Anson Mount

About me:

So I'm in Shreveport, Louisianna right now working on the remake of "Straw Dogs", adapted and being directed by Rod Lurie ("The Contender", "The Last Castle", "Nothing But the Truth"). Rod and his producing partner Marc Frydman are old friends from our days making the ABC series "Line of Fire" together and it's really great to be working together again.

Rod first told me about his idea to adapt "Straw Dogs" (1971) to the American South several years ago. The original, by Sam Peckinpah, was one of his darkest and most psychologically disturbing films. Peckinpah often wrote films about people who try to be honorable but who are ultimately forced to resort to their more primal instincts in order to survive a world dominated by chaos and nihilism.

'David', played by Dustin Hoffman, is a true fish out of water. He has travelled to his wife Amy's small hometown in Ireland to as to get away from all the distractions keeping him from finishing his work as a mathematician. Hoping to create a comfortable home, and trying desperately to fit into the small community, David hires Amy's old school chums to fix the roof of their barn. As David's work continues to consume him, and as Amy continues to feel like she has no part in her husband's over-active mind, the old school chums (led by the quiet but dangerous 'Charlie') begin a slow but inevitable move to take over and reclaim what they feel is theirs.

When we began rehearsing "Straw Dogs" Rod said, "Peckinpah always felt that man was essentially an animal, and I think that's a disservice to animals." He went on to explain that he wasn't joking. Animals aren't capable of the kinds of cruelty used by humans. They don't humiliate each other. They don't organize genocide. They don't hurt for the sake of hurting.

If you haven't guessed it by now, "Straw Dogs" is an incredibly brutal film; so much so that it was banned in the UK for many years. It is still debated by film critics as either being an exceedingly honest look at human nature or a mysogynistic celebration of violence. Either way, it is masterful film making. The film escalates to the point where law not only has no meaning, it is never mentioned, and probably not thought of. David is ultimately forced to stand his ground, digging down within himself to find something which is primal enough to protect his wife, his home, and everything he has ever believed. I highly recommend "Straw Dogs" (1971). But to the faint of heart: fair warning. This one will have you cringing.

Previous films recommended in this section:

The Contender (2000)
State of Grace (1990)
Sid & Nancy (1987)
Death of a Salesman (1985)
Empire of the Sun (1987)
True West (1984)
Color Me Kubrick (2005)
Your Friends and Neighbors (1998)
Skin Deep (1989)
Before Sunset (2004)
32 Short FIlms About Glenn Gould (1993)
Dancer in the Dark (2000)
Basquiat (1996)
Kicking and Screaming (1995)
On the Beach
City of Women
Hud
Broken Flowers
Hard Eight
The Apostle
Scarecrow
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Talk to Her ("Hable Con Ella")
The Blues Brothers
When We Were Kings
Shut Up and Sing
Buffalo '66
All the Real Girls
The Last Temptation of Christ
Primer
Borat
Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price