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 .. Read more
| Starring | Bruce Dern, Evan Rachel Wood, Edward Norton, Rory Culkin |
|---|---|
| Director | David Jacobson |
| Genres | Drama, Romance, Thriller |
loading...
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.
| Starring | Bruce Dern, Evan Rachel Wood, Edward Norton, Rory Culkin, David Morse |
|---|---|
| Director | David Jacobson |
| Studio | ICON HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 52 mins |
| Certificate |  |
| Genres | Drama, Romance, Thriller |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Released | Production year: 2004 To Rent: DVD: 05 Mar 2007 |
- 32
- 2
You can take the boy out of the Valley, but not the valley out of the boy!
Ok i'll be honest rented it cos it had Norton in it and the trailer said it had some sort of awards or the likes.
I knew it would be good but it ... read more »
[Highly rated reviewer]
- 0
- 0
Slow and a bit weird
Was a bit boring, never really going anywhere, would find it difficult to put this film in a specific genre category. Thought maybe it was going to be a sweet ... read more »
- 0
- 0
Disappointed with it really
We were looking forward to watching this movie and we were left feeling cheated.... it was slow, the storyline was a bit staggered and it didn't always make... read more »
- 0
- 1
Just OK
Felt very much like a tv film not due to the way it was filmed but due to the plot. Feel that a little more attention to the music and atmosphere would have ... read more »
[Highly rated reviewer]
We took a break from our Girl Power list last year to focus on the guys - so who knows? Maybe this will become a bi-annual feature. It says something about the movie biz that when it came to up-and-coming male actors we felt we had to raise the age range to 30 to get in the likes of Ryan Gosling, Ben Foster and James McAvoy. Initially we wondered if we might have to do the same this year for the girls. Some high profile names have fallen out of the 25 or younger bracket, among them Natalie... Read more
13 Feb 2012
18 Jan 2008
03 Feb 2012
02 Apr 2007
31 Oct 2007
Want to watch something right now?
Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | EULA | Affiliates | Jobs | Inside LOVEFiLM Blog | About Us | Contact Us
International sites UK DK DE SE NO
LOVEFiLM, the LOVEFiLM logo and all other LOVEFiLM product or service names are trade marks of LOVEFiLM International Ltd. or its affiliates.
© 2012 LOVEFiLM UK Ltd. or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved.
100% from 1 member
