Deep In The Valley (Unrated)

• DEEP IN THE VALLEY UNRATED (DVD MOVIE)

"Hypnotic andihaunting." -Peter Travers Rolling StoneHarlan (Norton) is a charismatic cowboy stuck in suburban San Fernando Valley who by a twist of fate rides into the life of a rebellious young girl Tobe (Wood). Their chance encounter explodes into a passionate romance-despite evidence that a more sinister truth might be lurking beneath his country charm.Wanting to protect his teenage daughter and young son from the man that is clearly not who he is Tobe's father prohibits the lovers to ever see each other again. More alienated than ever down in the valley Harlan gallops full speed into a breakdown resulting in a desperate attempt to hold onto whatever or whomever he can.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: R Age: 821575548755 UPC: 821575548755 Manufacturer No: TF-54875Down in the Valley falls short of the greatness it's strivi! ng for, but it's a fascinating film that's easily recommended. Serving as both star and co-producer, Edward Norton seized upon writer-director David Jacobsen's neo-western screenplay as an opportunity to play the kind of daring and challenging role that Hollywood rarely offers. Norton's considerable talent is fully engaged as he portrays Harlan Carruthers, a cowboy anachronism in California's San Fernando Valley, where his Stetson hat, old-fashioned manners, and wild-west romanticism provide an escape from his dreary life of dead-end jobs and fleabag motels. We can't tell if he's really a former ranch-hand from South Dakota or a delusional psychopath, and that turns Down in the Valley into a suburban variation of Taxi Driver, with the threat of danger increasing as Harlan is befriended by Tobe (Evan Rachel Wood), a bored teenager who seduces Harlan for the sake of romantic adventure. Tension and suspense escalate even further as Harlan tangles with Tobe's susp! icious and belligerently protective father (David Morse) and l! onely 13 -year-old brother (Rory Culkin), but Jacobsen's intriguing film grows problematic when it veers into mythic western territory. Struggling for present-day resonance with themes of rugged individualism and frontier manhood in an era when those qualities are virtually extinct, Down in the Valley reaches a climax that feels forced and unconvincing, but fine performances (especially by Norton) and Jacobsen's bold, risk-taking direction make this a film worth seeing.--Jeff ShannonDown in the Valley falls short of the greatness it's striving for, but it's a fascinating film that's easily recommended. Serving as both star and co-producer, Edward Norton seized upon writer-director David Jacobsen's neo-western screenplay as an opportunity to play the kind of daring and challenging role that Hollywood rarely offers. Norton's considerable talent is fully engaged as he portrays Harlan Carruthers, a cowboy anachronism in California's San Fernando Valley, where his Ste! tson hat, old-fashioned manners, and wild-west romanticism provide an escape from his dreary life of dead-end jobs and fleabag motels. We can't tell if he's really a former ranch-hand from South Dakota or a delusional psychopath, and that turns Down in the Valley into a suburban variation of Taxi Driver, with the threat of danger increasing as Harlan is befriended by Tobe (Evan Rachel Wood), a bored teenager who seduces Harlan for the sake of romantic adventure. Tension and suspense escalate even further as Harlan tangles with Tobe's suspicious and belligerently protective father (David Morse) and lonely 13-year-old brother (Rory Culkin), but Jacobsen's intriguing film grows problematic when it veers into mythic western territory. Struggling for present-day resonance with themes of rugged individualism and frontier manhood in an era when those qualities are virtually extinct, Down in the Valley reaches a climax that feels forced and unconvincing, but fi! ne performances (especially by Norton) and Jacobsen's bold, ri! sk-takin g direction make this a film worth seeing.--Jeff ShannonDEEP IN THE VALLEY - DVD Movie

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