Straw Dogs

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Straw Dogs

R

1971

1h 56m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

45 Reviews

82%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

David Sumner (Dustin Hoffman), a mild-mannered academic from the United States, marries Amy (Susan George), an Englishwoman. In order to escape a hectic stateside lifestyle, David and his wife relocate to the small town in rural Cornwall where Amy was raised. There, David is ostracized by the brutish men of the village, including Amy's old flame, Charlie (Del Henney). Eventually the taunts escalate, and two of the locals rape Amy. This sexual assault awakes a shockingly violent side of David.

Critics Consensus

A violent, provocative meditation on manhood, Straw Dogs is viscerally impactful -- and decidedly not for the squeamish.

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Tom Milne

Sight & Sound

Feb 12, 2020

I can think of no other film which screws violence up into so tight a knot of terror that one begins to feel that civilisation is crumbling before one's eyes.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Jan 9, 2019

[T]hough doubtlessly reactionary, Straw Dogs has the heat of personal commitment and the authority of deep (if bitter) contemplation.

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Chuck Bowen

Slant Magazine

Jul 10, 2017

One of the most ambiguous, neurotic, and disturbing of all American films receives a revelatory new restoration, with supplements that ably grapple with its chaos.

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Justine Smith

Vague Visages

Nov 21, 2023

In spite of accusations to the contrary, Peckinpah does not celebrate violence but suggests that it is a part of humanity’s moral fabric.

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

May 17, 2023

4/5

“Straw Dogs” is ugly, disturbing, and hard to take in, just like a story of this nature should be. It’s also hard to turn away from thanks to Peckinpah’s direction, John Coquillon’s fiercely hypnotic cinematography, and great performances.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Mar 8, 2023

2.5/4

While I understand this film and welcome its message, it’s a film that I wouldn’t want to revisit.

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Jerod S

@jeroduptown Sep 12, 2026

Straw Dogs is an uncomfortable walk through different kinds of manhood - mostly the dark sides of them all. Hoffman is a soft spoken nerd that brings his wife back to her hometown where the men are out for her.

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B P

@Bradster69 Sep 7, 2026

Definitely Recommend It

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Bill B

@RT01438538 Jul 31, 2026

Very unlikely to see such violence from the inhabitants of a Cornish village, more like a large inner city in America. But it's a tense movie, worth seeing if one can handle the brutality.

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Steve Y

@Cubby65 Jul 30, 2026

It's Peckinpah, so enough said; if you're into mindless violence, by all means watch it.

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thiago S

@Thiagostone Apr 29, 2026

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Mickey B.

@Mickerdoo Dec 30, 2025

Complex workings. Glad the bad guys got theirs. A very adult Home Alone. Creative. Wasn’t a very welcoming town. George is sexy but flawed.

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Sam Peckinpah

Director

Dustin Hoffman

David Sumner

Susan George

Amy Sumner

T.P. McKenna

Major John Scott

Peter Vaughan

Tom Hedden

Del Henney

Charlie Venner

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Synopsis

David Sumner (Dustin Hoffman), a mild-mannered academic from the United States, marries Amy (Susan George), an Englishwoman. In order to escape a hectic stateside lifestyle, David and his wife relocate to the small town in rural Cornwall where Amy was raised. There, David is ostracized by the brutish men of the village, including Amy's old flame, Charlie (Del Henney). Eventually the taunts escalate, and two of the locals rape Amy. This sexual assault awakes a shockingly violent side of David.

Director: Sam Peckinpah
Producer: Daniel Melnick
Screenwriter: David Zelag Goodman, Sam Peckinpah
Production Co: Talent Associates Ltd.
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 29, 1971, Wide
Release Date (DVD): Oct 19, 2004
Runtime: 1h 56m
Sound Mix: Mono

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