Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- brooding
- foreboding
- oppressive
- dark movie night
- arthouse western evening
What critics said
Critics were divided, with the film's atmospheric Alpine western style and production craft attracting praise but the overall critical response remaining limited and mixed.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The story places a lone rider and a revenge conflict in a remote nineteenth-century town high in the Alps.
The Brenner family clan dominates the town, while residents collectively fear confronting its abuses.
Greider arrives through a hidden path, and the town does not know who he is or why he has come.
The film is identified with both Heimatfilm and western traditions, combining Alpine localism with frontier violence.
Films like The Dark Valley, and why
The Hateful Eight
shared alpine isolation, revenge-driven western structure, family violence, and stark historical atmosphere
The Proposition
shared revisionist western mode, brooding outsider protagonist, patriarchal brutality, and revenge themes
Slow West
shared European western sensibility, isolated frontier community, grim family conflict, and stylized violence
The Wind That Shakes the Barley
shared historical setting, secretive rural society, oppressive masculinity, and dark revenge drama
Movie Details
- Director
- Andreas Prochaska
- Release Date
- 2014-02-13
- Runtime
- 115 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (437)
Cast
- Sam Riley
- Tobias Moretti
- Paula Beer
- Thomas Schubert
- Carmen Gratl
- Clemens Schick
- Helmuth Häusler
- Martin Leutgeb
- Johann Nikolussi
- Florian Brückner
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Dark Valley about?
- A mysterious rider enters a remote Alpine village where a brutal family clan guards generations of secrets and violence.
- What is The Dark Valley like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Dark Valley as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Dark Valley violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Dark Valley as brutal.
- What did critics think of The Dark Valley?
- Critics were divided, with the film's atmospheric Alpine western style and production craft attracting praise but the overall critical response remaining limited and mixed.
- Which films are like The Dark Valley?
- Films with a similar feel include The Hateful Eight, The Proposition, Slow West, and The Wind That Shakes the Barley.
- How long is The Dark Valley?
- The Dark Valley runs 115 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Dark Valley?
- In United States, The Dark Valley is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
