2 Days in the Valley
Over the next 2 days, 10 people will find out what they have in common... besides murder.
Take one wrong turn in life and who knows where you'll end up? For Becky (Teri Hatcher), it's waking up next to her murdered ex-husband. For Teddy (Paul Mazursky), it's the tail-end of a failed film career. For Allan (Greg Cruthwell), it's being kidnapped by a crazy, toupee-wearing Italian hit-man (Danny Aiello). For Lee (James Spader) and Helga (Charlize Theron), it's letting that hit-man get away alive. And for Wes (Eric Stoltz) and Alvin (Jeff Daniels), two undercover cops cruising the valley for crime, it's just another day... where everything goes wrong. 2 Days In The Valley... you'll live longer... anywhere else.
Member Reviews
Willing to Poke Fun At Its Own Genre - c4th
2 Days in the Valley is a murder crime movie willing to poke fun at its own genre. It reminds me very much of Into the Night (1985) which used similar elements of humour and many iconic actors and celebrities of the time (including Paul Mazursky who appears in this) and strikingly similar upbeat music.
You see the sadistic hit man, the over-the-hill hit man, the vicious dog, the yappy dog, the blood-soaked hysterical female, the seductress, the hot tempered veteran cop, the liberal but eager young cop. Then there are the scrappy females. Yes, let’s not forget the iconic cat fight. Teri Hatcher and Charlize Theron make the perfect choices for the brawl. Both are gorgeous but Theron is half a foot taller and outweighs Thatcher which adds to the visual humour of the bit. All the characters are involved in one way or another in the classic murder motivated by money, lust, jealousy, and blame. There's even some mention of Koreans and spies.
However, director John Herzfeld does something more with this one. He uses converging subplots. What initially appears as five separate story lines, slowly converge into one. We discover a close connection between characters. In fact, the unknown links that tie characters and subplots together provide the only true mystery in the movie.
If you enjoy crime stories with some quirky humour, you may find 2 Days in the Valley a lot of fun. It’s a movie that’s not serious enough for a drama, not silly enough for a farce, not dark enough for black comedy. When you put it all together you get a dish of a movie flavoured as uniquely as Aiello’s pasta sauce, even without the rapini.2 Days in the Valley - dodi
I have to disagree with the description of this movie as a Drama!
It was to us a spoof of all the terrible crime dramas of previous years and a laugh a minute. Of course it was certainly quite dramatic, but the characters were sufficiently unbalanced to bring out the humour in it. The casting is superb, especially Danny Aiello
and the dogs - to die for. My only complaint is the we didn't know what happened to the boxer! Was he really Danny's dog, or what ?
James Spader was chillingly good - right over the top. We would be happy to give this four stars! You're in for a treat.Enjoyable but predictable - Lila
I found 2 Days in the Valley to be quite enjoyable with rich characters and 5 mildly interesting plots. Maybe its because I saw this movie 8 years after its release but I found the plots to be predictable. John Herzfeld might have been one of the pioneers of having separate stories that are interwoven at the end of the movie but now this is common. However, I think rather than pioneering Herzfeld was following a trend in the late nineties that began with Tarantino.
Definitely worth watching. A well acted, well executed film.
Member Reviews
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Willing to Poke Fun At Its Own Genre - c4th
2 Days in the Valley is a murder crime movie willing to poke fun at its own genre. It reminds me very much of Into the Night (1985) which used similar elements of humour and many iconic actors and celebrities of the time (including Paul Mazursky who appears ...2 Days in the Valley - dodi
I have to disagree with the description of this movie as a Drama!
It was to us a spoof of all the terrible crime dramas of previous years and a laugh a minute. Of course it was certainly quite dramatic, but the characters were sufficiently unbalanced to ...Enjoyable but predictable - Lila
I found 2 Days in the Valley to be quite enjoyable with rich characters and 5 mildly interesting plots. Maybe its because I saw this movie 8 years after its release but I found the plots to be predictable. John Herzfeld might have been one of the pioneers ...