The Worst Film Ever

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

I try and remove as much external context from any movie I watch as possible. If a movie was controversial or groundbreaking in some way at the time of release, then fine, but the more important factor to me will always be the 'is it actually any good though?' factor. In the case of Straw Dogs I don't see much more than an earnest yet somewhat creaky and slow-paced tale of rural torment, that ultimately ends up looking like a 70s western with added sex + violence. It didn't strike me as anything that original or re- watchable, and I can't imagine sitting through it again.Without giving any spoilers (to a 45 yr old film that everyone's seen) there were moments here that apparently shock to this day which I found to be fairly routine, rather than shocking. And it's not because I'm some hardened cinema tough guy whose seen it all (for example the stick-fight between Keith and Finger in Mike Leigh's Nuts In May gives me a nervous breakdown every time I watch it), but there just wasn't enough zing here to make anything jump out of the screen. The characters were well acted but barely beyond two-dimensional, the script was okayish but nothing spectacular, the incidental music was alright but sometimes clumsily applied.Ultimately Straw Dogs is a film that takes itself very seriously and as such everything that happens has a kind of morose inevitability about it (similar to a lot of old westerns, hence the earlier comparison). It's not a -bad- movie, but I can't help thinking the notoriety factor seems to have impacted on how a lot of people perceive the film on its own terms. I can't give it more than a 5/10.

Not many mainstream movies feature an attractive leading lady who doesn't wear a bra. This flick was interesting if not confounding. Takes place in a tight time frame, a matter of days, and generates more questions than it answers. If you like closure and clean story lines, this is not for you. Hoffman was great as usual, even if he reminded me of Benjamin Braddock in some ways. I liked the Irish setting and the acting. The story didn't quite do it for me. About my reviews: I do not offer a synopsis of the film -- you can get that anywhere and that does not constitute a meaningful review -- but rather my thoughts and feelings on the film that hopefully will be informative to you in deciding whether to invest 90-180 minutes of your life on it.My scale: 1-5 decreasing degrees of "terrible", with 5 being "mediocre" 6- OK. Generally held my interest OR had reasonable cast and/or cinematography, might watch it again 7 - Good. My default rating for a movie I liked enough to watch again, but didn't rise to the upper echelons 8- Very Good. Would watch again and recommend to others 9- Outstanding. Would watch over and over; top 10% of my ratings 10 - A Classic. (Less than 2% receive this rating)

This disc had been sitting on my shelf for over ten years after its first or second viewing, and I'd been reluctant to re-visit it for some reason, until last night. Now I realise why, because although I hadn't really forgotten it, its deep-reaching and thorough unpleasantness must have seriously turned me off, and warned me away.Somebody likened it to "Irreversible", and I see what they're saying. Peckinpah, although just as over the top, is more realistic and everyday, however. Whatever his themes, you have to admit he regularly gets superbly convincing performances from his actors. In spite of the way he seems to treat them, he also gets very considerable loyalty from many of them. In this case Susan George.He apparently said that it was not about a wimp, but a failed marriage. It's also been said that most of his films are about some kind of treachery or disappointment between buddies. In this case it's the conflict between Hoffman and his totally incompatible wife, with whom he obviously has nothing constructive in common, except sex, which dooms it from the start. This union was clearly a profound mistake, and its disintegration is almost comic. Chess is not going to unite this couple.The only positive outcome of the events depicted is that the odious yokel played by Peter Vaughan never discovered what happened to his pesky little daughter Janice. Impressive work, but not recommended viewing, unless you enjoy torture. The remake is obviously a disaster.

You know, for a movie often referred to as "one of the best home invasion movies ever", it certainly takes a long freakin' time to get to the actual home invasion, 85 minutes actually. Until the guy gets hit by Dustin Hoffman's car, the movie has next to no conflict, just British people not liking an American because he's not one of them. The villains aren't even given proper introductions, making all of them blend together and not unique in any way. The only two distinguishing factors between all of them is that one was Amy's ex, and another one is the town drunk who has a beard. That's it, every other antagonist in this might as well not exist, in fact, the movie would be way better if it were just those 2 guys attacking Hoffman's house.Amy isn't particularly likable either. Aside from one or two scenes she's either annoying, complacent, moody, or mad for no reason. The only real relatable character in the whole movie is the cat, and it gets killed like 35 minutes in. Hoffman's performance is alright, but he's mostly just a mumbling coward. I'm sure he was written that way because he's supposed to just be a normal guy, but I don't find that interesting until the climax. Also, the rape scene serves no purpose, at all. Amy gets raped by her ex, and then her ex's best friend, only to not mention it to her husband. Um, I'm pretty sure rape is a serious invasion of your personal space, shouldn't you at least tell your husband that your ex sexually assaulted you? No? Why? Oh, to cash-in on "A Clockwork Orange's" controversy, give me a break. The rape scene in "A Clockwork Orange" actually had purpose, and it was actually brought up again after it happened. This just has a rape scene because it doesn't want to give these characters personalities, so now we can relate to Amy because she was raped, right? Wrong.The climax is the only good part of this movie, and it's not because of the suspense, it's because it's a rushed, R-rated version of "Home Alone". The traps Hoffman sets are pretty neat, but you have to wait almost 90 minutes to get there. How does this sound, if you stare at this blank wall for 90 minutes straight, I'll give you a Jolly Rancher. Does that sound like a deal? That's the closest thing I can compare this movie to. Utter boredom, with a tiny little reward at the end. Normally, I would see if the remake is a better version, but both movies apparently follow the exact format, unlike the two versions of "Dawn of the Dead", so I'll just have to watch another season of "Breaking Bad" to get my mind off of this garbage. A complete borefest that thinks it's a clever social commentary.