kills are kind of decent and the iconic scenes of the original are done fairly competant. But nothing is really added upon and it was just done so much better, more memorably, and more disturbing in the first. The ending especially which felt like a fever dream is more of an action horror movie type of style than anything truly unique. Granted the stlye and tone of the ending of the 71' version is almost impossible to recapture or do better. The visuals are the highlight here for what it's worth. Everything else ok. Nothing broken, nothing blatantly bad like Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor or anything. But this has a couple big problems. First Marsden is probably the wekest of the acting cast. He looks too pretty boy like to be belivable as a awkward pacifist bookworm. And he probably was the least likeable character of the whole thing. Which is crazy given there really isn't any changes to David's character. Save for they made him more of someone who looks down on people vs. wants to say "bro I'm just chillin. Leave me out of this" It's just the acting and direction makes THAT big a difference. Honestly I actually ended up liking the bad guys here more than anything. They never really came across as trolls, menaces, or anything for the most part until the end. That's such an odd "failure". Second, this doesn't expand upon anything the original did. It doesn't add additional backstory or expansion of existing or new characters, it doesn't have any new commentary, or fix any problems the original had. Which is a bit of a trick statement because the original besides being very dark and disturbing is pretty flawless. So as much as I struggle to find something wrong with this, I struggle to understand what the point of remaking this was. It follows 90% of the same beats of the original and the changes that are made. Like the setting, some of the kills, and making David a writer really doesn't add anything. Finally, what made the original more than just an exploitation flick is the commentary of taking a stand, isolationism and the effect it has on others whether you know it or not gets lost in this. It feels like the subtle moments have been removed and what's left is only face value stuff. t's just not as sophisticated with handling the underlying message/characters study elements as the original was. This is much more face value stuff. As violent as the original is, it's one of the most sophisticated character studiy films I've ever seen. Granted the character arc and same message are still there but it's not as "Subtly Refined" as the original. a BIG reason why that one is amazing. If I saw this first over the 71' version I'd think it's probably a half decent action/psychological thriller. Maybe even good honestly. But the whole reason this exists is because of the 71' one. It's not even like a Rob Zombie Halloween but more like a 98' Psycho. Skip This.

So predictable! James Woods sure fits the role of a drunk, mindless, redneck coach with one brain cell & a loud mouth.

There were some loose ends that are aggravating. The rest was ok. 3*

Didn't find this film remotely interesting, turned it off over half way through. I tried I really did but it just did nothing for me and James Marsden will forever be that stupid prince off of Enchanted to me no matter how many serious roles he does.

An American set remake of the original could work but this ain't it. The provocative ambiguity is gone and, even more perplexing, this one seems to yearn for the violent finale as righteous retribution rather than the desperate bad vibes found in the same ending of Pekinpah's original. Also you're going to remake "Straw Dogs" 40 years later and pull your punches? Unacceptable.

Better than the original. Still and exploitive and gross.

This is just a straw of fun mess in the kitchen sink...

The motivation is there but this film really does not execute well. The ending is brutal but does not make up for the rest of the movie.

Director Rod Lurie tries to channel and improve upon Peckinpah and fails spectacularly. He lacks both the fire and the subtlety of the iconic director, and remaking one of his films displays Lurie's ineptitude.

The moment her cat is hanged, our protagonist , now married, Amy is a witness of betrayal from her former friends, especially, Charlie who seem to still covet her despite the teachings of bible. Her intelligent husband, David provides the required support that the couple are determined to fight instead of running from the situation. I appreciate the story, it ends on the perpetrators meeting their Karma, the couple who suffered rape , betrayal and violence emerge as the survivors. It is intense and passionate; if there are 20 horror movies worth watching during the 21st century so far, I would recommend it.

I'm one of the very few that likes this movie. Kate bosworth is at her peak in this movie.

This remake transforms a good original in political propaganda.

A great blend of horror with drama. Plus a great performance from the leads. James Marsden stole the show for me personally

What made the original so good and so memorable was its controversial depictions of violence and rape. But fast forward to this film, everything has basically already been done. So not only does it take away its classic, shocking aspect, but it also makes it another average home invasion flick. It's nowhere near as suspenseful as the original, which is too bad, but it delivers some good gory fun, as well as changing the film's location was also a noble idea, giving the film a southern gothic feel to it. And it still sticks pretty close to the original movie's script, with the acting being good, with a noble appearance by James Wood. Overall, it's an alright thriller, and in terms of remakes, there's been much worse. Worth a look for popcorn movie or fans!

this remake is an abomination! far from making the film better theyve managed to make it whole lot more annoying than it ever was, great job hollywood idiots

A well-above-average home-invasion thriller.

I've read a lot of bad critics about this movie. I was hoping for some very, very bad stuff. This is a good material, of course it could be a lot better. For starters, this is exactly what we want to fight nowadays with #timesup and series like Big Little Lies. This kind of Mississipi-retarded-demental-paranoid fella, played by some very good actors in the movie, needs to be contained - and Marsden does it, on the movie, in a very severe but effective way. This kind of person is a danger, I mean, a hazard to society. I was overjoyed to watch Marsden kick the hell out of an a** on the movie - you can see that coming, if you read the critics The female lead character, however, is exactly the kind of woman that also needs serious therapy, or reconstruction, 'cause she represents the kind of woman that defies the husband all the time, provokes other men, and then suddenly pretends "nothing is happening"; in times like this, all we don't need is a woman compactuating with machism culture, but it's exactly what she does, she incites it insinuating that Marsden's character is "not a man" and crap like that, mostly a lot of what comes next comes from her attitude. I read critics saying Marsden shouldn't be trapped in a bad movie like this one, but I go further; Marsden's character shouldn't be married to a stupid hysterical dumb wife like this one. I believe she's one of the characters you most hate in the movie, even though she has a moment of redemption on the ending. Alexander Skasgard is fantastic, and I can surely say that the movie is just really good 'cause of Marsden and Skasgard - not only by their awesome looks (damn, I wish I had an "ex-boyfriend" like that one) but also by their talent. It's an interesting movie, but I'm not sure I would recommend it, unless you can handle some psychological terror. But I can assure it's kinda worthy it. You end up the movie with the burning inside you to just kill anyone who tries to mess up with your family or loved ones.

Not the original but ok

The brutal ending nearly redeems this otherwise dull and pointless movie, moral of which is seems don't go killing people's cats...

I enjoyed this version.