Dorathen
Better Late Then Never
Brenda
The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
Geraldine
The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
Roger Pettit
Edward Norton is fast becoming one of my favourite film actors. He has tremendous screen presence, as he demonstrated in "American History X" (which I saw for the first time recently). He is terrifically good in this film too. His co-star, Evan Rachel Wood, also gives a very good performance. Unfortunately, neither is able to rescue a film that is a stylistic mess and, ultimately, a rather dull watch. "Down in the Valley" is set in modern-day California, the valley of the title being San Fernando. It tells the story of Harlan Fairfax Carruthers (Norton), a young, likable drifter who is somewhat emotionally disturbed and who seems to think of himself as a sort of 21st century cowboy. While working at a petrol (gas) station, Harlan meets Tobe (Wood). Tobe - the name is short for October - is an attractive 18 year old student. She lives with her father Wade (David Morse) and her younger brother Lonnie (Rory Culkin). Wade is a single parent and, though strict, struggles to control his somewhat wayward adolescent daughter. Harlan gives up his job at the petrol station in order to go to the beach with Tobe and some of her high school friends. He and Tobe strike up an intimate relationship with each other, much to the disgust of Tobe's father who considers Harlan to be quite unsuitable boyfriend material for his daughter. Wade therefore tries to break up the relationship. Matters quickly spiral out of control from there.A major problem with "Down in the Valley" is that it just doesn't seem to know what sort of film it wants to be. It begins promisingly as an interesting character study under the guise of a modern cowboy story. It then seems to veer into psychological drama territory with elements of romance before finally mutating into a violent action movie replete with (in this instance, ludicrous) gun shoot-outs of the kind seen in many westerns. This weird and muddled amalgam of styles ruins the coherence of a film that is well-acted but poorly structured, scripted and directed. "Down in the Valley" is also a dull film. I didn't really care about any of the characters. What's more, little attempt is made to examine or explain the reasons for Harlan's seemingly eccentric and egotistical behaviour. A very disappointing movie. 4/10.
Armand
search of life sense. masks. a strange love story. fiction as skin. ash of a Don Quijote.story of refuges, lies and small world. shadows of innocence and ladder of expectations. summer adventure and limits of images. a sunny gray film and impressive levels of acting. a film like a labyrinth. long, common, boring. at first sight. bitter tale of a looser. in essence, picture of a world. pieces of mirror in which fake cowboy is, in same measure, every character.a puzzle with too many parts.a trip in sensitivity of a universe without heroes. slice of deep America or only exercise of survive. ball of questions with unspoken answers. and ash of a meeting.
melgarcia40
Down in the Valley is no easy movie: it doesn't tell you what to think, how to judge and what to get from it, it requires the audience to think, confronts his own dilemmas and leaves you with infinite sadness in the end.Harlan remains a mystery the whole time, and the girl asking "are you for real" is not wrong when she asks it. At first, Harlan looks like a harmless lunatic, lost in this south California, a little behind times, and almost childish. then, little by little, this facade cracks and we can see that he actually is not just a loony bin, but bat-sh*t crazy. However, it's difficult to have harsh feelings towards Harlan, particularly considering the affection he provides to Lonnie, in who, one can assume, he sees a little reflection of himself.Wade is also a gray character: he is that kind of father who just can't communicate with his kids. He loves them, he wants to shield them from what he feels (righlty) is a menace to them, but is simply incapable of saying it with the right words and tends to resort to violence too much because he doesn't know how to proceed differently. He is a difficult character to like, due to his treatment of Lonnie in particular, but you can't completely hate him either.Evan Rachel Wood is splendid as the almost-woman Tobe, her acting is so natural and fluid you don't even question her character one second. She perfectly captures all emotions required to show how Tobe's is drawn into the peculiar guy Harlan is, but also exudes intelligence and maturity when her character slightly realizes Harlan is lost way too far in his fantasies.Rory is yet an other Culkin, but yet an other talented one, as his brother Kieran is. His portrayal of Lonnie is sincere and moving, despite having little dialog. His admiration for Harlan is both warming and sad, since Harlan, as nice as he is with him, can't provide him any other life than a one full of lies.Edward Norton once again proves what a wonderful actor he is. This movie might not be the most recognized and famous he has done, but his work here ranks among his best. Of course, we are now used to his ability to play with two sides of a role, but he is just so good as the lost cow-boy, and then scary as hell when he finally loses it.Though very good, some parts of the movie drag a bit, and some will not find the interest of it, but it's definitely worth a watch., if only for the picture and the acting.
Dorrito79
When I first watched this movie, I was not bowled over with the outcome and could not really place this into any kind of box. But it's one of those films that you actually think about later on and try to make sense of it. The characters are so well built up that they leave a very clear impression, even though the storyline goes a different direction than expected. I had to re-watch it though to be able to fully appreciate this movie and by the second time around I found little gems that I hadn't noticed. It has beautiful cinematography, a clear direction in what atmosphere it wants to create and some very memorable shots throughout. The music is absolutely spot on, melancholic, slow, conveys a lot of emotions. First I didn't understand why Edward Norton had to play Harlan, it seemed like such a waste of talent. Then I realised that he was needed to carry us through the range of moods and a troubled soul that Harlan represents, to be played by someone who can so perfectly be sensitive and tough at the same time. I did not pay much attention to Evan Rachel Wood in the first instance; but later I realised she actually put in a really good performance. The end of the movie is a bit too long but it all comes together. It is hard to define what kind of movie this is -it's a Western, a family drama, the story of a doomed romance, a very pretty and melancholic tale of tortured souls and unsaid secrets.
