The story of a drifter named Paul who arrives in a small town seeking revenge on the thugs who murdered his friend. Sisters Mary Anne and Ellen, who run the town's hotel, help Paul in his quest for vengeance.
A slow approach requires careful atmosphere-building, and these days West is actually stronger at writing funny dialogue than he is at creating atmosphere.
– April Wolfe,
Village Voice,
20 Oct 2016
rotten:
Spiked with dryly funny exchanges and lovingly shot by Eric Robbins on 35-millimeter film, "In a Valley of Violence" nevertheless feels exasperatingly two-dimensional.
– Jeannette Catsoulis,
New York Times,
20 Oct 2016
fresh:
In a Valley of Violence does not take itself too seriously (a great asset), but it also takes itself just seriously enough that it's not empty snarky parody.
– Sheila O'Malley,
RogerEbert.com,
21 Oct 2016
fresh:
Announces itself as an unabashed B-movie from its pre-credits scene ... and never worries itself about being anything deeper than that.
– Joe McGovern,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Oct 2016
rotten:
West, making his first foray into westerns, doesn't control the tone. Its somber, bone-dry gruffness crumbles to dust, only to be replaced by adolescent jokiness.