Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- sardonic
- absurdist
- tense
- western marathon
- action movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly viewed the film as an enjoyable, smartly conceived classic western homage elevated by absurdist humor, strong performances, and energetic genre craft.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Paul attempts to leave violence behind while traveling toward Mexico, but an attack in Denton forces him into retaliation.
The film consciously draws on classic western and spaghetti western traditions while using absurdist humor and a knowingly familiar gunslinger plot.
Denton's misfits and nitwits, including the marshal's dysfunctional circle, create comic friction around the revenge plot.
The marshal and his allies turn Denton into a place where official power enables abuse rather than protecting outsiders.
Films like In a Valley of Violence, and why
High Plains Drifter
shares a stripped-down revenge western structure, morally ambiguous gunslinger, and stylized frontier violence
Django
shares Leone-influenced western iconography, deliberate gunplay, and a laconic stranger seeking retribution
The Hateful Eight
shares absurdist humor, a limited-town setting, ensemble misfits, and bursts of brutal western violence
First Blood
shares a wronged outsider, frontier justice, and a revenge-driven crime narrative
Movie Details
- Director
- Ti West
- Release Date
- 2016-10-21
- Runtime
- 104 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (653)
Cast
- Ethan Hawke
- John Travolta
- Taissa Farmiga
- James Ransone
- Karen Gillan
- Burn Gorman
- Toby Huss
- Larry Fessenden
- Kaius Harrison
- Tommy Nohilly
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 In a Valley of Violence about?
- A weary ex-soldier’s attempt to disappear into the desert becomes a darkly comic reckoning with a corrupt frontier town.
- What is In a Valley of Violence like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of In a Valley of Violence as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is In a Valley of Violence violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in In a Valley of Violence as brutal.
- What did critics think of In a Valley of Violence?
- Critics broadly viewed the film as an enjoyable, smartly conceived classic western homage elevated by absurdist humor, strong performances, and energetic genre craft.
- Which films are like In a Valley of Violence?
- Films with a similar feel include High Plains Drifter, Django, The Hateful Eight, and First Blood.
- How long is In a Valley of Violence?
- In a Valley of Violence runs 104 minutes.
- Where can I watch In a Valley of Violence?
- In United States, In a Valley of Violence is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
