← Back to Reviews
in
Two Days in the Valley
Two Days in the Valley is a sizzling and sexy crime drama that consistently entertains due to colorful characters, stylish direction, and a terrific all-star cast.
This 1996 drama is one of those stories that appears to be telling multiple stories but eventually meld into one but the trail to the primary story is one that requires patience from the viewer and it does eventually pay off.
This story begins with murder of a guy named Roy (Peter Horton) while sleeping next to his ex-wife (Terii Hatcher). This seemingly simple crime becomes the jumping off point for several subplots including a pair of hitmen (James Spader, Danny Aiello) whose partnership comes to an ugly end; a suicidal screenwriter (Paul Mazursky); a sensitive nurse (Marsha Mason); a pair of Vice detectives (Jeff Daniels, Eric Stolz) who stumble onto Roy's murder and a lonely secretary (Glenne Headley) completely devoted to her scummy boss (Greg Cutwell).
Director and writer John Herzfeld shows a real flair for onscreen storytelling, presenting story rich with characters who are larger than life involved in a somewhat complex story where it seems like you're watching three or four different movies simultaneously but the story parts do eventually and economically meld into one before you realize it's happening. Herzfeld's provides just enough backstory for the characters who require it and his often inventive camerawork makes some of the plotholes easy to overlook. And he legitimizes it all by setting the story in what Archie Bunker once referred to as "the land of fruits and nuts"...California's San Fernando Valley.
Herzfeld gets some solid performances form his hand-picked cast with standout work from Daniels, channeling Clint Eastwood as a very angry vice cop with a lot of issues, Spader as an icy assassin with absolutely no conscience, and especially director/screenwriter Paul Mazursky, delivering a real movie star performance as a down on his luck Hollywood loser that will definitely tug at the heartstrings. Kudos as well to the editing and the inventive music score...Pulp Fiction fans will have a head start here.
Two Days in the Valley is a sizzling and sexy crime drama that consistently entertains due to colorful characters, stylish direction, and a terrific all-star cast.
This 1996 drama is one of those stories that appears to be telling multiple stories but eventually meld into one but the trail to the primary story is one that requires patience from the viewer and it does eventually pay off.
This story begins with murder of a guy named Roy (Peter Horton) while sleeping next to his ex-wife (Terii Hatcher). This seemingly simple crime becomes the jumping off point for several subplots including a pair of hitmen (James Spader, Danny Aiello) whose partnership comes to an ugly end; a suicidal screenwriter (Paul Mazursky); a sensitive nurse (Marsha Mason); a pair of Vice detectives (Jeff Daniels, Eric Stolz) who stumble onto Roy's murder and a lonely secretary (Glenne Headley) completely devoted to her scummy boss (Greg Cutwell).
Director and writer John Herzfeld shows a real flair for onscreen storytelling, presenting story rich with characters who are larger than life involved in a somewhat complex story where it seems like you're watching three or four different movies simultaneously but the story parts do eventually and economically meld into one before you realize it's happening. Herzfeld's provides just enough backstory for the characters who require it and his often inventive camerawork makes some of the plotholes easy to overlook. And he legitimizes it all by setting the story in what Archie Bunker once referred to as "the land of fruits and nuts"...California's San Fernando Valley.
Herzfeld gets some solid performances form his hand-picked cast with standout work from Daniels, channeling Clint Eastwood as a very angry vice cop with a lot of issues, Spader as an icy assassin with absolutely no conscience, and especially director/screenwriter Paul Mazursky, delivering a real movie star performance as a down on his luck Hollywood loser that will definitely tug at the heartstrings. Kudos as well to the editing and the inventive music score...Pulp Fiction fans will have a head start here.