There are no good people in Heishui Town

Jedidiah 2022-01-13 08:03:48

Straw Dog hit me on two points. One is the addiction of the wicked to die out in this world, and the other is a mockery of anti-intellectualism. After all, the weak scholars have wisdom and the quality of being in danger, and the weak physique defeats the barbaric strong. Take a look and see who is the real man, a big man, not a savage man with a big head and muscles, but a courageous and careful, usually gentleman, a Harvard student who is in a crisis. The mockery of anti-intellectualism is very thorough, even when a big guy raped his ex-girlfriend, the director arranged for him to hand in the gun as soon as he entered. The mouth is strong, but the heart is not strong.

I haven’t read the original film. This remake is very good, short and succinct, but it has everything to express. The idyllic scenery and forest scenes along the way are reminiscent of the tiresome and large descriptions of scenery that are common in American novels. . The actor is somewhat like Gladwell of the New Yorker, and his temperament and acting skills are in line with the role. The characters don't appear much, but all of them are very clear, and the dialogue is also well written. As soon as the tavern at the beginning of the film comes out, the dialogue and atmosphere are very appropriate. Although it is not poor, it is still a bitch and the people have already hinted at this moment: There are no good people in Heishui Town, and a cruel struggle is about to start.

This kind of movie makes people feel addicted to watching, usually the first half focuses on the wickedness of the wicked, like "I Spit Your Grave" (HK copycat has a "Mountain Dog"), a woman was gang-raped Death, the story of a friend or parents helping her to avenge her, the first half of the audience has accumulated enough hatred, and the second half, watching the murderers being tortured to death in different ways, that kind of pleasure, it is very good to relieve the violence in real life Emotions make people follow the protagonist and make revenge, which is really refreshing.

American anti-intellectualism has been popular for several years. It basically means that reading is useless, and people should learn from nature. Mark Twain’s "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" is a masterpiece in which educated children are put into nature. , Put into society, there is no use at all, on the contrary, wild children act at will, with ease, wisdom and practical ability are above the educated people.

This theory has a certain truth, but nature does not necessarily teach people good things. The people in Heishui Town have nothing to do, pursue, and are incapable all day long. Their life is dull and boring like a pool of stagnant water--even ball games are so low-level. . Gradually, a life style of being ignorant and barbaric, hating people and laughing at others, and relying on violence to solve all problems, religion is even more useless to them. It is commonplace to beat a child and wife after being drunk. So the heroine Amy leaves with all his heart, and never wants to come back.

In the last half, a weak-looking Harvard scholar (professional screenwriter) who was incompatible with these shrews, used his calmness and wisdom to kill this bunch of guns and sticks. This is wisdom versus barbarism. Victory. Reflection and mockery of anti-intellectualism.

This story takes place in small towns in the southern United States, and can also occur in many closed and backward areas. Under the pastoral scenery, it is not necessarily all that the folk customs are simple, blocked, lack of job opportunities, lack of material, lack of spiritual life, and once it falls into a negative direction Circulation will produce a closed island of evil like Heishui Town for every good thing in the whole village.

The arrival of strangers is not at all as simple as going to the hometown, breaking a Norm requires a price, not everyone is so lucky. This kind of movie gives people the pleasure of watching movies, but in real life, the first half and the second half often have the same rhythm. Vicious and cruel people continue to live contentedly, all evil can succeed, while good people are killed one by one without a chance for revenge. Isn't that what happened in China these days?

(2013, September, 26)

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Extended Reading
  • Doris 2022-03-19 09:01:07

    After reading the old version, I just looked at the new version, and the result is that the new version is weak...Compared with the step-by-step paving of the old version, the new version is almost a frame-by-frame imitation but looks nondescript, and compared to Hoffman's explosion Sexual acting skills, this male protagonist Nima is simply cheating...

  • Demarco 2022-03-25 09:01:18

    Is this an outlet for the hard-pressed Hollywood screenwriters?

Straw Dogs quotes

  • [last lines]

    David Sumner: I got 'em all.

  • Chris: [David takes a nail gun to Chris' hands as he climbs through a broken window] Don't leave me like this... the glass is cutting into my neck

    David Sumner: [coldly] I hope you slit your fucking throat