The Post-Western Era of the Masters of Westerns: Straw Dogs and Once Upon a Time in America

Although Straw Dogs (1971) and Once Upon a Time in America (1984) are fundamentally different, they share a common point: both directors (Sam Peckinpah for the former and Sergio Leone for the latter) are masters of Westerns, primarily known for that genre, but they ventured out of their comfort zones to create films that are quite different in subject matter and style. Straw Dogs is generally classified as a home invasion film, a subgenre of thriller where the protagonist, often isolated, is terrorized by intruders, creating a suspenseful atmosphere aimed at providing entertainment. On the other hand, Once Upon a Time in America is a typical period gangster film, a genre that has always been popular in Hollywood, with many classics such as the well-known Godfather series (the first two parts being released 12 and 10 years earlier than Once Upon a Time in America).

Both directors have created numerous Western classics (such as The Wild Bunch and Once Upon a Time in the West) and have a deep understanding of the Western genre and the cowboy world of late 18th to early 20th century America. Their expertise lies in capturing the desolate feel of the Western world, the beastly nature of humanity unrestrained by civilization, the adventurous spirit of the cowboys exploring new frontiers, and the sense of justice and self-righteousness prevalent in that era. They also effectively depict the impact of the civilized world on the Western era, showcasing the epic struggle and eventual demise of that period.

How do these Western film experts handle non-Western subjects? How do they incorporate elements of the Western world into other genres? Clearly, they each have their own approach, and the results speak for themselves (even though both are already exceptionally high). In my opinion, when Sergio Leone made Once Upon a Time in America, he borrowed Western elements mainly through the straightforward nature of the male protagonist, creating a film that witnesses the disappearance of an era. This is evidenced by the film's length (4 hours in total) and even its English title, reflecting Leone's ambition. The film reviews the life of the protagonist Noodle, from his youth as a street kid in 1918, leading to murder and imprisonment, to his release in the 1930s and rise as a gangster kingpin, reflecting the peak of East Coast gang activity in the U.S.; it then jumps to the 1960s, where his former partners have transitioned from organized crime to politics, evolving with the times. The street kid days of the early 20th century and the gun-wielding gangster days of the 1930s are long gone, and the protagonist is harshly abandoned by time, left to reminisce (or revert to) the "good old days" of the 1930s while indulging in opium. However, despite its merits, this film fails to achieve the epic feeling of Leone's previous work, Once Upon a Time in the West. That film had a standalone Western setting, with its desolate midwestern town, the alienation among people, the long intervals between events (a protagonist's years-long revenge), and (to some extent) the direct relationships and emotions (clear-cut love and hate). All these elements seamlessly fit together, successfully creating the intended atmosphere. In Once Upon a Time in America, setting aside the plausibility of the story, the historical backdrop is no longer the relatively simple and pure Western wilderness, but a more complex, treacherous gangster world. The film's plot and character portrayals fail to keep up with that era; for instance, the relationship between Noodle and Max should have been more intricate, but the film doesn’t fully capture it (their love-hate relationship should be far deeper than depicted). If they had been in the Western era, the story might have made more sense, but set in the East Coast metropolis a century later, it falls a bit short.

As for Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs, it doesn’t have the grand scale or ambition of Once Upon a Time in America, but it more effectively incorporates the unique aspects of Westerns into the film, elevating the Home Invasion genre to an unparalleled height. Set in a small English town in the 1970s, Peckinpah saw similarities between the Western world and this English town (or perhaps he infused the town with Western elements), making the film a convincing Home Invasion Film where the motives and actions of every character (including the protagonist and the villains) are believable. Despite being in England, the town’s desolate landscape, cold winds, and sparse buildings (the protagonist’s home is a car ride away from the town center) bear some resemblance to a Western town. Although the story takes place in contemporary times, the townsfolk resemble characters from a Western, especially in their barbaric nature, reflecting the aforementioned savagery that emerges without institutional constraints – essentially bringing Western outlaws to the town. The town’s sole “lawman” holds weak authority, much like the vulnerable mayors or sheriffs of Western towns, unable to protect the townspeople alone during crises. In the end, whoever has the gun has the power; violence equals authority. The female protagonist, though not a typical Western saloon girl, is a newlywed British woman, but besides her British traits, her sensuality, charm, awareness of using her body, and even her controversial reaction during the rape scene (which I interpret as a struggle to find some enjoyment under the trauma to avoid self-collapse) reflect a "Western woman" vibe. Perhaps the only character who doesn’t fit into the Western cowboy world is the male protagonist. He represents modern knowledge and refinement, coupled with a certain weakness, yet he is "mistakenly" thrust into this town, compelled to undergo a baptism of fire. The more I watch this film, the more I see it as a fusion movie. Many say Westerns are becoming rare because that era is increasingly distant from modern times, and audiences have lost interest. Additionally, Hollywood has extensively explored Western themes from the 1920s (starting with John Ford) through the 1940s and 1950s (with masters like Howard Hawks and Anthony Mann) and into the colorful Italian Westerns, leaving little new ground to cover, making its decline inevitable. However, Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs brilliantly demonstrates how to inherit the spirit of Westerns, showing that with observation and imagination, Westerns can still be made in different eras, whether set in the present or the future.