I heard this is going OOP and I was thinking of getting it, but it would be a blind buy for me. My local Library carries several Criterion Films however this is not one, so I can't test it before I buy it.
I found a review HERE and it sounds simple enough... but I wanted some impressions from my peers. Mainly on the film, but the DVD as well.

Thanks!

The film is great, and that's not coming from someone who saw it in the theater. My first experience seeing it was only a month or two ago, and I was surprised at how much I liked it. It's aged a bit, though...some parts are really meant to be shocking, but it's nothing you wouldn't see in most modern movies. The DVD itself is awesome...Disc 2 really covers a lot of ground, from the 90-minute Peckinpah documentary right down to the fan mail responses. If you're even mildly interested, Criterion's is a good buy...even if you don't like it, it'll sell for a good price once it's OOP. I'd recommend DeepDiscountDVD.com or DVDEmpire.com (links at the top), if their Criterion sale is still on.

Incidentally, Straw Dogs is being remade as "Fear Itself", due for release next year. Edward Norton plays Hoffman's role---he seems like a great choice IMO! So anyway, it might be interesting to see the original before the remake.

Randy
Randy

Hmm...there seems to be an echo in here with my name!

Randy

also there is a disturbing and quite long (around 3-4 min) rape scene in the movie.

Note that the rape scene is played to be a turn-on to male audience members.

Apart from a few "shocking" scenes, the movie is a real borefest. Rent first!

Thanks for the impressions! It seems split down the middle, haha.

Problem is, my wife wouldn't be thrilled about the rape scene, that's for sure. And 3-4 minutes worth? Yuck.

I LOVE Edward Norton though... thanks for that bit of information.
And it would be nice to see the original before the remake... however I don't think I can rent this!!!

Is it worth it as an investment? 23 bucks @ DVD Empire, and it will be OOP soon.

Hmm.. I've seen this, but I can't say I want it in my collection. It's pretty hard to watch with the main characters being treated so cruel.

I'd suggest buying it, simply because if you hate it, you could probably get your money back if you want to sell it, but if you love it, you'll have a great criterion.

If I may be so frank:

People whose wives or girlfriends are going to object to sex or violence or people who look forward to tired Hollywood remakes of classic films---will NOT like Straw Dogs.

I saw this for the first time a little less than a year ago and didn't like it at all. Found it to be quite dull and have no interest in ever seeing again.

Ok, thanks for the impressions! I think I'm going to pass on it.

If your tastes included this particular genre you might like it or even more. For me, it was strictly a genre piece and didn't stand out beyond that and I was expecting it to and I didn't even ejoy it on that level.

It's always subjective though so before writing it off I would ask yourself if you like this genre (thrillers). If you do I would try to rent it rather than buying in case seeing it once is all you care to.