2) Straw Dogs
It divided critics then, and it continues to divide them now: is Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs a dark, nihilistic thriller about a secret sociopath discovering his lust for violence, or is it the mere fantasy fulfillment of a bloodthirsty misogynist? Whatever the case, even with the film’s artistic merit aside, there’s no denying the 1971 Straw Dogs‘ worth when it has provoked so much discussion over the years.
Then there’s the 2011 remake, directed by Rod Lurie, who for some reason felt Peckinhpah’s classic (or not, depending on your take) needed an update, minus any of the obscure, provocative social commentary on offer in the original.
The setting is updated to the deep South, while the ordinary-looking cast are replaced by people who look like they’ve just walked out of an Abercrombie & Fitch shoot. The plot on the whole remains similar, but like the aforementioned A&F models, there’s just nothing going on beneath the pretty surface to justify the film’s existence.