and this one is no exception.I decided to write a review about it now because I honestly want people to go see this film and help it be a success. All the actors in it do an outstanding job, and the story keeps you entertained the whole time. Remember, I saw a early cut too... so it may have even been improved on by now, though even if it hasn't it wouldn't matter, its a great film regardless.

son of the Marshall. The Ethan Hawkes character comes back for vengeance is not the man who wants to paint the town red like High Plains drifter, but a man who wants to kill only those who killed his dog, a true companion that has personality and charm you care for. John Travolta's Marshall is perceptive and brave, the antithesis of the sheriff in Joe Kidd. Yet it's Taissa Farmiga's character Mary-Anne that steals the scenes she is in with a strong female character not a version of a woman playing a man's role that is distinctive from what I have seen in a movie. There was humor and intelligence with a restraint of no guns being fired until the 3rd act. This is not a great movie few are but it took me into an interesting relatable world where many movies fail . It deserves a wide viewing and not the current low rating.

decency. Ethan Hawke, John Travolta, Taissa Farmiga and the rest of the cast were superb. Very few Ethan Hawke movies impressed me much, but I always thought that a good actor sooner or latter stumbles on to a role that shows their true talent. A previous movie that kept me hopping for better from him was Day Walkers. John Travolta, well he has proved many times that he has a better than 50/50 nose for a good movie or he was hunted down when a solid actor was required. Who would have guessed when as young man I was occasionally forced by some chick to watch Welcome Back Kooter, I think it was called. Well I thought the whole show was so silly as to make me cringe with second hand embarrassment. Oh please don't think I criticize John Travolta for his role in it, I applaud any-one who gets paid for doing a TV series and gets paid for it. I'm pretty sure that the J Travolta of today wouldn't take back to such stupid, vapid shows except if he really thought the role would be a blast of fun and humor or even perhaps a gracious repayment to a show that indeed many fans of his liked.

Quentin Tarantino does. Still, I couldn't estimate how he would do in the western genre as most of the projects he was associated with up to this point were horror-related. What can I say, West knows his westerns! That is very obvious when you watch 'In a Valley of Violence' and know a couple of movies from the genre. It's as if West combined all of the best elements from 1960s westerns like 'For a Handful of Dollars,' 'Once Upon a Time in the West' or 'The Wild Bunch' and paired them with the sort of graphic violence that is usually found in horror movies, and it works very well. I'd say it's rare that a genre director's first attempt at a different genre turns out so well as it did here.The movie's plot about a mysterious stranger who passes through a town ruled by a gang of misfits who kill his best friend and leave the stranger for dead is one of the classic western themes. The twist here is that the best friend is a super cool dog who can do spectacular tricks "He bites." . Of course the stranger, who is portrayed splendidly by Ethan Hawke, isn't dead and comes back to take revenge on the hoodlums who did him wrong. The performances from the whole cast are excellent! Ethan Hawke is great in the lead role and James Ransone 'Sinister' is equally convincing in the role of Gilly, the main antagonist. John Travolta portrays the town's marshal, who also happens to be Gilly's father, and it's one of Travolta's finest performances in recent memory. The charming Taissa Farmiga 'The Final Girls' and Karen Gillan 'Oculus' are also very good in their roles as managers of the local hotel. Taissa's character is fascinated by the stranger and helps him achieve his revenge. The direction and cinematography are excellent, as is the film score by Jeff Grace, who has composed and performed the scores for the majority of Ti West's movies, is reminiscent of Ennio Morricone and completes the gritty western experience of 'In a Valley of Violence.' The score combines elements of some of the most familiar themes found in spaghetti westerns and it sounds like it could be straight out of a classic Clint Eastwood movie.I think 'In a Valley of Violence' is Ti West's most accomplished movie yet. I loved 'In the House of the Devil' and especially 'The Innkeepers,' but the latter only grew on me with multiple viewings. 'In a Valley of Violence' convinced me from the beginning an I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. I highly recommend this movie to fans of violent westerns!

Starring Ethan Hawke and John Travolta, the film is an addicting odyssey to embark on from the first frame to the last.The film starts with a seemingly innocent drifter Ethan Hawke and his dog as they trek across Texas wasteland in hopes to arrive in Mexico. Along the way, the drifter meets every Western cliché from the drunken priest to the corrupt lawman and his overbearingly villainous young son but what sets this film apart from other Westerns of this type is its sheer persistence to break from the normative beats of this story. Ti West does an amazing job at incorporating clichés just to totally strip them down to nothing you'd expect it to be. The cast here is brilliant, especially a surprise performance from Taissa Farmiga that damn near steals the show.Overall, this is a high intensity Western that is worth every penny and every minute of your time. From the excellent set pieces, the brilliant direction to the awesome performances, In a Valley of Violence is an amazing film that just may solidify itself as one of the best films of 2016.

this role, but she did her best and thankfully fails to take anything of significance away from the movie. The writing is good as well. The movie builds the characters and conflict for a while before anything of real significance happens, and it makes it all the more effective. It excels at building tension, making the last 40 minutes of this movie just that much better. Speaking of the last 40 minutes, they're awesome. After an hour of solid build up, we are treated with some great western action. It's tense and exciting, yet not over-the-top. It's just right. Overall I really enjoyed In a Valley of Violence. The acting, writing, and action are all great, and in the end I would definitely recommend it.

science fiction. So overall I think you could do a lot worse than watching this on a Saturday night, I enjoyed it,and i'm fussy !

you'd want to look elsewhere.But there is something to this film. Most of the characters, despite not having much depth, are fun to follow. They have that certain spark to them, most of them are over the top and very on-the-nose. It doesn't reach Tarantino-levels in the way these characters are portrayed, but the fact that this comparison even came to my mind is telling. You don't get that invested in the characters, but you start to enjoy them nonetheless - which is good, because the movie is carried by this weird little group of people. The scale is small, and there are only a few people on the screen, so it's that much more important. Ti West's other movie "The Innkeepers" had the same element to it, and he just might be a pretty good director concerning characters, making them even remotely interesting when the premise or material doesn't help.Actors are fine. My favorite was Taissa Farmiga, who was a sweet blabbermouth. Even John Travolta did fine, and Tommy Nohilly was good too. James Ransone was absolutely hamming it up at times, which was a nice contrast to Ethan Hawke who played it straight. Ethan Hawke doesn't have much of a range here, and he's not supposed to either, but he always delivers just by his mere presence. He's one of those actors I just enjoy watching, no matter the movie, and this one is no exception. Karen Gillan was certainly having fun with her role, as most people did. Perhaps that's it, the charm this movie had: people were having fun and some of it translated to the screen. Otherwise the movie would have been very dry. Oh yeah, and the dog helped too.There's something to be said about cinematography in Ti West's films although I've only seen three . There is something intimate and warm to it. Nothing feels pretentious or grand, but at the same time not too familiar either. They're easy on the eye in a lovely way. I hope Ti West makes more films, I'm starting to get interested."In a Valley of Violence" isn't deep. It's probably a love letter to simple westerns, and isn't trying to do anything what it can't achieve. For this movie that particular approach works well. It's a simple story about simple characters with some weird charm to it. It's not very engaging, but I found it very enjoyable nonetheless. There is nothing cynical about this movie, even though we've seen this story a thousand times, and it warmed my heart. If you like simple, confined movies and you're willing to adjust your expectations, this might be worth the shot for you too.