Customer Reviews

2 Days in the Valley [VHS]

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Yes. You've seen "grunge on the run" romantic comedies--Wild at Heart (1990), Natural Born Killers (1994) come to mind, and poor waitress/crazy old man romantic comedies, e.g., As Good As It Gets (1997)--well, this is a mousy secretary/aging hit man romantic comedy.

Somewhat. It's also a tongue-in-the cheek satire on all things that Hollywood thinks movie-goers crave: cute dogs, sexy women, good-hearted underdogs winning out, dumb cops, the ugly rich (Greg Cruttwell's wormy Allan Hopper fits the bill), shoot-outs, blood, dead bodies (enough to grace a Shakespearean stage) and that favorite of testosterone males everywhere: a good old-fashioned cat fight.

Charlize Theron and Teri Hatcher provide the eye appeal as they slap and toss each other around; and to be honest I have to say they are definitely worth watching. Excellent support comes from James Spader, as an amazingly clean-shaven (what does he use--Nair?) psycho-sickie with a stopwatch.

But Danny Aiello is the real star. He plays Dosmo Pizzo, the over-the-hill hit man (currently moonlighting in embarrassment at the local pizzeria). He loses his hairpiece, finds redemption, true love, thirty thousand Big Ones, and presumably lives happily ever after on the lam with his unlikely moll (Glenne Headly) in this clever plot by coincidence from director and scriptwriter John Herzfeld.

(By the way, what's with Hollywood and its perverse love affair with sympathetic hit men? A new genre? The hit man as the underclass hero? I just saw Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) which stars John Cusack as a "cute" amoral murder artist. What next? The lovable terrorist? Knowing Hollywood, I think we can count on it.)

Anyway, Spader's character is not so lovable. He kills without the slightest qualm and takes a great delight in blowing people away. Charlize is his girl friend and they have lots of you-know-what together. Teri Hatcher is an Olympic class skier with a loser boyfriend. And the Valley of course is the San Fernando Valley just north of L.A., onetime home of the Valley girls, now best known as the porn capital of America.

Jeff Daniels and Eric Stoltz play Valley cops (who are not as smart as L.A. cops--one of the jokes in the movie, ha, ha, ha). Both do a great job. Daniels is street wise and quick on the trigger and a bit of a prude while Stoltz is naive and a wanna-be homicide inspector. There are half a dozen cameos by not so well-known but talented people like veteran Austin Pendleton who does a killer sarcastic monologue on the directorial failures of suicidal Teddy Peppers (Paul Mazursky). One-time "Goodbye Girl" Marsha Mason has a modest part as a sweet and realistic nurse, and she is excellent. And there are dogs. You gotta have dogs.

However what makes this work is some clever dialogue and some satirical plot ideas, but mainly it is a tour de force of acting by a talented and highly professional cast. This is one of those movies in which every actor is a threat to steal the show at any time one way or the other. In a way it's a parade of cameos cleverly stitched together and then nicely edited.

But see this for James Spader whose skill playing nerdish weirdos is on fine display.

Many people put this in the "Quentin Tarantino Rip-off" pile, but it really owes more of a debt to Robert Altman than it does to Tarantino. Sure, it has Crime Thriller elements, but at its Core it is an Ensemble Drama akin to "Short Cuts" and "Magnolia".

The Star-Studded Cast includes Eric Stoltz (as a discontent vice cop), Jeff Daniels (as Eric's hard-nosed partner), James Spader (as an ice-cold hit man), Danny Aiello (as a washed-up hit man), Charlize Theron (as James' accomplice/girlfriend), Teri Hatcher (as a murder witness) and Glenne Headly (as a Hostage). They, and Everyone else in the film, give Fitting, Seasoned Performances.

Stoltz and Spader give the Best performances, both Funny and Real. Especially Spader, he virtually Carries the Film. Charlize Theron, in one of her first films, is Very, very Attention-Grabbing, through her Looks and her Abilities. Daniels and Hatcher appear too Infrequently to be Memorable. Aiello and Headly give equally Likeable performances that become the Moral Centre of the film.

The film, like all the ones mentioned above, follows a Series of Unconnected stories that somehow Intersect with each other at the climax. To explain How would spoil the fun of Watching it all Unravel Yourself. Writer/Director John Herzfeld smartly resists the temptation to Modernize and Spice up his Direction, allowing the Actors to tell the tale.

This is a really good movie, with an unbelievable cast and a brilliant plot! The music soundtrack is also very good, and there is not a bad scene in the movie! I just can't understand why nobody has seen this film! Here we have a variety of bizarre characters (highlights were Danny Aiello, James Spader, Charlize Theron, and Jeff Daniels) who stumble into each other's lives. The director threw in a lot of little interesting quirks, such as the murderous assassin smirking as he watches a cop sight down the barrel of a watergun, or a spiteful old man who we came to hate earlier slinking out of a Japanese pleasure house in the dead of night. (Another interesting thing for me about the movie is to watch for the manner in which every character's name is given as the plot unfolds. ALL of them are named at least once somewhere in the film!) The movie is very well written and very interesting, and if there is any problem whatsoever, it would have to be that at times the dialogue becomes a bit laborous and unrealistic. (Sometimes, it appears that the characters are explaining what's going on to the audience, rather than conversing with the other characters.) Nevertheless, this is a trite point, and distracts none at all from the movie's enjoyment. And although Two Days in the Valley has been called a "Tarantino rip-off", I think this is because, like in many Tarantino films, we get to see famous actors playing in roles that we are not accustomed to seeing them in.

2 Days in the Valley is a great movie for anyone. If you like interesting story lines accompanied by amazing performances by very talented actors/actresses then you should watch 2 Days in the Valley. This movie packs a lot of star power with names such as Charlize Theron, Teri Hatcher, Eric Stoltz, Danny Aiello, Jeff Bridges and James Spader.

The story revolves around the events surrounding different characters, all unrelated. The movie has many sub-plots and develops them all independantely until they all merge together and we get the big picture. Throughout the movie, we learn important details that are all leading up to a great finale.

2 Days in the Valley isn't one of those mediocre films with a few good scenes here and there, it is packed with quality moments throughout. This allows you to watch it over and over again, enjoying it each time.

2 Days in the Valley is both funny with its wit as well as engaging with the ensuing drama. There is no great purpose or lesson to be learned from 2 Days in the Valley; it's just a fun movie that is sure to entertain.

As far as the DVD special features go, since it's an older movie the special features are pretty ghetto and consist of trailers but hey, what can you do.

I definately reccomend it to anyone willing to try new things.

'2 Days in the Valley' is NOT one of those movies where you're rolling around on the floor laughing, but you will most likely find yourself feeling and cheering for this bunch of characters played out by an AWSOME and well-cast cast. Charlize Theron in particular (who has got to be one of the most beautiful women on Earth) will leave you thinking about her long after the movie is over. She and Terri Hathcer's (who does the best acting job here she has ever done) cat fight toword the end is the highlight of the movie by far. If you like quirky characters, cute gogs, unbelievably gorgeous women who can fight, and even coldblooded killers, you will surely enjoy this movie.

if you are one of those people who only like these big, epic movies (re: Titanic, Lord of the Rings, Braveheart) then avoid '2 Days in the Valley' . . . it's not for everyone :D

When this film came out, it was hurt by the expectation that this was "Pulp Fiction II" (something that also haunted "Jackie Brown"), but the comparisons to a Robert Altman film are more accurate. This is a sprawling ensemble piece, weaving together low-key eccentrics into a single narrative. It's just that some of them have guns.

The cast, especially James Spader and Charlize Theron are top notch, but a crucial change made to "lighten" the movie tosses much of the plot out the window, robs one central character of his key motivation, and greatly hinders the film. (The letter read in the car originally was from an AIDS clinic ...) I had hoped that the DVD edition would restore the original scene at least in a "deleted scenes" section if not actually let viewers see the film as it was originally intended, but so be it.

A good film for film fans who like their Altman with a twist of Tarantino. Recommended for fans of "Jackie Brown," "Get Shorty" or "The Limey."

I found this film to be absolutely fantastic! The story was interesting, the cast was intriguing and the humor/sarcasm was witty and unique. I found myself laughing at times just because of the characters' interesting behaviors.

The film begins with a murder-for-hire. Eventually, the hit men and a wide range of other characters come together through coincidence and circumstance and are forced to resolve their issues while trying to escape from San Fernando Valley, California.

The storyline of this film is a bit crazy, but the characters invloved are all excellent and hold the viewer's attention. James Spader is particularly good as Lee, a cold-blooded murderer who is obsessed with time, especially the importance of a single minute. This is definitely one of his best films. His acting in this movie is creepy, but fantastic. The rest of the cast was also really great and it was enjoyable to watch their lives play out. Another positive aspect of the film was the terrific score...I can't get some of the songs out of my head!

Overall, this was a fantasic film and I highly recommend it to anyone who is in the mood to watch something that is really fun and hearwarming. It is definitely a must for fans of James Spader, but I think that it can be enjoyed by a wide audience. Give this film a try and I guarantee that you will enjoy it!

2 DAYS IN THE VALLEY is one of the better PULP FICTION clones. It lacks the script/dialogue and language of a Tarantino film but it has a slew of characters, an impressive ensemble cast and it is atmospheric of the southern California attitude. James Spader heads the cast as a cold-hearted killer (Lee Woods) in a plot of murder, revenge, fraud, two-timing and double crossing and the lives of 10 people who get caught up in it. The main story is a murder plot, however, there are a couple of sub-plots that seem out of place, yet the story keeps moving and the different personality types and the relationships with each other through this story is what keeps the viewer engrossed in the film. Stand out performance by Charlize Theron as Helga Svelgen, Lee Woods'(Spader)girlfriend and partner in crime. Great supporting cast of Paul Mazursky, Danny Aiello, Glenne Headly, Eric Stoltz, Jeff Daniels, Marsha Mason, and Teri Hatcher along with a great soundtrack.

The reason why I liked this film is because it was filmed within a four mile radius of my home. The characters were extremely quicky and odd. "2 Days in the Valley" was clever, cynical and another underrated film. Jeff Daniels was psychotic, and Charlize Theron was eye candy.

I was immediately reminded of "Magnolia", another Valley flick that intersects people's lives. Teri Hatcher had a great supporting role, as did Greg Cutwell. Danny Aiello was great as a man who hired a hit man, then becomes frightful and scared of himself.

Overall, I give it an A.

... that's how I'd describe this one. It's not fall-over funny, nor is it meant to be. It plays on how normal people's lives are disrupted and brought together, mainly by a murder motivated by life insurance.

The characters are all highly believable, and at the end you might find yourself sneakily admiring several of them.

Oh, and James Spader is excellent in this movie. If you've only seen him in Stargate, prepare to be surprised!