In a Valley of Violence

• Written and Directed by Ti West
• March 12, 2016 (SXSW) / October 21, 2016 (US)

A man seeks revenge after the murder of his dog by corrupt local deputies.

My normal fears over newer Westerns were not met when watching In a Valley of Violence. If I had known it started in a fashion similar to John Wick I might have skipped the whole thing though. A man’s dog gets killed by a group seeking revenge sounds like it could be a bit derivative.

Ethan Hawke plays an Indian Wars veteran and drifter named Paul trying to flee to Mexico with his dog Abbie who cuts through the town of Denton which looks like it does not have much more than ten people with five of them in law enforcement. There are a pair of sisters, a shopkeeper, some guy who informed Paul that the shopkeeper was tending to his pigs, a bartender with no customers beyond local law enforcement, and that local law enforcement consisting of the town marshal and his four deputies.

U.S. Marshal Clyde Martin (John Travolta) rules over Denton with an iron fist but I am mystified who exactly he is ruling over or what the character is getting out of the operation. No traffic to profit from. No population to extort. Not even a mention of a train coming through that will give him some financial windfall like multiple Westerns. A few extras were called for to imply some citizens.

We see an awful lot of the 16-year-old Mary-Anne (Taissa Farmiga) that runs an inn (for who exactly?) and her older sister Ellen (Karen Gillan) that is the lover of Martin’s son. Mary-Anne has Bambi eyes for Paul in the hopes of escape while Ellen is just condescending and mean to her sister. Child brides were not uncommon in the West and in an authentic move we learn Mary-Anne was one though her hubby has since skedaddled.

Travolta is excellent in his part. He manages to be tough or cold or whatever was needed without hamming it up. Whatever else you may think of the man, he is an actual actor that can add what is needed via presence and body language alone. You can just tell when a conversation stops being friendly for example. You get the sense if this situation did not involve his child, he would just turn the man over to have peace.

I like that Hawke’s character Paul doesn’t resort to force reflexively but only uses it as necessary. It speaks of a man with honor and intelligence that knows what violence is but doesn’t use it as his go to. Based on issues or events alluded to he is even adverse to it yet never comes off as so slaved to his pain that he should not be able to function.

Martin’s son (and deputy) Gilly (James Ransone) starts the John Wick thing by killing the dog and attempting to kill Paul over some previous humiliation. They made four movies around what happens when you kill a killer’s dog!  While Paul is no Wick since Hawke cannot sell it like Keanu, he does give a convincing performance as a methodical and intelligent killer that knows how to bend a situation to his advantage.

There are hints of the Spaghetti Western in In a Valley of Violence (without the obligatory score by Ennio Morricone). I keep finding it said this is very much in that genre but it is missing a few stylistic elements of camera work and story to get it completely there. Writer/director Ti West does an admirable job of keeping things moving as well as interesting enough that it is not until the very end you question those very portions I did. This is not a rocket sled to the end, but slow and steady with the characters acting smartly and relatively realistically. Nothing is ever just there like the Priest (Burn Gorman) whose existence is important for the resolution along with being a character that bookends the film.

This is my first Ti West film and I was very happy with what I saw making me upset that I have passed on his other work. An error I will correct. In my opinion he managed a Western that is clearly not of the old mythmaking style but managed to be very satisfying. The characters had issues or flaws but not so much that you might find them unrealistic. He never engages in needless scenes or unnecessary dialogue. Not everything was handed to the audience and what humor there was never undercut the moment. I am not calling this a great film, but it is an excellent experience.

In a Valley of Violence is a great newer Western. It is intelligent and exciting and nothing goes on too long. Not required viewing but definitely good viewing.