In a valley of violence is a pretty low key western starring Ethan Hawke as an unlikely hero out to avenge the death of his beloved dog. This part of the plot sounds similar to John Wick but that's where the similarities end. Hawke is a drifter who ends up in a run down town controlled by the Marshall played by John Travolta. He has an altercation with the marshals son who is the town bully and is advised to leave town. Even though he does so he is still attacked and left for dead by the Marshall's son and his cronies who kill his only friend and companion Abby the dog. And from there the story becomes one of revenge.
From the opening credits and the music score it becomes clear that the director is a fan of the old spaghetti westerns. The story is pretty basic although what separates this movie from the old spaghetti westerns is that the hero at first tries to avoid confrontations. He just wants to be left alone. Even when he is pursued by a young girl running a hotel in the town. He is in fact not a brave hero but a mass murdering army deserter who left his wife and daughter to enlist in the army and never went back. The Marshall who is portrayed as the main villain also tries to prevent bloodshed till the very end and never actually kills anyone. Even the other villains in the movie are not typical gun wielding psychopaths and in fact most of the people shooting guns end up missing their targets most of the time. There is also some comedic dialogue between the characters as well as great scenes of the dog interacting with Hawke's character.
Overall this is a fun western movie that does not go for all out gunfights or bloodshed and yet there is still enough fighting in it so it does not get bogged down in dialogue. Ultimately the whole plot is basic and there is no real reason for what occurs other than the fact that someone was at a wrong place in the wrong time. A nice homage to the more dramatic westerns of the 60s and 70s.
From the opening credits and the music score it becomes clear that the director is a fan of the old spaghetti westerns. The story is pretty basic although what separates this movie from the old spaghetti westerns is that the hero at first tries to avoid confrontations. He just wants to be left alone. Even when he is pursued by a young girl running a hotel in the town. He is in fact not a brave hero but a mass murdering army deserter who left his wife and daughter to enlist in the army and never went back. The Marshall who is portrayed as the main villain also tries to prevent bloodshed till the very end and never actually kills anyone. Even the other villains in the movie are not typical gun wielding psychopaths and in fact most of the people shooting guns end up missing their targets most of the time. There is also some comedic dialogue between the characters as well as great scenes of the dog interacting with Hawke's character.
Overall this is a fun western movie that does not go for all out gunfights or bloodshed and yet there is still enough fighting in it so it does not get bogged down in dialogue. Ultimately the whole plot is basic and there is no real reason for what occurs other than the fact that someone was at a wrong place in the wrong time. A nice homage to the more dramatic westerns of the 60s and 70s.