IN A VALLEY OF VIOLENCE
Focus World
Reviewed by: Harvey Karten, Shockya
Grade: B
Director: Ti West
Written by: Ti West
Cast: Taissa Famiga, Karen Gillan, John Travolta, Ethan Hawke
Screened at: Review, NYC, 8/31/16
Opens: October 21, 2016
Ethan Hawke’s character, Paul, has a few things more or less in common with Donald J. Trump’s persona, The Donald. Paul has drawn final plans as of this late-August critics’ screening date to go to Mexico, part of his promise to make America amazing. Paul is going there as a last resort, having burned his bridges in the American West. The Donald believes that America is in decline, the worst in history. Paul thinks that America is in decline, the worst he has experienced as well. If you look at the lack of infrastructure in Denton, TX, in Ti West’s “In a Valley of Violence,” you might recall that America in 2016 could use some infrastructure as well. “In a Valley of Violence” takes place in 19th century America, while some The Donald’s fans would now like our U.S. to go back to the 19th century. So it’s not at all difficult to relate to Ti West’s storyline, any more than you would have trouble relating to the writer-director’s “The Innkeepers” where two employees of a haunted hotel on its last legs begin to experience strange occurrences.
Though “In a Valley of Violence” has some elements of the slasher subgenre, it recalls the tropes of John Ford. There’s a climactic scene reminiscent of Fred Zinnemann’s 1952 classic “High Noon,” though the marshal this time, played by John Travolta, is more likely to play the craven coward, the peacekeeper, rather than the gunslinger betting his life on his skills with the quick draw.
A typical revenge drama (though did you catch the wink in anyone’s eye?) finds Paul (Ethan Hawke), a drifter and a cavalry deserter, heading with his horse and dog through Texas into Mexico. After a prolonged and unnecessary encounter with a drunken preacher (Burn Gorman) who correctly informs the stranger that the town of Denton, Texas is full of sinners, the two take their leave. In a bar, where Paul asks for a bowl of water “for my dog,” Deputy Marshall Gill Martin (James Ransone) goes ballistic when the stranger does not answer his questions, challenging Paul to a fist-fight. When Gill’s father, Marshal Clyde Martin (John Travolta), warns Paul to get out of town—duly obeyed—Paul is confronted by the town goons, who commit a heinous act that has us in audience praying that Paul will fulfill our desire for vengeance.
Campy elements vie with melodrama, particularly during the startling close-ups of the two women and of Deputy Gilly Martin (James Ransone). The women are shrill. Ellen (Karen Gillan), a hotel worker dressed as though preparing for a night on the town, loves nothing more than a good fight. Her kid sister, Mary-Anne (Taissa Farmiga), is more conventional, preparing food in the hotel—which looks more like the Hanoi Hilton than the Hyatt Regency. Though only sixteen, she has given up on finding a man, until she runs into Paul (Ethan Hawke), who is “passing through.” Paul is lonely, his only friend being Abby (Jumpy), played by a border collie mix known for some spectacular videos on the ‘net, knocking out the best dog-to-human performance since the late Uggie’s in Miehl Havanavicius’ 2011 silent pic “The Artist.”
“In a Valley of Violence,” filmed in Galistero and Santa Fe, New Mexico, is at once a lark (meaning a spirited adventure), a slasher film in the style of Quentin Tarantino, and a homage to all the black-and-white TV westerns graced with the talents of Tom Mix, Roy Rogers, Gene Autrey, John Wayne and others. Ethan Hawke is a good fit as the strong, silent type who had left his wife along with his military unit to set out for Mexico with his well-trained dog, but James Ransone is most compelling as the guy-looking-for-a-fight—to his dad’s regret—and whose facial contortions marry elements of danger and campy humor equally.
Rated R. 104 minutes. © Harvey Karten, Member, New York Film Critics Online
Story – B-
Acting – B+
Technical – B+
Overall – B
