Review: In A Valley Of Violence Isn't Perfect But Its Still Pretty Good.
- Mar 22, 2017
- 2 min read
I've liked westerns since the day I first watched The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, a film that quickly became one of my favourites. From that day forth I've seen more than my fair share of gunslingers and outlaws, everything from The Searchers to Unforgiven. In recent years the western has been making a revival, with varying success. For every True Grit, Hateful 8 and 3:10 to Yuma there's a handful of Lone Rangers, Cowboys and Aliens and numerous low budget train wrecks. Fortunately In a Valley of Violence is more For a Few Dollars More than it is The Quick and The Undead.
A lone man (Ethan Hawke) makes his way South, headed for Mexico, accompanied by his only friend, a dog. On his way is a small town, nigh on empty. As it is in these small towns, the man is soon enough confronted by Gilly (James Ransone), the towns resident ass. A fight ensues and Gilly winds up on the floor with a broken nose. Sent on his way by the marshal (John Travolta), the man believes he is safe. But when Gilly and his gang attack him and kill his dog the only answer is revenge.
From the opening credits obviously inspired by Sergio Leone's Dollars trilogy and music reminiscent of Ennio Morricone, In a Valley of Violence wears its inspiration on its sleeve. Ethan Hawke does his best Eastwood impression and even John Travolta manages to entertain. The gun fights are good and Hawke has more than enough badass moments. But with all that said, it isn't prefect, good, but not great.
Almost every character that isn't played by Hawke or Travolta is either entirely forgettable or incredibly aggravating, especially in the case of Karen Gillan's Ellen. She's as frustratingly annoying as her acting is awful, which is a lot. The villain, Gilly, is little more than a passing character and everyone else in the town has little to no character. The priest (Burn Gorman) however, may be the greatest character who does nothing in the history of film.
Ultimately, In a Valley of Violence is a decent enough western, at least in the action department, but it falls short with it's characters. If you're looking for something to scratch that western itch, it'll do, but it's nothing more than a temporary fix.
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