Lurie, like Peckinpah, is fascinated by the idea that the seemingly mild, non-confrontational pacifist may be the villain in all of this.

Everything here plays out to the same beats and yet ultimately results in conventional revenge-minded catharsis rather than queasy ambivalence.

While Lurie could have gone lighter on the symbolism, he ratchets up the tension with deft intelligence. He's not just making a thriller but a horror film, and we feel his own fear in every scene.

Lurie's smart enough to know that we're supposed to be disturbed -- and not titillated -- by the savagery the movie depicts.

The new 'Straw Dogs' is one of the more brutal films in recent years.

Lurie informs his movie with plenty of nods to the original and at least manages a story that will have people talking - if not about the nature of human violence, then about the grisly depiction of it.

You can understand Lurie's motivation for remaking Straw Dogs, and applaud the competence of his filmmaking and casting, while at the same time lamenting what has happened to him.