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Down in the Valley (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 98
Fresh: 51
Rotten:47
Average Rating: 6/10
Consensus: The premise of Old West clashing with modern suburbia is fresh and initially intriguing, but the second act degenerates into a clumsy jumble of events which strain credibility.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for violence, sexual content, language and drug use.
Runtime: 2 hrs 5 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:May 5, 2006 Limited
Box Office: $444,655
Synopsis: Director David Jacobsen's DOWN IN THE VALLEY plays like a romantic, operatic lament for the disappearing cinematic and real-life icon: the American cowboy. Many of the elements that would fuse,... Director David Jacobsen's DOWN IN THE VALLEY plays like a romantic, operatic lament for the disappearing cinematic and real-life icon: the American cowboy. Many of the elements that would fuse, say, a classic John Wayne character are present in Edward Norton's (PRIMAL FEAR, 25TH HOUR) character, Harlan Fairfax Caruthers: he's polite, soft-spoken, yet stubbornly brave and handy with Colt steel and lead. While at home in Death Valley in the mid 1800s, these characteristics are positively anachronistic in modern-day San Fernando Valley. How else to explain the reaction of a gaggle of giggling teenagers to Harlan as he pumps their gas? One of the teens, Tope (Evan Rachel Wood), is immediately attracted to these charms and invites Harlan along to the beach. A whirlwind romance follows, much to the chagrin of Tope's (short for October) father, Wade (David Morse), who senses there is more to Harlan than meets the eye. Indeed, things begin to unravel when Harlan lies about "borrowing" a horse from a local rancher that leads to a threat at gunpoint. To make matters worse, Harlan ingratiates himself more by spending time with Tope's attention-starved younger brother, Lonnie (Rory Culkin). Eventually, as more of the dangerous demons beneath Harlan's charming veneer reveal themselves, action must be taken and justice meted out, Old West-style. At times tense and, alternatively, quiet, DOWN IN THE VALLEY features some creative camera work from cinematographer Enrique Chediak that fits both moods. Also, be on the look-out for a scene-long quotation from TAXI DRIVER. [More]
Starring: Edward Norton, Evan Rachel Wood, Bruce Dern, Ellen Burstyn
Starring: Edward Norton, Evan Rachel Wood, Bruce Dern, Ellen Burstyn, David Morse, Rory Culkin, Muse Watson
Director: David Jacobson
Director: David Jacobson
Screenwriter: David Jacobson
Producer: Edward Norton, David Jacobson
Studio: ThinkFilm
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Reviews for Down in the Valley
Jacobson examines the life and death of the western and its incompatibility with the youth of today ... a fascinating, yet slightly off-balance, mix of tribute and scrutiny.
The values of past and present collide in this beautifully shot, finely acted reexamination of the American Dream.
A tale which, apart from its basic conceptual kinship to classic western films, is wholly original and deeply prescient about the darker shoals of human nature.
When the story disintegrates into the gunfight at the 'I'm-not-okay-corral', it totally loses anything it had going for it.
A cautionary tale about the dangers of casual sex, or even casual friendships with strangers.
Both actors work hard to give this disturbing crime story some flavor and substance, but the narrative is overextended and poorly organized.
The movie does not waste the performances, but the screenplay could have served them better.
...if you don't require moral instruction with your popcorn, it's probably as close as you're going to get to a John Ford Western this year.
The unpredictable, jarring "Down in the Valley" is another worthy addition to Norton's résumé.
... part homage to the Western genre and part eulogy to a disappearing American West, and the intentions of which are as cryptic and enigmatic as the look on Norton's face.
Norton earns sympathy, but even he can't sell some of Harlan's poetry-of-the-people eloquence, as when the cowboy comments: 'Most days I just want to step outside my own heart and go walk under a sky full of stars.'
Norton's brilliant performance walks the tightrope effortlessly, playing for our sympathies while arousing our suspicions.
There's no depth to the story, and as the thrills start to kick in, Down in the Valley becomes a B-movie – less a modern epic Western than a two-reel oater with a cheap cliffhanger.
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