Who said a Western can’t be scary too?Ti Westpaints the town and screen red with violence and fury in his excellent, underrated Western,In a Valley of Violence. StarringEthan HawkeandJohn Travolta, the 2016 film got swept under the rug, despite great reviews singling out their performances and West’s direction.A gripping tale of revenge, it’s got West’s signature gore and kooky characters, while eliciting the westerns of the 60s and 70s.
West has made a name for himself as one of the modern horror masters in film. He made a splash with his 70s-set slasher,X, starringMia Goth, which mixed scares and dark comedy to a twisted perfection. After its success, he followed it up with the prequel film,Pearl, also starring Goth. Now with the final installment,MaXXXine, hitting theaters, he and Goth are gearing up to say goodbye to a wild saga of Hollywood and serial killers. For those who are interested in West’s eclectic filmography,In a Valley of Violenceshould be next afterMaXXXine.With its sweeping landscapes, gruff characters, and poetic dialogue, it’s a captivating showcase of nostalgia for old movies and also reinvigorates the Western genre.
In a Valley of Violence
In A Valley of Violence follows drifter Paul as he arrives in a small town seeking revenge for his friend’s murder. With assistance from sisters Mary Anne and Ellen, who manage the local hotel, Paul confronts the thugs responsible, navigating a tense atmosphere in his quest for justice.
What is ‘In a Valley of Violence’ About?
Ethan Hawke stars as Paul, a quiet outsider traveling with his dog, Abbie, to Mexico. His only friend in the world, Abbie, is an incredible dog with speed and agility, and can bite on demand. Having left his wife and daughter behind, he wanders into the dangerous town of Denton for what is supposed to be a short stay and a bath, but winds up turning into a bloodbath. When a vile man in town picks a fight with him, Gilly (James Ransone), Paul beats him easily, which rattles his fragile ego. The film also starsTaissa Farmigaas a young woman in town, Mary Anne, who is the only one who shows Paul any kindness, andKaren Gillanplays her spoiled older sister, Ellen, who is married to Gilly. John Travolta stars as the town marshal and Gilly’s father, who tells Paul to leave town and warns his son not to go after him. Gilly doesn’t listen, and he and his goons hunt Paul down in the mountains and kill his dog. An ex-military man of the most ruthless division, Paul then returns to town to seek vengeance, and to kill one last time.
Ethan Hawke Transforms Into a Quiet, Reserved Killer
Hawke still manages to ooze charm out of every pore inIn a Valley of Violence, even while barely saying a word, bathed in his and other people’s blood.With his expert horse riding and quick handle of his gun, you’d think he’d been acting in Westerns all his career.He makes for a daunting, commanding action hero, reminiscent of any broodingJohn Waynerole, but with even more bite and plenty more depth. West supplies him with sharp, quick dialogue with the classic, straightforward dramatics of the genre. The scene in which Gilly and his co-conspirators kill Paul’s dog is horrific, as the camera stays with Hawke’s distraught face.
In the aftermath, he swears vengeance after digging a grave for Abbie, with the excellent line, “Those men left me with nothing. I’m going to leave them with less.” Paul ventures back into the town where the men who cruelly killed his dog live, and they come to realize they’ve awoken a beast.It’s like a Western version ofJohn Wick, similar in that Paul has begun to live an isolated, lonely life without his wife, and finds companionship in his dog instead. It’s a distressing, brutal, inciting incident with West’s trademark treatment of blunt violence, and is hard to stomach as Paul is forced to watch the death of his dog. The dog awakens a part of him that died, and the bloody brawls have guns and horses instead of the stylized fighting ofJohn Wick. His only friend as he wanders back into town is Mary Anne, played by a sweet, talkative Farmiga, who livens up the screen. Hawke and Farmiga have a fiery, quiet chemistry, and we can’t blame her for falling for a swoon-worthy Hawke. Their romance is played out subtly, a softer side to this sparse, intense movie mostly plagued by bad guys.
John Travolta Gives a Darkly Funny Performance in a Rare Western Role
John Travolta gives one of his most underrated performances as the comic relief amidst a lot of violence.He’s despicable but also funny as a corrupt town marshal with a wooden leg, going about swearing and killing. Despite fitting the genre like a glove, he seldom makes Westerns.In a Valley of Violenceis only the third Western he’s ever made, but he’s still got the swagger as the town marshal, who is more than aware of his son’s violent, idiotic tendencies, often cleaning up his messes.
Travolta finds the perfect notes between volatility and funny while fumbling every chance he gets at taking down Paul, and even has some great one-liners.He becomes the bargaining player between Paul and the vicious men in town, which supplies him with darkly comedic moments of trying to wager peace with Hawke as they stand on opposite sides of buildings, guns blazing. The two men have great chemistry and bring out a child-like quality in one another, and prove that they can slip into any role they’re given.
Ti West Honors Classic Westerns, While Infusing it With Violence and Comedy
West has a cutting-edge, intense directing style in this slow-burn thriller that has grueling, bloody scenes of carnage sprinkled sporadically throughout. There are beautiful shots of men walking in and out of towns and out into the wild, reminiscent of the iconic shots of John Wayne inThe Searchers, and the film was shot with 35mm film, giving it a nostalgic, lived-in feel ofthe 1960s Westerns.West infuses the film with all the best ingredients of the genre, like the lonely outsider with a dark past, a bloody path of revenge, and tinges of romanceas Farmiga’s character, Mary Anne, begins to fall for Paul.
The film had an abysmal run at the box office, grossing just over $60,000 despite its star power. Reviews singled out West’s screenplay, which was able to sprinkle in his twisted humor, while exploring the randomness of violence. From the very start, West calls back to how cinematic Westerns used to be, with an old-fashioned title sequence of an animated Hawke and his dog riding along during the title cards.It’s an underrated gem, with a great third act which predictably plays out with a lot of death and showdowns reminiscent of anyClint Eastwoodclassic.West has become a modern horror maestro, butIn a Valley of Violenceshowcases how he really knows his way around a Western, while putting his own, unique stamp on it.
In a Valley of Violenceis available to rent on Amazon in the U.S.
Rent on Amazon
