Straw Dogs

Director: Sam Pekinpah

Actors: Dustin Hoffman, Susan George

"Heavan and Earth are ruthless and treat the myriad creatures as straw dogs: the Sage is ruthless and treats the people as straw dogs." - Lao Tzu.

A mathmatician/writer and his wife atempt to live a peaceful and quiet life just outside a small country village miles from nowhere. But they get mixed up with the violent affairs of the little town and as a result Hoffman ends of defending his cottage almost single-handedly against a bunch of the most ruthless wildmen seen on the screen.

"I can think of no other film which screws violence up into so tight a knot of terror that one begins to feel...." Sight and Sound.

If sheer technical skill was all that was required in a film then this film would certainly be one of the best. That is not to say, however, that there is little more to it than pure spectacle. In fact it is a serious film of considerable social value.