2 Days in the Valley

"2 Days in the Valley" is another one of those movies that were made in the 90s during a not-so-mini-fad of multi-character crime dramas, inspired of course (do I need to say it?) by "Pulp Fiction". The comparisons end here, however, as this film is nowhere near the quality of that one (plus, it's lighter in tone). It's an uneven movie: for every character that works (Spader as an icy, high-precision killer, a stunningly sexy Theron (in her film debut) as his accomplice, Hatcher as a professional athlete (good casting!), Stoltz as an earnest cop), there is one that is just a waste of space and time (Aiello as a pathetic ex-hit-man, Crutwell as an arrogant prick, Headly as his "homely" assistant, Mason as the nurse who likes war movies). But Spader really is irresistible in this film....and you haven't lived until you've seen the Theron-Hatcher catfight, certainly a classic of its kind. (**1/2)

A clever mix of a dozen or so Californians over the course of 48 hours. Violent, erotic, and funny, with a very unusual but capable cast. Nice dialogue and interesting characters cover up the central gimmick in the title, and the film features an ass-kicking debut from the lovely Theron.

Spoilers herein. The beauty of IMDB commenting is that we don't have to go through all the stuff that others do: here, it is the inevitable `Pulp Fiction' comparisons, even though so far no one has touched on the time folding and suspended end. This leaves us free to mention what is probably the real driver of the script, at least from the filmmaker's perspective. There are two kinds of films, roughly speaking. The `ordinary' kind deals with characters and situations, using film as an invisible mechanism. The other type acknowledges the fact that we all (makers and viewers) know it is a film and incorporate all sorts of additional devices. Mazursky has made a living by carving out a territory between these, a territory shared with John Sayles and Steven Soderbergh who each take quite a different approaches. Mazursky's basic approach is the common dramatic stance of defining characters and allowing them to interact within some contrivance. He is a favorite of actors, and is an actor himself. The unique twist he brings is the superficial recognition of the medium. It is superficial because it is never exploited for effect as true reflected films are. Its just there as an acknowledgment that unlike many of his actor peers he knows there are the two types, but makes the choice for `purity.' So we have Mazursky projects which actually feature filmmakers or are based on books in an acknowledge but not exploited manner. Now we have a disciple of Mazursky that does the same. The setup is Altmanesque, not at all like the self-referential Tarantino. In `Two Days' (I only saw 24 hours, I thought) the whole exercise is supposedly interesting characters bumping up against each other. And in the midst is Mazursky himself! Playing an actor/filmmaker, but in a way that interacts with the story with no more importance than if he were a hairdresser. The dogs literally matter more. But there are plenty of jokes about the incomprehensibility of his films: the part about the elephant. Because the focus is on the characters, and because all the characters are drawn from archetypes, we have the expected redhead -- here Glenne Headly. Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 4: Has some interesting elements.

Writer-director John Herzfeld has assembled a first-rate cast for his tangled tale involving thieves, killers, and their victims in modern-day Los Angeles. Aping both Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" and Bryan Singer's "The Usual Suspects", Herzfeld gets in some good, quick lines that raise a laugh or two, but the overall feel of the film seems like cinematic backtracking (it is knowingly recycled). Stand-out performances come from Danny Aiello as a contract killer, Charlize Theron as a femme fatale, and filmmaker Paul Mazursky in a rare acting turn playing a suicidal movie director. Herzfeld's screenplay is florid and sordid, and it's all rather fun on a minor, non-think level, yet his direction is far superior in its smaller moments than in the grand flourishes. Any time there are more than two people on the screen, question marks tend to visibly arise--and then it's every actor for himself. ** from ****

First of all I don't see what you guys think is good about this film. I mean if you're looking for a dark film this plastic hollywood production is not it. A tip, see "reservoir dog", "amorres perres" or "Pulp fiction if you want a really good short cut, dark gangster film. And the catfight, oh please you can see a real catfight in "Crouching tiger, hidden dragon" when the too female warrior's trying to beat each other of with every weapon they see in the dojo!!!! I have to say one more thing. About Charlize Theron's role who play the norwegian, Helga Svelgen. Now i'm from Sweden and I can tell you that Helga Svelgen is not a typical Norwegian name, not a typical name in any part of the nordic countries. I wonder if the author ever been to any of the nordic countries??! And Charlize's last line before she dies I can tell you that me and my friends have never laughed so much. "kan ingen renga min moöar". I Can tell you one thing thats not Norwegian, i't sounds a bit like Danish....

This is great ! For all those people who like their tales dark and told well...oh dash it ! For all those who like their tales told well, dark or not..this is your dish. With a tight script and credible characters this one takes you on a dizzy dark trip. The director achieves this trick by picking a multitude of characters and, wonder of wonders, doing justice to each character great or small. The viewer achieves instant familiarity with all the cast that flit in and out of this set, be it the hard-luck hit man, the mousy secretary, a has-been film director or the females in a dangerous game. With splendid economy the director blends careless, throw away humour and dangerous games to bring off a stunning conclusion. The script is well structured and has a definite place to go unlike the crime movies that seem to falter at the end. The cast is superb, great to witness James Spader do the ice cool one and Danny Aiello is superb as the unwitting player in a sinister game. Do Not Miss !

"2 Days in the Valley" is a great movie for anyone. If you like interesting story lines accompanied by amazing performances by very talented actors/actresses then you should watch 2 Days in the Valley. This movie packs a lot of star power with names such as Charlize Theron, Teri Hatcher, Eric Stoltz, Danny Aiello, Jeff Bridges and James Spader. The story revolves around the events surrounding different characters, all unrelated. The movie has many sub-plots and develops them all independently until they all merge together and we get the big picture. Throughout the movie, we learn important details that are all leading up to a great finale. The director threw in a lot of little interesting quirks, such as the murderous assassin smirking as he watches a cop sight down the barrel of a watergun, or a spiteful old man who we came to hate earlier slinking out of a Japanese pleasure house in the dead of night. The movie is very well written and very interesting, and if there is any problem whatsoever, it would have to be that at times the dialogue becomes a bit laborous and unrealistic. (Sometimes, it appears that the characters are explaining what's going on to the audience, rather than conversing with the other characters.) Nevertheless, this is a trite point, and distracts none at all from the movie's enjoyment. The cast, especially James Spader and Charlize Theron are top notch, but a crucial change made to "lighten" the movie tosses much of the plot out the window, robs one central character of his key motivation, and greatly hinders the film. Stoltz and Spader give the Best performances, both funny and real. Especially Spader, he virtually Carries the film. Charlize Theron, in one of her first films, is very, very attention-grabbing, through her looks and her abilities. Daniels and Hatcher appear too infrequently to be memorable. Aiello and Headly give equally likable performances that become the moral centre of the film. However, what makes this work is some clever dialogue and some satirical plot ideas, but mainly it is a tour de force of acting by a talented and highly professional cast. This is one of those movies in which every actor is a threat to steal the show at any time one way or the other. In a way it's a parade of cameos cleverly stitched together and then nicely edited. Overall rating: 8 out of 10.

Since this film came out only two years later, it is hard to imagine that the phrase "pulp fiction" did not come up at the pitch meeting. But I thought that this movie was pretty good and can stand on its own despite the similarities, mainly the weaving together of disparate characters by events. It does run chronologically, unlike PF. It has an amazing cast, with two Oscars, and another five nominations among them. (Although some of these did come afterwards) Kudos for great performances by Danny Aiello, Eric Stoltz, Glenne Headly, Marsha Mason, Terry Hatcher, Charlize Theron, and in a smaller role, Ada Maris. Nice unobtrusive direction by John Herzfeld, who also has a writing credit. Worth checking out.

2 DAYS IN THE VALLEY (1996) *** James Spader, Danny Aiello, Eric Stoltz, Jeff Daniels, Paul Mazursky, Teri Hatcher, Charlize Theron, Marsha Mason, Glenne Headly, Greg Cruttwell, David Carradine, Peter Horton, Louise Fletcher, Austin Pendleton. "Pulp Fiction" meets "Short Cuts" best describes this fun, exciting and leisurely paced comedy/crime thriller with a dozen characters crossing over into each others' paths during 48 hours of murder, suicidal tendencies and the usual California angst of the San Fernado Valley. Great ensemble cast all obviously having fun and one helluva cat fight between Amazonian Theron and buxom Hatcher! Oh mama!

O.K. movie. I gave it a 5.If available, I probably would have given it a 5.5. Mildly entertaining. It was good to see Marcia Mason. I think if she lost weight she would still be very attractive. Glen Headly is an outstanding actress and is the only performer in the entire film bringing something new to the screen, as she always does. Loved the fight scene between Terri Hatcher and Charlize Theron. Charlize looks great in the tight jump-suit. It must have been cold on the stage the day they shot the fight scene because she was looking a little "nippley." Best phrase: As Terry Hatcher is rubbing her face into the wall she says,"Like that wall."