A remake that tried too hard to be controversial is causing a streaming uproar

Re-imagining a classic that caused controversy the first time, Rod Lurie’s 2011 version raises expectations Stray dogs Pushing the boat out far enough that the 2011 film’s attempts at recreating such lightning in a bottle no longer felt listless and artificial.

Audiences have become increasingly desensitized to violence and graphic scenes in the 30 years since Sam Peckinpah’s original, which erupted into a barrage of publicity and severe edits just to secure a theatrical release, ultimately leading to the psychological thriller making a name for itself as one of the best entries secured one of the best directors in cinema in the filmography.

The second attempt to adapt the novel by Gordon Williams The Siege of Trencher’s Farm so had a lot going for it, but it decidedly failed even to worry critics or the box office. A Rotten Tomatoes score of 43 percent, an audience average of 34 percent, and just $11 million in ticket sales on a $25 million budget only underscored the futility of the exercise.

Alexander Skarsgård gives a menacing turn as the former boyfriend of Kate Bosworth’s happily married Amy, and James Woods is in reliable form to steal the scene but the brutal set pieces that defined Peckinpahs Stray dogs can’t help but feel tame in an era where the torture porn fad was just beginning to die out.

In the end, the remake came and went without making a splash, but it’s at least returned to the streaming limelight with FlixPatrol Stray dogs as one of ViaPlay’s most popular titles this weekend. You have to be in a certain mood to enjoy Straw Dogs, but you’d struggle to enjoy Lurie’s version in any weather.