2 DAYS IN THE VALLEY
A film review by Scott Renshaw
Copyright 1996 Scott Renshaw
(MGM/Rysher) Grade: B+ / Worth a Ticket Starring: Danny Aiello, James Spader, Paul Mazursky, Teri Hatcher, Glenne Headly, Eric Stoltz, Greg Cruttwell, Charlize Theron, Jeff Daniels. Screenplay: John Herzfeld. Producers: Jeff Wald, Herb Nanas. Director: John Herzfeld. Running Time: 100 minutes. MPAA Rating: R (violence, profanity, sexual situations, nudity) Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.
The thing that goes dreadfully wrong with so many twisty-turny suspense yarns is that they operate under the mis-guided impression that they need nothing _except_ twists and turns to be engaging, a perfect example being the recent THE RICH MAN'S WIFE. It is a variation on the kind of lazy, cynical film-making which produces action films like TWISTER, in which the writers and directors hope that they can keep jerking us around to the point where we don't notice that there aren't any people in their films. I expected 2 DAYS IN THE VALLEY to be that kind of film, yet another hipper-than-thou exercise in violence and vacuity. But writer-director John Herzfeld has put together a complex plot in which -- get this -- the characters actually matter, and which has more great roles for actors than a dozen recent Hollywood films put together.
The valley in question is Southern California's San Fernando Valley, where several people will find their lives intertwined. It begins with a partnership in crime, as washed-out mobster Dosmo Pizo (Danny Aiello) is hired by a shady character named Lee (James Spader) to help with a hit. But it turns out that Lee is not to be trusted, and once the job is done, Dosmo is forced to hide out with Alan (Greg Cruttwell), an obnoxious art dealer, and his assistant Susan (Glenne Headly). Meanwhile, an ambitious vice cop named Wes (Eric Stoltz) discovers the scene of the crime, as well as the victim's distraught ex-wife Becky (Teri Hatcher); also involved is Teddy (Paul Mazursky), a once-promising film-maker now contemplating suicide.
There are some aspects of 2 DAYS IN THE VALLEY which are reminiscent of other recent stabs at hard-boiled avant garde, and for a while they concerned me. Yes, there are characters whose defining quirks seem contrived for effect, like Lee's penchant for giving his victims a minute on a stopwatch, or Dosmo's uncooperative hair-piece; yes, there are characters like Wes's on-the-edge partner Alvin (Jeff Daniels) who don't pay off. Yet as John Herzfeld's story unfolded, I began to find myself drawn into his characterizations, and to realize that this was one of those rare films where even minor players seemed to have a life of their own. One of the most hilarious scenes features Austin Pendleton as a former actor in one of Teddy's movies who runs into him in a park and takes vicious glee in detailing Teddy's recent flops. That one scene speaks volumes about Teddy, about the embittered actor, and about Hollywood's loathing of failure, and it is typical of the economy with which Herzfeld is able to deliver fully-formed characters.
Mazursky's Teddy is one of the two pivotal characters in 2 DAYS IN THE VALLEY, and his performance is superb, particularly early in the film. His relationship with his dog makes for one of the most touching scenes I have seen this year, as his life is saved quite literally by the love of his pet, and Mazursky's puffy, defeated demeanor is perfect. Danny Aiello is equally sharp as a wiseguy with something to prove, and a bigger heart than anyone expects. They are surrounded by winning performances -- even Spader achieves a surprising level of capricious menace -- but Mazursky and Aiello are always at the center of a film which gives you the opportunity to care about the people in it.
I should make something very clear at this point: 2 DAYS IN THE VALLEY is smartly plotted, with enough unexpected detours to satisfy the most die-hard lovers of cinematic guessing games. It never strays particularly far from the conventions of gritty pot-boilers, including plenty of gratuitous sex and violence, and even one heck of a brutal cat-fight between Hatcher and Charlize Theron as Lee's ice queen girlfriend.. What is surprising about 2 DAYS IN THE VALLEY is that after every twist has played itself out, it is not the twists which are memorable. It is a genuinely human redemption story wrapped in a dark, violent thriller. If Herzfeld leaves a few loose ends, I was willing to forgive him because he trusted an audience with a character-driven film in a plot-driven genre. That is a twist I was not expecting.
On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 valley highs: 8.
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