Down in the Valley - ACE Train Movie Review

Tobe is a pretty 18-year-old whose father, Wade, is the sheriff of a town in California's San Fernando Valley. Tobe is driving to the beach with some friends when she stops at a filling station and meets gas jockey Harlan, who dresses like a cowpoke and claims to have recently relocated to Los Angeles from South Dakota. Harlan is immediately and obviously taken with Tobe, and when she asks him to tag along for the day, he impulsively quits his job to follow her. Tobe and Harlan soon become a couple, but Wade is convinced Harlan is not all he claims to be, and Tobe begins to wonder if her father might be right when Harlan takes her horseback riding and their date is cut short after police inform them the horses were reported stolen by Harlan's pal Charlie. Tobe's suspicions grow when Harlan offers to teach her little brother, Lonnie, how to shoot using a pair of real .45 revolvers, as his actions become less charming and more worrisome.

Snooze... This film was pretty boring and disturbing on a couple of levels. The relationship between Edward Norton's character and the young woman was bizarre as was his relationship with the woman's younger brother. It was slow moving and I couldn't figure out what the point of the plot really was. It ended without answering the biggest question I had - who is this guy and what's his play? More than once, the movie reminded me of Brokeback Mountain. Maybe it was the horses and cowboy getup, but I fully expected a gay cowboy love scene - not that there's anything wrong with that :-) It definitely had the "independent" vibe, but it didn't hit the mark as a feature film.

Rating: 2 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Edward Norton, David Morse, Evan Rachel Wood, Rory Culkin

I typically watch movies on Monday, Wednesday and Friday while riding the ACE Train from Tracy to Santa Clara. The opinions expressed are those of me, myself and I.