In a Valley of Violence (2016): An insult to every western ever made

What is it about?

A strong, silent type (You know the type. They’re usually strong and silent.) walks into a bar and by not answering questions from local bullies (because he is strong and silent) provokes them and ends up knocking one of them out. Obviously, the knocked-out fellow didn’t know that when a quiet stranger (Ethan Hawke) walks into a town and doesn’t seem to be impressed by threats and macho bullshit, it’s highly likely that he is superior to you in every way imaginable.

It turns out that the knocked-out douchebag is the sheriff’s son and a sour loser and real “do you know who my daddy is?” type, which is a dangerous combination. Add to that the fact that his name is Gilly, you got yourself a psychopath on the loose. I don’t know what the hell was his father thinking. As every fan of “Game of Thrones” knows, Gilly is a girl’s name.

So Gilly kills the stranger’s dog, which rarely turns out well, and then all hell breaks loose.

Movies similar to “In a Valley of Violence”

If you are looking for movies like “In a Valley of Violence”, pretty much any western with Clint Eastwood will do the trick, but of course, in a much more legendary fashion. “John Wick” also has certain similarities and is also superior to this piece of shit.

Judgement time!

I like westerns, Ethan Hawke, and John Travolta (the sheriff). So when I saw the description of this movie and its cast, I foolishly assumed that it will be at least satisfying, if not awesome. Oh, how wrong I was.
I honestly don’t think I ever saw a movie with such a horrible script. It doesn’t have a single memorable line or anything that is remotely cool, badass or legendary in any way.

Almost the entire script is guys doing stuff and other guys commenting and describing it. And that’s it. It’s like a child’s play with a narrator.

How and why were Hawke and Travolta involved in this is beyond me. If I had their status and someone approached me with this script, I would punch him in the face. I have reasons to believe that blackmail was involved.

I watched this movie all the way to the end only because I hoped that this movie is some kind of an elaborate joke and that Clint Eastwood will barge in at one point and kill everyone. This is pretty much the only thing that would have saved this movie. I give it 2/10.