DVD Review - Down in the Valley

Down in the Valley is a mixed bag of a film. It starts off with rebellious teen Tobe (Evan Rachel Wood) coming onto the older "cowboy" Harlan (Edward Norton) who works at the gas station. When Tobe invites him to go to the beach with her friends he says yes even though it means losing his job. Theirs is an instant attraction and one thing leads to another if you know what I mean. As I watched the film I wondered if this was going to be another film about a teenager taking up with a man pushing 40. It turns out to be more than that. But what it is trying to be is not always clear.

Tobe lives in a motherless home with her father Wade (David Morse) and her younger brother Lonnie (Rory Culkin). Things are not great at home. As fierce as Tobe is that is how timid Lonnie is. And when Wade meets Harlan he is, as expected, less than thrilled.

At first Harlan seems like a nice guy but we start to have our doubts when he is accused of stealing a horse. After this happens Wade tells Tobe that he wants her to stop seeing Harlan. That is easier said then done because Harlan has stolen Tobe's heart. And he has also won over Lonnie. As time goes on things start to spin out of control but I won't say in what way. You will have to find out for yourself if you choose to see this film.

David Jacobson does a good job of directing his actors. Norton, as always, is terrific. Wood is truly outstanding as the unhappy Tobe. Both Morse and Culkin are very good as is Dern in his brief cameo. And cinematographer Enrique Chedick does a magnificent job of showing us the beauty of the valley. The big problem with the film is the screenplay. Some of the events in the second part of the film are not very believable. There is a scene that comes out of nowhere (you think that you are in another century) and you are left wondering what on earth is going on. If you look at the deleted scenes on the DVD you will have a clear picture of what this part of the film was about. They should never have cut this scene out.

Harlan's past should have been explored at greater depth in the film. Near the beginning of the film he utters some words that allude to his past. Later on in the film there is a short segment that confirmed what I thought but nothing else about this is ever mentioned again. I think that this aspect of Harlan's being is just too important to have been swept under the rug.

All in all, this is not a bad film. It is worth seeing for the acting, the beautiful scenery, the good music and some interesting scenes. But I just think of how much better this film could have been if the story went in a different direction. Next time Jacobson decides to make a film he should think about getting someone to help him write the script.