Edward Norton : Le ton juste
*
*
Challenging and Rewarding
Author: CityBoy44 from United States
18 June 2005
I had the opportunity to see this film at Cannes and then again at it's 'real' debut at the LA Film Festival. What a difference! Apparently the filmmakers were anxious to get to Cannes and had not finished the editing. Although I liked it before-- this version really hits the spot without the confusing extras that were still at Cannes. I'm glad I gave it a second chance and in fact I'm now anxious to see it again when it's released. The film is very layered and subtle. It is beautifully shot and the four main characters are original and yet painfully familiar in their alienation, anger, and despair.
The Cowboy character played by Edward Norton seems so simple at first but as he is drawn into the family his character and the truth of his 'being' gradually unravels in ways that left me speechless at the end of the film. The character played by Rory Culkin, "Twig", says very little throughout the film and yet he conveys a sense of yearning and loneliness almost too painful to bare. But even he undergoes an unexpected transformation by the end of the film. My favorite though, was Evan Rachel Wood. I think she steals the show... without trying at all. Her emotions and rebelliousness are raw and totally authentic.
She is a luminous creature on the screen. Her relationship with the Cowboy seemed unlikely at first and then became completely believable, especially in the bathtub scene. My main criticism is that the film is demanding. If you're not in the mood to sink into a fairly deep experience with some shocking moments and unpredictable outcomes--don't waste your time. This is a film for lovers of independent film and psychological kinds of cinema. There are also several scenes that border on surrealism. I'd be interested to know more about the making of this film and look forward to the DVD. I imagine this film may take awhile to be discovered but it holds tremendous rewards for those patient and thoughtful enough to venture into it.
I thought this movie was fantastic!! I couldn't predict what would happen, and it was like watching a great book where you can't wait to turn the page, without having to get my fingers out of the popcorn. But really I forgot all about the popcorn. The acting was great, the music was captivating and really heightened the emotions. I felt so much for Evan Rachel Wood's character and Rory Culkin. But I also reeaally enjoyed Edward Norton's performance. I'd never heard of this director before, but I really liked how this film moved along and it looked great. And, since I live in Los Angeles, it was fun to see such familiar locations. I really recommend this film for people who like substance, not just action. It's not one for the kids obviously, but if you liked any of the Cohen Brothers movies, or Fight Club, or Garden State, you'll most likely enjoy Down In The Valley. I did!!
Author: davidzeb from United States
6 May 2006
Chances are, you'll end up seeing it anyway. Norton chooses his projects carefully, and they stick around, years later, in DVD. The reason is that they always shake you, if your mind doesn't back out and close itself off to the unexpected. In this case, he's magnetic all the way through, and the storyline is riveting, and fascinatingly audacious. To avoid any spoiler, i'll leave it at that... but you must see it. Evan Rachel Woods is perfect, and the relationship between them two is an ideal chemistry. I can't think of a moment where I stopped caring for the characters and wondering who was right or wrong... It would be a shame if people traded that experience for the comfort of watching M:I 3, and the movie got ignored during its theatrical release. It's a rare, full bodied experience that should be explored.
For those favoring character-driven films, this is a must-see. The performances are all top-notch: Norton is excellent as always, and Wood's character Tobe is perhaps the best realization of a teen ever committed to film. Also, Rory Culkin is a revelation--his lost moppet is the sympathetic center of the film, and he imbues it with genuine soul. Much of the film's success is owed to the director, David Jacobson. Judging from this film, he is a more poetic version of a 1970s Scorsese. That may sound like hyperbole, but his take on the human condition and its longing for connection is graceful, daring, and incisive.
I absolutely loved this movie. Except i was a bit confused in parts. And how Norton would have a mustache and then all of a sudden it would be gone. And magically re appeared again.And in the scene where all of a sudden all these country folk are dancing and they are filming it, i was a bit confused there too.
Evan is wonderful. There needed to be more sex scenes. There was only one and you didn't see anything :( She is so good in this movie and Ed Norton is brilliant in it as well. They both worked very well together and the chemistry is amazing.I was confused about Wade's role with "Twiggy" Apparently wade wasn't his father and we never know who is Twiggy's father.
There is a really good twist in this movie which i was so shocked. I could not believe i didn't hear about it and on one has told anyone. But yet I'm not saying it either for those who haven't seen it.Overall it was awesome and it's really good and really funny too. I loved it.
Author: Desertman84 from United States
23 September 2012
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Down in the Valley is a movie that features Edward Norton, Evan Rachel Wood, David Morse and Rory Culkin.The story is about a romance between a teenage girl and a thirty-something drifter that takes the young woman down a dangerous and unexpected path in this independent drama.It was written and directed by David Jacobson.
Tobe is a pretty 18-year-old whose father, Wade, is the sheriff of a town in California's San Fernando Valley. She is driving to the beach with some friends when she stops at a filling station and meets gas jockey Harlan, who dresses like a cowpoke and claims to have recently relocated to Los Angeles from South Dakota. Harlan is immediately and obviously taken by him, and when she asks him to tag along for the day, he impulsively quits his job to follow her.
They soon become a couple, but Wade is convinced Harlan is not all he claims to be, and Tobe begins to wonder if her father might be right when Harlan takes her horseback riding and their date is cut short after police inform them the horses have been stolen from an rancher whom Harlan claims is a friend - and who promptly turns up with a gun to confront both of them, insisting that he has never seen Harlan before. Tobe's suspicions grow when Harlan offers to teach her little brother, Lonnie , how to shoot using a pair of real .45 revolvers, as his actions become less charming and more worrisome.
This film examines the life and death of the western and its incompatibility with the youth of today.Also,it is a tale that is wholly original and deeply prescient about the darker shoals of human nature and it also has the values of past and present collide and it reexamines the American Dream.Overall,it still's one of the most original movies in a long time.
Author: ddubya85 from United States
15 October 2006
Dear Jacob, My girlfriend and I found this movie to be extremely well thought out and beautifully directed/written. The development of the story was unexpected but still well put together so that the viewer never knew what to expect next. The characters were well played and well thought out. The way Edward Norton's character was portrayed was very wholesome and understandable. Not many movies do such a good job now a days as you did. I'm glad some people in Hollywood are still trying. Just wanted to let David Jacobson know the movie was appreciated and was thought to be one of the best movies of the year. Keep it up! Thanks, Dorthy and Colin Irving, Texas
A surreal movie, one that must be appreciated for all its truth and beauty and perfect pacing. I am left speechless. Really! Edward Nortan has brilliant vision for embracing this script and fulfilling its promise. I tip my hat to the director for bringing this picture to perfect light. WOW. One of the best! Is that Mazzy Star on the soundtrack? An angelic voice to match the heavenly imagery. The editing and sound were perfect. Like i said I am speechless but i must continue to meet the 10 line requirement for submitting this review. So i will applaud anyone who took a chance on this wonderful movie. What a gem to find this in Blockbuster on a Thursday evening, on any evening. Did this movie make it to a theater near us? o, what it not mainstream enough.
Scotti B
I lived in Texas in 1969, New Mexico in 1970. In mid-1970 I moved to California and settled outside San Francisco after a brief (not brief enough!) stint in LA.In my mid-20s by the time I reached the Golden State my first year there was clouded by preconceptions gained in the movie theaters of my youth. Calif was for me the place where "trends" began, the place where the "living" was easy, and pretty girls were "everywhere." In short, for me at least, California Dreaming had itself become a reality.
Thus for my entire first year in the hills outside San Francisco I somehow managed to miss that I was in fact living in the very same WEST that had kept me glued to the TV screen during my misspent youth. Surrounded by subdivisions and Burgher Kings, I felt I was living in a warmer, hillier, version of New York city with slightly more people and roadways.
During my second year in the Bay Area I met a beautiful blonde California girl whose Dad owned a one time ranch backing up uncomfortably against the borders of Briones State Park. From the living room window rolling yellow grassland hills marched towards the invisible skyline of Berkeley and Oakland. Alice owned two horses and having grown up a horseman I was quick to suggest we saddle up and go for a ride in those golden hills ...
What I found during those excursions is a California that most Golden State residents never even realize exists. And by the end of my first 10 mile journey I also realized that freeways and Burgher Kings aside the Compass never lies and California is in fact very much a part of the West that once was.This movie is about that. And about the "progress" that destroyed a land, and a people, and that is not yet done in harming everyone and everything that exists within the borders of the West that barely manages to exist these days outside of memory.
My advice is, don't miss it!
The actors are really well-chosen for the parts. The cinematography is a visual feast. Starts out as a sweet movie of early love and gradually slides into a movie of doubt and questioning and ultimately ends up a very disturbing psychological revelation. Terrific acting. I had heard this film was not given rave reviews and almost overlooked it, but am very happy to have ignored the reviews and taken the chance. Edward Norton is riveting and when his character is first introduced every parent is thinking to themselves that they wish their daughter could find someone with such mid western, down to earth set of values. But the further into his character you are quietly lead, the more disturbing he becomes. The moral of the story? You can't judge a book by its cover. Well-written, acted and a stunning visual art form. Don't miss it.
