In the age of remakes and sequels, this film follows suit with an adaptation of the original “Straw Dogs” made in 1973. Change the setting from England to America’s deep south and add a little James Marsden and Kate Bosworth to the mix, and you’ve got this competent repeat.

The plot is relatively simple, yet compelling. A Los Angeles writer, David (Marsden), and his wife, Amy (Bosworth), move to Amy’s old hometown in the deep south. Several run-ins ensue with the locals and Amy’s old friends, including James Woods, who plays the part of a crazy, alcoholic, over-bearing dad. The couple soon begins to realize that this is not the place for them. David does not fit in and Amy’s home is not what it used to be. The tension mounts as the run-ins become increasingly more hostile, eventually leading up to a showdown at the family home.

So that’s the plot. Not bad; I can go with it. The movie is billed as a tense thriller and the tension is definitely there. However, the story takes FOREVER to go anywhere. There’s an extreme amount of buildup tension throughout the entire film but it comes at the cost of dragging a bit at some points. This may lose some people, but those that are willing to stay will definitely be rewarded. The finale of the film is filled with large amounts of blood and gratuitous violence that is oh so satisfying. I found it definitely worth sitting through the entire movie just to get to the fight at the end. It was that good. Nail guns, bear traps, explosions and scalding water were all involved in the shenanigans. Count me in for this fight. You had me at bear traps!

That being said, there were some strange scenes that made me a bit uncomfortable. For instance, there’s a scene that involves sexual abuse that lasted a bit too long for my liking and by that I mean: I wish it was not even included in the film. It was kind of necessary for the plot to progress the way it did, but the way it was portrayed was too real and made me uncomfortable.

I was able to overcome the weirdness though because of the finale. There’s some great violence and I love violence, therefore, this made the movie for me. If you’re not a fan of this, then I would probably stay away from this film. Overall, I would give this remake 3 out of 5. The plot was okay and the finale was great, but the dragging story and some weird scenes held the movie back from being awesome. I would recommend “Straw Dogs” to anyone who loves lots of violence and revenge, if you’re willing to wait for it.