Down in the Valley

I thought I had seen all of Edward Norton's movies, but I couldnt remember having seen this one.

The bad: it didnt leave a lasting impression. It's not a bad movie, simply a lackluster one. Nothing much happens for the first hour and only at the end there is a bizarre violent final, which is out of place.

The good: Edward Norton is a great actor. He does his best to get into his character, but somehow I didnt buy into it...

Good post-modern cowboy stuff - ignore idea of romance, if your bloke thinks Harlan has saving graces you will need a serious chat. Evan R Wood is brilliant as an authentic teen working out stuff about life and boundaries, and uses her intelligence, where Harlan has lost his options in that area and functions off a thin script about life lived from minute to minute - and not in a good way. Wade is a fabulous hero, destined not to be noticed or given his credit, but I salute his morality and war-weary, inescapable world wisdom. The recurring filmic images of Californian environs and lifestyles seem to agree these days that no film set is required - think bleak, parched, sieged souls and a simple faith in those minute-by-minute lives.

Edward Norton's troubled character is really strong, reminding somehow Taxi Driver's De Niro - though not so immense. The story is well-told and generates suspense and melancholy, plus David Morse is in my opinion a very talented actor and Rachel Wood's performance is nothing bad. That's why I reckon this revisionist Western is cryptic and enigmatic at the same time, powerful would say. On the other hand the lead actor is one of the best nowadays and this time, playing the role of a potential psychopath turning into a real psychopath, manages to be extremely believable. The Los Angeles setting as well is very appropriate.

"Down in the Valley" is a reasonably satisfactory effort for an independent film & was worth the rental. It further cements my opinion that Edward Norton is capable of nearly anything as an actor, & I've grown to appreciate Evan Rachel Wood's abilities more as she's gotten older. David Morse is, as always, a force, & Rory Culkin plays his usual melancholy, "Wise beyond his years" persona well enough. Though they each have their dryer moments in the film, the performances from all were formidable, including a couple minuscule appearances from Geoffery Lewis & Bruce Dern.

The overall look of the film is not entirely unlikable, & the premise is admirable, though not completely focused, in either regard. There is an obvious attempt to lure the audience into a fantasized reality that is common in children & mental deviants, both of which this film supports, in abundance. I enjoyed the ideas behind the character interaction, though not necessarily their development. If the writer/director's intention was to try to combine the innocence of "Forrest Gump" & the penchant for gun play & pedophilia of "Taxi Driver", then I'd say he was fairly successful. However, if his intention was for the viewer to identify with any one of the film's characters, then I'm afraid he may need to work on that, or get out & meet different people

I give it a 6 out of 10 ranking, most of which is for the acting

It takes a certain mindset to appreciate DOWN IN THE VALLEY, a quiet little movie about little people who want something more than what their environs offer. The film is long (just over two hours), could use some editing, allows a rather pedestrian musical score to cover the dialogue far too frequently, and for much of the film the camera exposure makes everything so sun drenched (even for the San Fernando Valley where the story takes place!) that it feels bleached. But those aspects feel secondary in the presence of some very fine performances by an excellent cast directed with vision by writer/director David Jacobson.

Life is exceedingly boring in the bland town where Tobe (Evan Rachel Wood) and her little brother Lonny (Rory Culkin) live with their sheriff father Wayne (David Morse) - we never know why there is no mother around though Wayne brings in sleepover subs at random. Tobe has girlfriends with whom she cruises guys and on one afternoon's trip to the beach she meets gas station attendant Harlan (Edward Norton), a drifter who claims to be a rancher form South Dakota and has all the genteel manners of a gentleman raised to respect women. Harlan lives in a trashy motel, plays and dresses as a cowboy, and has an innocence about him that makes us want to believe he is not the borderline personality he is. Tobe picks Harlan up, they begin seeing each other despite Wayne's better judgment, and Tobe and Harlan include Lonny in their pursuit of a world that borders on make believe Western drama. Wayne objects more strongly, discovers Harlan is tempting Tobe away from her home, and confronts Harlan until Harlan finally decides the only way to move forward is to rescue Tobe and Lonny from their bad homelife. Harlan's dark side emerges and his cowboy play becomes real, gunshots are fired and the ending of the film is a mélange of old Western movie make-believe and contemporary tragedy of a young man out of joint with his world.

Edward Norton gives a stunning portrayal of an out of touch drifter: we never know his background except for suggestions that his childhood was spent in detention homes, foster homes, and other dysfunctional modes of getting by. Evan Rachel Wood is radiantly beautiful as the needy teenager who ultimately cannot cope with her desires to leave the home nest. Rory Culkin has few lines but his presence is palpably worrisome. Bruce Dern is on board as a crusty old contemporary 'cowboy' and David Morse again turns in a performance that is three dimensional and credible (it would have been helpful to know why he is a single parent). The film is not without its flaws (as mentioned above plus more), but it manages to give Edward Norton yet another chance to demonstrate his considerable skills as an actor who can make the most peripheral characters stick in our hearts. This is a fine little movie, much underrated. Grady Harp