In a Valley of Violence was somewhat of a surprise for a (basically) direct-to-video release mainly because, in spite of a familiar story and Western clichés, featured some solid performances by Ethan Hawke and Taissa Farmiga.
In a Valley of Violence
(2016)
Genre(s): Western, Drama
Universal | R – 104 min. – $17.99 | December 27, 2016
Date Published: 01/06/2017 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE — 3.5/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: Paul (ETHAN HAWKE) is a lone drifter who wanders into the forgotten town of Denton, Texas — dubbed by locals as the “valley of violence.” There, he picks a fight with the wrong man, Gilly (JAMES RANSONE), the troublemaking son of the town’s unforgiving marshal (JOHN TRAVOLTA). As tensions arise between Paul and Gilly, an inevitable act of violence starts a disastrous chain reaction that quickly drags the whole town into the bloody crosshairs of revenge. Only the world-weary marshal struggles to stop the violent hysteria, but after a gruesome discovery about Paul’s past… there’s no stopping the escalation. Quick Hit Review: Written and Directed by Ti West (Cabin Fever 2, V/H/S, The ABCs of Death), In a Valley of Violence is a well done, albeit not entirely original, western-thriller that excels more for the performances by Ethan Hawke, Taissa Farmiga (making for a fine love interest/support), and even John Travolta in his limited role, rather than a story that heavily borrows from John Wick (i.e. dog gets killed, owner/best friend seeks revenge). On the downside, besides the plot, James Ransone does play a bit of a cartoonish villain. Still, I found it mostly entertaining and with brisk pacing, it’s worth one viewing via rental especially if you’re a fan of the cast. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 1.0/5 |
| This release comes with a semi-glossy and title-embossed slip cover. Inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy. Not much in the way of features outside of Behind the Scenes of In a Valley of Violence (2:00; HD) promotional featurette. |
VIDEO – 4.0/5 |
| In a Valley of Violence rides into town on Blu-ray presented with a 2.40 widescreen aspect ratio and given a 1080p high-definition transfer (MPEG-4 AVC codec). Colors are more toned down given this is a straight-forward Western (with revenge) but skin tones appear natural looking. Detail isn’t the best but there are sharp elements and the transfer itself appears clean free of artifacts and aliasing. |
AUDIO – 4.25/5 |
| The disc includes a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track which offers some decent depth for the more action-centric scenes, not to mention Jeff Grace’s score, especially the fast-paced third act, while still including crisp and clean dialogue levels. The LFE channel meanwhile kicks in to present an extra boost. It’s nothing one would use to show off a system, yet still sounds good from beginning to end. |
OVERALL – 2.5/5 |
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Overall, In a Valley of Violence was somewhat of a surprise for a (basically) direct-to-video release mainly because, in spite of a familiar story and Western clichés, featured some solid performances by Ethan Hawke and Taissa Farmiga. The Blu-ray released by Universal has good video/audio transfers though the solo feature was vastly disappointing. |
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.