In a Valley of Violence

In a Valley of Violence

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Ti West
Produced by
Written by Ti West
Starring
Music by Jeff Grace
Cinematography Eric Robbins
Edited by Ti West
Production
company
Distributed by Focus World
Release dates
  • March 12, 2016 (2016-03-12) (SXSW)
  • September 16, 2016 (2016-09-16) (United States)
Running time
 104 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language English

In a Valley of Violence is a 2016 American Western revenge film written, directed, produced and edited by Ti West. The film marks the second time West has directed a non-horror film. Jason Blum serves as producer through his production company Blumhouse Productions. The film stars Ethan Hawke, Taissa Farmiga, James Ransone, Karen Gillan, and John Travolta. It had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 12, 2016.[2] The film is scheduled to be released on September 16, 2016 by Focus World.[3]

Plot

A mysterious drifter, Paul (Ethan Hawke), and his dog make their way towards Mexico through the barren desert of the Old West. In an attempt to shorten their journey, they cut through the forgotten town of Denton, a place now dubbed by locals as the "valley of violence". The once-popular mining town is nearly abandoned, and controlled by a brash group of misfits led by Gilly Martin (James Ransone), the troublemaking son of the Marshal (John Travolta).

As tensions rise between Paul and Gilly, Denton's remaining residents bear witness to an inevitable act of violence that starts a disastrous chain reaction, infecting the petty lives of all involved and quickly dragging the whole town into the bloody crosshairs of revenge. Mary-Anne (Taissa Farmiga) and Ellen (Karen Gillan), two bickering sisters who run the town's only hotel, try to find the good in both men, while desperately searching for their own salvation.

Cast

Production

Pre-production

"I had a Western that I was going to write. Then I heard Ethan Hawke wanted to do a Western, so I went to New York where he was doing Macbeth and I asked him about Westerns and pitched him my idea, and he liked it. So I was like, 'Alright, when you wrap, I'm going to send you a script and if you want to do it, let's do it, [and] if you don't, I'll just take the risk.'"

– Ti West on the development of the project and his first meeting with Hawke[4]

The film was written and directed by Ti West, in collaboration with Jason Blum of Blumhouse Productions and Universal Pictures.[5][6] West also served as a producer for the project, alongside Blum, Jacob Jaffke and Peter Phok.[7] In July 2014, Blum discussed his involvement with the film: "After Ethan [Hawke] and I did Sinister and The Purge, he really, really wanted to do a Western... It took about a year to find In a Valley of Violence... which is Ti West's movie." He added about what drew him to the project: "[West's] approach to filmmaking, I love. He pitched me this idea and I thought it was really cool."[8] In March 2016, West revealed in an interview he had written the role for Hawke in mind.[9]

On March 18, 2014, The Hollywood Reporter announced that the film would star John Travolta and Ethan Hawke in main roles,[5] with Hawke portraying the film's protagonist Paul, and Travolta portraying a character named the Marshal,[10] who has a wooden leg.[11] On May 22, 2014, Deadline.com reported that Taissa Farmiga had been cast as Mary Anne, a young woman who runs a local hotel with her sister and offers her help to Paul.[12] The following day, Karen Gillan was cast as Ellen, the older sister of Farmiga's character.[13][14] On June 3, 2014, it was announced that James Ransone had been cast in the final main role of Gilly. His character is the fiancé of Ellen and the son of Travolta's character, the Marshal.[15]

Filming

Principal photography for the project began on June 23, 2014, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and lasted approximately five weeks, 25 days in total.[16] The film was shot on 35 mm film.[17] A makeshift Western town was built in Galisteo, New Mexico for the duration of production and was used as the primary location for filming.[11] The elaborate set consisted of a saloon, ramshackle houses, train tracks and a feed-and-seed store.[11] The film's cinematographer, Eric Robbins, revealed that since they were shooting on film, footage wouldn't be seen for several days.[18] Travolta finished filming his scenes on July 16, 2014.[19] Gillan wrapped her scenes on July 18,[20] and Farmiga completed her scenes the following day, on July 19, 2014.[21] On July 26, 2014, Ti West announced on his Twitter account that principal photography for the film had concluded.[22]

Post-production

West edited the film in Burbank, California.[23] On September 8, 2014, West appeared on Bret Easton Ellis' podcast and discussed the filming process of In a Valley of Violence, stating: "It's a Western from the first shot, so I'm really interested to hear people calling it slow burn... It's a Western from frame one to the end frame, so there's no 'and then it became a Western' – it's always a Western. And that's kind of refreshing for me to make. It's just been artistically a pleasure to do."[24] On April 22, 2015, a raw cut of the film was test screened at the ArcLight cinema in Pasadena, California.[25] In late September 2015, West stated on his official Twitter account that the film was in the final stages of post-production.[26][27]

Music

On January 12, 2015, it was announced that composer Jeff Grace had been hired to write the musical score for the film. This marks the fourth film Grace has scored for Ti West, having previously composed music for three of West's feature films: Trigger Man (2007), The House of the Devil (2009), and The Innkeepers (2011).[28]

Distribution

Marketing

On August 17, 2015, the first still of the film was released in black-and-white, featuring Ethan Hawke riding a horse.[29] Two more images were released on February 25, 2016, along with a more detailed plot synopsis.[30] In March 2016, the first poster for the film was released by Entertainment Weekly, ahead of the film's premiere.[31]

Release

In a Valley of Violence had its world premiere as a headlining film at South by Southwest on March 12, 2016.[2] The film will screen at the Chicago Critics Film Festival on May 25, 2016, followed by a Q&A with West,[32] and at the Seattle International Film Festival on May 28, 2016.[33] The film will be distributed by Focus World in the United States, releasing nationwide on September 16, 2016.[3] Universal Pictures will distribute internationally.[34]

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a 90% approval rating, based on 10 reviews, with an average score of 7.5/10.[35]

Andrew Barker for Variety wrote: "Stripping its gunslinger plot down to the most essential pillars, the film has plenty of incidental pleasures to offer: a few chuckles, some typically Westian explosions of violence, a deliriously fun score, and a pair of perfectly solid performances from Ethan Hawke and John Travolta."[36] John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter, who in his review praised the performance of Hawke but found Travolta miscast, wrote of the film: "A genre revival that's always enjoyable, even when suffering a minor personality crisis near the end."[37]

References

  1. ↑ "In a Valley of Violence – SXSW 2016". South by Southwest. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  2. 1 2 McNary, Dave (February 2, 2016). "SXSW Unveils Lineup With James Caan, Ethan Hawke, Keegan-Michael Key Movies". Variety.
  3. 1 2 Mancini, Vince (March 13, 2016). "SXSW: Doug Benson Ejects A Texter From Ti West's 'In A Valley Of Violence'". Uproxx.com. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
  4. ↑ Foutch, Haleigh (June 4, 2014). "Ti West Talks The Sacrament, Shooting a Vérité Film, Taking a Break from Horror, His Upcoming Western In a Valley of Violence and More". Collider.com.
  5. 1 2 Kit, Borys (March 18, 2014). "John Travolta, Ethan Hawke to Star in Western Film From Jason Blum (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
  6. ↑ Kilday, Gregg (July 20, 2014). "NBCUniversal Signs Producer Jason Blum to 10-Year Multiplatform Deal". The Hollywood Reporter. Blumhouse and Universal's other microbudget projects in development and production include Hasbro's Jem and the Holograms and In a Valley of Violence starring Ethan Hawke and John Travolta.
  7. ↑ "Jason Blum Talks Insidious: Chapter 3, In A Valley Of Violence, and Ascension". Collider.com. July 18, 2014.
  8. ↑ Foutch, Haleigh (July 18, 2014). "Jason Blum Talks Insidious: Chapter 3, In a Valley of Violence, Sinister 2, Amityville, Jem and the Holograms, and Ascension". Collider.com. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
  9. ↑ Macaulay, Scott (March 12, 2016). "SXSW: Five Questions for In a Valley of Violence Writer/Director Ti West". Filmmaker. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  10. ↑ Vinyard, Papa (March 18, 2014). "Ti West is going In A Valley Of Violence with John Travolta and Ethan Hawke!!". Ain't it Cool. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  11. 1 2 3 Schlenker, Dave (August 21, 2014). "Local actor has small role in Travolta film". Ocala.com.
  12. ↑ Yamato, Jen (May 22, 2014). "Taissa Farmiga Joins Ethan Hawke, John Travolta In Revenge Western 'In A Valley Of Violence'". Deadline.com. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
  13. ↑ Yamato, Jen (May 23, 2014). "'Doctor Who's Karen Gillan Joins Ti West's 'In A Valley Of Violence'". Deadline.com. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
  14. ↑ Anderton, Ethan (May 27, 2014). "Karen Gillan & Taissa Farmiga Join Ti West's 'In a Valley of Violence'". FirstShowing.net. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
  15. ↑ Yamato, Jen (June 3, 2014). "James Ransone Joins Blumhouse Western 'In A Valley Of Violence'". Deadline.com. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
  16. ↑ ""In a Valley of Violence" Starring John Travolta and Ethan Hawke Acting Auditions Casting Call". ProjectCasting.com. June 5, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
  17. ↑ Crum, Chris (December 3, 2014). "In a Valley of Violence: Here's What We Know About Ti West's Next Movie". iHorror.com.
  18. ↑ Maculay, Scott (March 11, 2016). "In a Valley of Violence DP Eric Robbins on Shooting Ti West's New Film in 35mm". Filmmaker. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  19. ↑ Ti West [Ti_West] (July 16, 2014). "Picture Wrap on John Travolta" (Tweet). Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  20. ↑ Ti West [Ti_West] (July 18, 2014). "Picture Wrap on Karen Gillan #InAValleyOfViolence" (Tweet). Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  21. ↑ Ti West [Ti_West] (July 19, 2014). "Picture Wrap on Taissa Farmiga #InAValleyOfViolence" (Tweet). Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  22. ↑ Ti West [Ti_West] (July 26, 2014). "That's a Wrap! #InAValleyOfViolence" (Tweet). Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  23. ↑ "In a Valley of Violence (2016) – Company Credits". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
  24. ↑ Ellis, Bret Easton (September 8, 2014). "Bret Easton Ellis Podcast B.E.E. – Ti West". PodcastOne.
  25. ↑ Ti West [Ti_West] (April 23, 2015). "Best test screening quote about my new film..." (Tweet).
  26. ↑ Ti West [Ti_West] (September 29, 2015). "Today is the final day of sound mixing on IN A VALLEY OF VIOLENCE." (Tweet).
  27. ↑ Ti West [Ti_West] (October 1, 2015). "Tomorrow is the last day of color correction on IN A VALLEY OF VIOLENCE." (Tweet).
  28. ↑ "Jeff Grace Scoring Ti West's 'In a Valley of Violence'". Film Music Reporter. January 12, 2015.
  29. ↑ Webster, Christopher (August 17, 2015). "First Look at Ethan Hawke in Ti West's In a Valley of Violence". Quiet Earth.
  30. ↑ "IN A VALLEY OF VIOLENCE MOVIE STARRING ETHAN HAWKE". Teaser Trailer. February 25, 2016. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  31. ↑ Collis, Clark (March 8, 2016). "SXSW: Ethan Hawke, John Travolta, Karen Gillan head West for In a Valley of Violence". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  32. ↑ Phillips, Michael (April 25, 2016). "Chicago Critics Film Festival announces full May line-up". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  33. ↑ "In a Valley of Violence – SIFF 2016". Seattle International Film Festival. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
  34. ↑ Pritchard, Tiffany (March 2016). "Ti West talks SXSW revenge Western 'In A Valley Of Violence'". ScreenDaily.com. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  35. ↑ "In a Valley of Violence (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
  36. ↑ Barker, Andrew (March 12, 2016). "SXSW Film Review: 'In a Valley of Violence'". Variety. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  37. ↑ DeFore, John (March 12, 2016). "'In a Valley of Violence': SXSW Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 13, 2016.

External links

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