Editorial Review:Product Description:Harlan is a charismatic cowboy whose chance encounter with an innocent & pure girl tobe grows into a passionate romance. Blinded by the intensity of his first love harlan is unable to cope & begins to push the boundaries & comes crashing down in a torrent of violence proving hes not who he appeared. Studio: Image Entertainment Release Date: 10/23/2007 Starring: Edward Norton Rory Culkin Run time: 114 minutes Rating: R
Amazon.com:Down in the Valley falls short of the greatness it's striving for, but it's a fascinating film that's easily recommended. Serving as both star and co-producer, Edward Norton seized upon writer-director David Jacobsen's neo-western screenplay as an opportunity to play the kind of daring and challenging role that Hollywood rarely offers. Norton's considerable talent is fully engaged as he portrays Harlan Carruthers, a cowboy anachronism in California's San Fernando Valley, where his Stetson hat, old-fashioned manners, and wild-west romanticism provide an escape from his dreary life of dead-end jobs and fleabag motels. We can't tell if he's really a former ranch-hand from South Dakota or a delusional psychopath, and that turns
Down in the Valley into a suburban variation of
Taxi Driver, with the threat of danger increasing as Harlan is befriended by Tobe (Evan Rachel Wood), a bored teenager who seduces Harlan for the sake of romantic adventure. Tension and suspense escalate even further as Harlan tangles with Tobe's suspicious and belligerently protective father (David Morse) and lonely 13-year-old brother (Rory Culkin), but Jacobsen's intriguing film grows problematic when it veers into mythic western territory. Struggling for present-day resonance with themes of rugged individualism and frontier manhood in an era when those qualities are virtually extinct,
Down in the Valley reaches a climax that feels forced and unconvincing, but fine performances (especially by Norton) and Jacobsen's bold, risk-taking direction make this a film worth seeing.
--Jeff Shannon
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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I'm gonna give it 5 for David Morse
Down in the Valley is a classic tale about just how lost we can get in life. Edward Norton plays a confused young man (Harlan) who has found his place in life to be a time that has past. There are some really cool scenes with him and his "6 Shooters". He does some cool trick draws. Evan Rachel Wood (Toby) is quietly hot and Rory Culkin (Lonnie) is...Rory Culkin...always good, although better in Signs (2002, M.N. Shyamalan).
David Morse however plays an awsome character in this film. In my opinion his best since Brutal in The Green Mile. A concerned father, with a rebelious teenage daughter (E.R. Wood) and a timid son (R.Culkin), Morse's character Wade has to fend off Harlan's advances. Like any not so mature person would, Harlan continues on his quest of being an Urban Cowboy and running off with Toby...A surprise twist and action packed ending make this movie, for the cast it had, a 5 for sure.
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What movie was the reviewer watching?
Because it certainly wasen't this stinker. Before, everyone jumps down my throat, let me say that I think Ed Norton is one of the best actors in the world today, his range is nothing short of amazing. And, he and all the actors in this movie were fine, it was just sooooooooooo slowwwwwwww. I got to the part when they were in the bathtub and I couldn't take no more. I guess, to me, it didn't seem to have a point. We know the father is going to forbid the daughter from seeing the drifter, the young son needs attention from his father that he's not getting and you know that it's going to end in tragedy. enjoy
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Great Film!!
This was a great film! This seller was great as well..... Fast Shipping.....Excellent service!!!
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Ed Norton Channels James Dean
This is a pretty good film. It isn't a great film but it is a good film. The entire cast turns in stellar performances and Evan Rachel Wood is just a beautiful as ever though I think she was better in The King of California. There's a good cautionary tale here, the directing and cinematography are top notch. Why only four stars?
Well, Down in the Valley does take a while to find its footing. You just know that the relationship that starts off rather innocently is going to morph into tragedy - and it does. Of course it does but it takes a while to get the momentum going. This was another of those films where I wondered about 15 minutes in whether it was going to really reach out and grab my attention. Not to worry, eventually it does just that but it does take its time getting there. There is also one setting where Harlan and his friend Twig wake up inside one of those old western towns that like "Old Tucson" that are out there today for the purposes of shooting western movies and touristy reenactments of gunfights. That's a bit too much of a coincidence for me. I have to wonder whether that setting is in the book... There is a book isn't there?
I can't say too much about the story or characters without spoiling the viewing experience. I will say there are some scenes with Harlan (Norton) where I immediately made both visual and psychological ties to James Dean in Giant.
In a nutshell, this film is all about whether someone is really who they seem to be. It keeps you wondering about who's the good guy and who's the bad guy here? Even when you finally gets something of a final answer to that question you are still left without complete closure (deliberately) because there are many admirable traits despite the character's overall failure as a human being.
One small caution for animal lovers, there is a seen with a frightened horse trapped in a garage that some may find distressing. The animal doesn't get hurt but it is a little intense.
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Don't say anything...
The final line of Down In The Valley is: "Don't say anything...just think it." You can read all the reviews of this film you want and you still won't have any idea of how it is going to impress you. And it will impress you. Writer/Director David Jacobson calls this final scene 'the essence' of what he was trying to get across and I couldn't agree more. I could 'say' a lot about this piece of cinematic greatness but my words would be wasted because in the end it's what you think that matters most. So do yourself a favor...buy the DVD, watch it, and then think about it.
You'll have to excuse me now. I'm going to watch it again and then I'm going to think about it, and then I'm going to watch it....
