Sam Peckinpah's legendary film is a must see. Dustin Hoffman and Susan George move into a farm house in the English countryside and soon become fodder (sexual and otherwise) for the local ne'er do wells. Hoffman, a mathematician, is either a self-righteous peacenik or a cowardly nelly (depending on your point of view). The film is electrifying and makes a solid case for the argument that anyone is capable of violence if pushed far enough. It's unflinching and never obvious. Hoffman is great (he still looked like Benjamin Braddock!) and Susan George, despite really bad teeth, is quite a number. The scene of her getting raped is repellent. Not just because the act itself is abhorrent, but also because George is clearly enjoying the assault. The local hooligans are genuinely scary. David Warner makes an appearance as the village idiot.
Review of Straw Dogs
