In a Valley of Violence

In a Valley of Violence_360P

With In A Valley of Violence, Ti West takes the plot of John Wick and turns it into a western. Although this isn't as ultra-violent as the Keanu Reeves vehicle, the story is identical. Local boss' son kills the bad man's dog and the bad man gets revenge by killing everyone in his path. In this case, the reason there isn't such a huge body count is laughably because the town of Denton literally has only 9 residents living in it: the Marshal, his four deputies including his son, the two women, the bartender, and the general store manager. Oh yeah, and there's a preacher roaming around somewhere out there. Yeah, I know, quite silly. But silliness in this homage to spaghetti westerns is part of what makes it so enjoyable. It gets pretty intense at times too; it's by no means a comedy. What can I say? This is no Unforgiven but I enjoyed it all the same. If you like westerns and also like films that pay respect to film history, check this one out. You won't be disappointed.

This film tells the story of a lone man who travels around with his dog in the cowboy country. The lone man stumbles upon a town where the son of the marshal picks a fight with him, leading to a series of bloody revenges. "In a Valley of Violence" has a very simple and linear plot. The lone man is aggravated, there is revenge then more counter-revenge. The simplicity of the plot means that the pace is quite slow. I find the first half rather uneventful and lacks excitement. The second half picks up and is much better. I like Ethan Hawke's calm character, standing up to the son of the marshal, who is the local bully. The local bully evokes disgust as he is very unlikable. I am not usually a fan of Western films, but "In a Valley of Violence" is alright to watch.

I like Ethan Hawke and I like John Travolta or used to and I love Westerns so I thought I'd give this a shot. Another reviewer said the cast was good but the script could have been written by a Grade School class and that isn't out of the question. They take all the most stereotypical aspects of Westerns to the point where its almost spoofing. It uses elements from every Sergio Leone Wester, High Plains Drifter, First Blood, John Wick and it drives home that point. At times you feel like it's almost laughable BUT the cast is very good. They seem to be taking it very seriously and it makes the film watchable. It might be one of the only movies I've seen that is equally ridiculous as it does serious and entertaining. It has some genuinely outrageous moments and yet you still somehow buy into it. It's almost stunning to watch it unfold. Ethan Hawke is far more captivating and good than the film deserves. He channels a Clint Eastwood stranger very well and a little bit of a back story helps make him more mysterious. I had hoped his anger of vengeance would be a little bit more thorough and brutal but he still serves a purpose and his character is well developed for a story lacking truth depth. John Travolta has a very small role and it's an interesting role because he isn't really the villain but rather a victim of circumstance in this case. His death is hilarious in some sense but the performance is quite good. James Ransone is more the villain as Travolta's son and a bit of a nitwit bully. He's not exactly a worthy enemy to Hawke but he works as a vile character. Taissa Farmiga is a young girl trying to come to grips with losing a husband and becomes enamoured with Hawke's stranger. She is also a victim of circumstance ultimately but her character and the connection to Hawke is interesting enough. Toby Huss, Tommy Nohilly and Michael Davis all have decent small roles in the support cast. It makes a lot of sense that Ti West writes and directs this film. He has a background in really low budget horror and there is so much about this film that would be ridiculed and passed over by a lot of people but I liked it for the brainless entertainment it was. It paid an homage to an age old Spaghetti genre and the performances were much better than the film itself. It has little depth but somehow has a backstory worth watching. It is genuinely one of the best bad movies I've seen in a long time if not ever. As a Western fan you can't help but enjoy it. I truly see it as a respectful tribute to the genre. Check it out but keep your expectations proper. It's not Unforgiven, it's a Saturday matinée popcorn flick for adults. 8/10

In a Valley of Violence stars Ethan Hawke as a wandering deserter, Paul, who happens upon the town of Denton. Run by a tough but fair Marshall, and his psychotic son and cronies, the town has seen better days. Paul is just looking to pick up some supplies for his journey to Mexico, but runs afoul of the Marshall's son. He tries his best not to become involved, but soon finds himself gunning for revenge in a town that needs saving. This was a well made Western heavily stylized after many classic Spaghetti Westerns. It had many campy elements, and presented a lower budget sheen that really nails the Spaghetti Western feel. The acting was competently done, with some moments feeling cheesy and slightly comical, and others offering some heart. The direction was solid, with scenes, close ups, vistas and so on handled with care. The story itself was predictable, but far from bland. The relationship between Paul and his dog, Abbey, was especially well done. All in all, this was a fun and campy Western very much paying homage to the Spaghetti Westerns of the '60's and '70's. It is worthy of a watch for those interested in Western films, and certainly for fans of the more campy Spaghetti films.

Life in the Old West was anything but easy, and many classic Hollywood flicks of the western genre paint an explicit picture of this. Fresh out of the indie horror genre with the films 'The Innkeepers' and 'V/H/S' under his belt, director Ti West explores the western genre in this violent revenge thriller set in the depths of Wild West Texas. Tapping in on homages to the old western genre from the Golden Age of Hollywood, this historical fiction piece places two-time Academy Award nominee Ethan Hawke in the dark corners of a vicious revenge plot against a league of evil doers who wrong him -- and it gets pretty bloody. But by the end, Ti West proves himself more than capable to delivering pure grittiness and wit to the slowly fading genre. Set somewhere in the 1800s, the film stars Ethan Hawke as Paul, a lone drifter sprawling across the Texan wilderness with his dog Abbie hoping to make across the border to Mexico. As he makes his way through the old town of Denton, he meets 16-year old innkeeper Mary-Anne (played by Taissa Farmiga) who makes for a good acquaintance. He also comes face-to-face with ruthless deputy Gilly Martin (played by James Ransome) who happens to be the son of the town's sheriff Clyde Martin (played by John Travolta) and boyfriend of Mary-Anne's sister Ellen (played by Karen Gillan) -- and he's not a very nice guy. On that fateful night, Gilly and his monstrous three brothers attack Paul, kill his dog, and leave him for dead. Upon miraculously surviving their attack, Paul sets out on a quest for vengeance. As the title suggests, things get pretty mess and director Ti West does little to sugarcoat the brutality of the man vs. man conflict. Though the plot is nothing particularly original nor does it rise to the level of a sprawling epic, it is greatly empowered by a sucker punch of a script that proves how well Ti West appropriately comprehends the genre. From the opening credits playing in the style of an old 1960s western B movie, to the vintage-style cinematography; the influence of Sergio Leone's classic western film series definitely bleeds through. But the main diamond in the film is the plot which follows lead character played by Ethan Hawke on a brutal quest for revenge against a quartet of morally depraved individuals. And at a fairly solid pace, the film takes its time to develop both the lead character and the antagonist while building up to it's bloody and emotionally jarring showdown that packs just enough thrills and bloodshed to leave the sensitize hearted viewers squirming. Yes, the entire sequence is quite gritty, but Ti West manages to operate the sequence in a fashion that's more realistic than gratuitous Beyond from the nifty cinematography, the biggest star here is Ethan Hawke who exercises his role with pure grit and humanity that makes him truly believable. Predictably so, he is no John Wayne or Clint Eastwood here, but his performance safely stands out. James Ransome delivers a brooding portrayal as the shady deputy who's heart on the wrong side of the moral compass, and the writing plays him out as a villain who is though is devoured with demons, carries a sense of humanity. Young actress Taissa Farmiga, John Travolta, and Karen Gillan all take advantage for their time to shine, but perhaps nothing special beyond performances that provoke a good thumbs up. In a Valley of Violence is brutal, but riveting western piece that proves itself more than worthy as an astounding entry in the western genre. While this film may not rise up the hierarchy of classic or modern day westerns, it is certainly gripping from start to finish. In a short summary, it is a fascinating one.

Ethan Hawke and his dog ride into a dusty Western town with a population of no more than ten, stop at the local bar for a quiet drink, and Ethan is insulted by a a wan and villainous young man in black, is challenged to a fist fight, knocks the bad guy out with one blow, is warned by the marshal, John Travolta, to leave town and never return, does so, but that night is attacked by the loudmouthed braggart in black and three of his friends, who kill his beloved dog and throw Ethan Hawke over a cliff. Hawke returns and kills them all. That's about all the attention this chimera deserves. But, being a generous kinda guy myself, I'll note that there are two professional performances in the movie. There is John Travolta, who does quite well as the crippled and common sensical sheriff, and the dog. This is the kind of dog that would melt the heart of anyone except the braggart in black and his accomplices. The dog responds to Hawke's comments as if with a fully blown Wernicke's area. He covers his face with a paw when shamed. He goes out and fetches kindling for the camp fire. He investigates strange noises at night without barking, for fear of waking his master. Taissa Farmiga, Vera's sister, is a lonely widow of sixteen. She's appealing in the way that some nineteenth-century dolls are cute but it's impossible to judge her acting chops because the role of desperate chatterbox has her so completely hemmed in. James Ransone as the baddie in black, and Karen Gillan as a housemistress at the hotel, are unspeakably bad. Gillan gives a performance of the sort you might find in a high school play in East Windsor Township, New Jersey, but Ransone is even worse. My God, he's outrageous -- sneering, shrieking, blustering, and otherwise engaging in what's usually called "overacting." He's not helped at all by the script, which introduces some romantic comedy exchanges about pregnancy into what is otherwise a thoroughly dramatic situation.

I liked this film, I thought the timing worked well, the build up of tension worked well in most scenes . The acting is decent, not sure why someone on here would say otherwise, my favourite character was the girl, Mary Anne,I liked her humour and compassion for Ethan Hawke. I also thought the overall humour worked well. I admit I'm an Ethan Hawke fan,but I don't like everything he's made.I'm not usually a western fan either,but somehow this pulled it off for me. I found myself wanting to watch it to the end. I was surprised to see Karen Gillan in this role, she usually does science fiction. So overall I think you could do a lot worse than watching this on a Saturday night, I enjoyed it,and i'm fussy !

Greetings from Lithuania. "In a Valley of Violence" (2016) made with by ~ 8 actors and on a budget ~20 times smaller then "The Magnificent Seven" (2016) which i saw recently, is like ~4 times more involving and better then "The Magnificent". And basically they both have very similar premises, but boy oh boy what do more compelling writing and directing can make for a final result - film itself. Its not that "In a Valley of Violence" is a perfect film, its not, but loved its ~45 min. highly and after i understood where everything is moving to and i didn't get any surprises from that point, i still was involved into this simple and many times already seen story. This is what good movie making is all about. Overall, "In a Valley of Violence" isn't original, nor it is highly superbly made, but it gives to you exactly what it promises - a good old fashion western with some blood and etc. Its far from great, but it is a pretty good one.

"A town run by sinners." Priest (Burn Gorman) Yep, Denton, Texas, is all that and more. It resides In A Valley of Violence, the titular warning to all of us that beside the dust, nothing is going to be pretty. But don't be so gloomy, for this oater is a genre hooter, a tongue-in-cheek satire of the Western generously seasoned with absurdity and dark comedy. From the serious take of Clint Eastwood (think The Good, the Bad and the Ugly; Unforgiven; or whatever) to Quentin Tarantino (think Pulp Fiction and The Hateful Eight), this Valley is temporarily governed by an ambivalent Marshal (John Travolta) and a stoic drifter, Paul (Ethan Hawke). They are bound to clash as the Marshal tries to protect his lame-brained but hostile son, Gilly (James Ransone), from Paul's vengeance. Not so much because Gilly and the resident thugs employed by the Marshal are robbers or even lazy but because they have murdered Paul's ever-so- cute dog Abby (Jumpy). Because that mutt is more adorable than The Artist's Uggie, we shift our sympathy immediately to him and forsake the humans. Talking about shifting realities, the town is set in Texas but filmed in New Mexico, whose landscape thankfully looks nothing like Texas's. Writer/director Ti West, best known for horror films but just as much at home with this genre, has an especially good eye for the contradictions in the Marshal, who is a saint next to Gene Hackman's menacing Sheriff in The Quick and the Dead. But then, our hero Paul has his own contradictions, best to be enjoyed while watching the film, for character development is not West's primary goal. No, he is interested in spoofing the Western while he crafts a blood and guts mini thriller. Along the way we can enjoy Jeff Grace's Morricone-like spaghetti Western music and titles and credits worth of the playful Tarantino and James Bond franchise. He does this all to produce an enjoyable black comedy whose absurdity is in check while its comedy wins the day.