The first hour of this movie was deeply engrossing. Harlan was a wonderful romantic living by the "cowboy code," while Tobe was convincing as a rebellious teen pushed to the edge by her father's over-protectiveness. The naiveté that exists both in Harlan's simplicity and Tobe's youth ignites a brilliant chemistry that has made me unconsciously scout out local gas stations for my own Edward Norton-look alike cowboy to make out with on the way home from the beach. I fell in love watching this movie. Not with anyone or anything in particular, just the concept of a chance encounter that leads to fun and a passionate romance. Not many movies can have that kind of effect on me. I wanted Tobe to run away with Harlan. I didn't get scared of Harlan when he stole the horses or taught Lonnie how to shoot. If anything, I thought that he was being a better father figure that Wade was. The first hour was long and drawn out enough (it felt like two hours), that it could have been its own movie. The second hour was different. The second hour hardly made sense. The second hour was filled with allusions to separate plot lines that must not have made it into the final cut. In the second hour, the claims that the DVD jacket made of Harlan not being who he seemed were revealed without the fanfare or shock the we might more or less expect from an Edward Norton film. It could best be described as an "oh, well" moment. Couple that with the fact that we are led on an uninteresting chase through the hills of the Valley, and this movie ends up leaving you an "oh, well, that was interesting" feeling and a definite craving for the first hour. As if I could make another complaint, the movie was so slow placed that it felt much longer that its 114 minutes.
Review of Down in the Valley
