In a Valley of Violence

Plot

A drifter named Paul (Ethan Hawke) and his dog, Abbie, make their way towards Mexico through the desert of the Old West. They encounter a drunken priest (Burn Gorman), who is attempting to get to the nearby town of Denton. The priest holds Paul at gunpoint in order to steal his horse, but Paul has Abbie attack him; the drifter then takes the priest's bullets and water canteen, and goes on his way. Surveying the area, Paul decides to cut through Denton in order to get supplies and reduce their journey time.

In the local tavern, Paul meets Deputy Gilly Martin (James Ransone), who challenges the drifter to a fight when Paul ignores his attempt to start conversation. In order to coax him out of the tavern, Gilly approaches Abbie, but Paul comes out and punches him before he can touch the dog. Gilly's fiancée Ellen (Karen Gillan) rushes to his aid as Paul makes his way into the town's hotel. The young innkeeper, Ellen's sister Mary-Anne (Taissa Farmiga), is overjoyed to hear about him injuring Gilly, and draws Paul and Abbie a bath as thanks.

Later, Paul finds the Marshal, Gilly's father Clyde Martin (John Travolta), waiting for him in the inn's lobby. The Marshal identifies Paul as an ex-soldier with the U.S. Army, and requests he leave Denton and never return. Before Paul moves on, Mary-Anne gives him a picture to remember her by. That night, Paul and Abbie are found by Gilly and his cohorts, who label him an Army deserter and traitor. They proceed to murder the dog and push Paul off a cliff. An injured Paul awakens the next day, buries Abbie and swears revenge. On his way back to the town, Paul again encounters the priest and steals his mule.

Back in Denton, Mary-Anne shelters Paul at her father's house and offers her help. She begs Paul to take her away from the town once he has exacted his revenge. He refuses, telling her that he left his wife and daughter alone after enlisting and never intends to go back to them. At the hotel, Ellen has Mary-Anne draw Roy (Larry Fessenden) a bath, but Paul interrupts to slash his throat. The Marshal is alerted to the situation and has the men prepare for battle. He orders Gilly to keep the women safe, and Gilly accuses Mary-Anne of aiding the drifter. In an effort to get him to stay in the inn, Ellen tells Gilly that she is pregnant.

On the roof of the jailhouse, Paul executes Harris (Toby Huss) when he is unable to make him shoot at Tubby (Tommy Nohilly) and the Marshal. Inside the jailhouse, Tubby is unable to deal with the bloodshed and throws down his gun. The Marshal pleads with him to get away from the window, just as Paul shoots Tubby in the back. The Marshal agrees to leave his weapons inside so that they can talk. Gilly then comes out to end Paul's killing spree, but the Marshal refuses to get out of the way. The two proceed to shoot at each other through the Marshal, killing him.

Paul, hit in the thigh by a bullet, hides in a barn. When Gilly enters, Paul slips a noose over his head from above and hangs him. Paul then lets Gilly drop and Paul beats his face with Gilly's own boot and, just as Gilly attempts to stab Paul, Mary-Anne shoots him in the back. As Mary-Anne and Paul make their way back to the inn, Ellen discovers Gilly's body and screams. The priest then wanders back through Denton and Paul suggests that he should stay this time.

Cast

Pre-production

The film was written and directed by Ti West, in collaboration with Jason Blum of Blumhouse Productions and Universal Pictures. West also served as a producer for the project, alongside Blum, Jacob Jaffke and Peter Phok. 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." In March 2016, West revealed in an interview he had written the role for Hawke in mind.

On March 18, 2014, The Hollywood Reporter announced that the film would star John Travolta and Ethan Hawke in main roles, with Hawke portraying the film's protagonist Paul, and Travolta portraying the Marshal Clyde Martin, who has a wooden leg. On May 22, 2014, Deadline.com reported that Taissa Farmiga had been cast as Mary-Anne, a young innkeeper. The following day, Karen Gillan was cast as Ellen, the sister of Farmiga's character. On June 3, 2014, it was announced that James Ransone had been cast in the final main role of Deputy Gilly Martin, the fiancé of Ellen and the son of the Marshal.

While promoting the film, West spoke about finding a "talented" dog to fill the role of Abbie, Paul's canine companion. The part was given to Jumpy, whose trainer, Omar von Muller, also trained Uggie, the late star of The Artist (2011).

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

Post-production

West edited the film in Burbank, California. 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." On April 22, 2015, a raw cut of the film was test screened at the ArcLight cinema in Pasadena, California. In late September 2015, West stated on his official Twitter account that the film was in the final stages of post-production.

On January 12, 2015, it was announced that composer Jeff Grace had been hired to write the musical score for the film, marking the fourth time 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). The soundtrack album, featuring Grace's original score, was released via digital download by Back Lot Music on the same day as the film's theatrical and VOD release: October 21, 2016.

Marketing

On August 17, 2015, the first still image from the film was released in black and white, featuring Ethan Hawke riding a horse. Two more images were released on February 25, 2016, along with a more detailed plot synopsis. In March 2016, the first poster for the film was released by Entertainment Weekly, shortly before its world premiere. The first clip from the film, featuring Hawke and Travolta, was released in July 2016, ahead of its screening at the Fantasia International Film Festival. The official trailer debuted on Entertainment Weekly's website on July 19, 2016.

Release

In a Valley of Violence had its world premiere as a headlining film at South by Southwest on March 12, 2016. The film screened at the Chicago Critics Film Festival on May 25, 2016, followed by a Q&A with West, and the Seattle International Film Festival on May 28, 2016. Prior to its premiere, Focus World acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film, with Universal Pictures set to distribute internationally.

The film was released in the United States, in a limited release and through video on demand, on October 21, 2016. It was initially reported that the film would be released on September 16.

Home media

In a Valley of Violence was released on DVD and Blu-ray by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment on December 27, 2016, with special features including a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film.

Box office

In a Valley of Violence was released to 33 theaters across the United States on October 21, 2016, and made $10,722 in its first day of release. In its opening weekend, the film made $29,343, for a per theater average of $889. Overall, the film made $61,797 in the United States, taking $44,738 in its first week, and $17,059 in its second and final week of release.

Critical response

The film received positive reviews from critics. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, it received a 77% approval rating, based on 53 reviews, with a weighted average of 6.9/10. The critical consensus reads, "In a Valley of Violence offers a smartly conceived homage to classic Westerns that transcends pastiche with absurdist humor and a terrific cast." Metacritic reports a score of 64 out of 100, based on 20 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

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." 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." Bill Goodykoontz of the Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film 3 out of 5 stars, writing, "...what makes In a Valley of Violence a notch better than a simple genre exercise is West's sense of fun. Occasionally he overindulges it, but it serves the film well."