Strong cast and direction. Throw in some great imagery of the valley and really good music, you got a strong film. I really got in to this film and enjoyed it immensely.

The sad story of a troubled young man who lives in a fantasy. Outwardly, he does only loving things, but he is unable to control his impulses. Finally, his inner life collides with reality.

Strong cast and nothing else.

Well-filmed and acted but, for me at least, ultimately disturbing and depressing.

"Down in the Valley" is one of those films in which so many things go wrong due to stupid decisions, you want to yell at the screen. The valley here is not the one in the old western song; it's the modern San Fernando Valley in California, where gas station attendant and wannabe cowboy Harlan (Edward Norton) is filling up a station wagon full of teenage girls. One of the girls, Tobe (Evan Rachel Wood) is attracted to his aw-shucks, ma'am persona, and she invites him to accompany them to the beach. He immediately quits his job and takes off with them. He and Tobe immediately fall into some version of love (He's in his 30's she's maybe 17), which doesn't bode well with Tobe's dad Wade (David Morse—Is there a more underrated actor out there?), a corrections officer and single parent who doesn't keep a real close eye on his daughter and her younger brother Lonnie (Rory Culkin). Harlan is basically a homeless drifter who imagines himself a cowboy from the old west. After he takes Tobe on a horseback ride on a stolen horse and gives Lonnie shooting lessons under a freeway overpass, Wade threatens him with a gun and orders him to keep away from his kids. Suffice it to say, things go downhill from there. Turns out, exactly as we suspected from the start, that Harlan has quite a few screws loose. When he's alone in his ratty motel room, he stands in front of the mirror with a gun, having imaginary shootouts with imaginary characters. We know this is going to end badly. It does—in two ways: first for the characters, and secondly, for us. Crazy enough to begin with, the film descends into depths of absurdity that virtually demolish our suspension of disbelief. Yet it's so audacious, and Norton's insane performance is so convincing, that we keep hanging on for the ride. I was slack-jawed through much of the last third of the movie. But I was surely not disinterested.

Something about this movie stayed with be the first time i saw it and never left. Maybe its the old west fable quality of it or Edward Norton's always good acting. A wonderful film.

sad....great actor......eh movie

Review: This movie takes a while to get going and I did find it a bit of a drag in parts. The director wasted an hour at the beginning, on a weak love story and then it switches to a man on the run. From the beginning, the main character seemed a bit strange but the director doesn't really touch on his past. He just drifts along and struggles to live day to life for some unknown reason. Anyway, the acting was average and after the big build up, the showdown at the end was short-lived. Average! Round-Up: Edward Norton is another one of those actors that looked like he was going to have a promising career, but after some bad choices, his career hasnt been that great. From the disappointing Hulk to the average performance in the Bourne Legacy, he hasn't really touched the great performances in the Fight Club and American History X. I've always liked David Morse, but he always seems to act the same in all of his films. On the whole, this is one of those movies that won't really stick out in my head, but there are a couple of shocking moments that keep the movie slightly interesting. Budget: N/A Worldwide Gross: $1million I recommend this movie to people who are into there deep dramas about a drifter who falls in love with a girl against the fathers wishes. 4/10

Interesting characters.

A good movie overall yet kind of dragged on in places.

Thought provoking. Must be seen, but everybody won't like it, I understand that.

Great first half gives way to a predictable and unfortunate turn of events in the second. Having said that, great performances from the ever reliable Edward Norton and the fresh faced talent of Evan Rachel Wood.

This movie is weird to begin with, and the final act is a mess. The girl is stupid, and you end up being kind of glad when Norton's cowboy meets his fate.

Favorite Norton movie. Incredible acting

This movie definitely has mistakes, but it's so original and unique, I can't really compare it to much iv'e seen before, Few movies in the past were able to combine and develop two sort of opposite style stories so well, and Edward Norton delivers a intense performance, Maybe my opinion is a little biased because he's one of my favorite actors, but he really brings some fierce acting to this role, and the acting of the other characters is great as well. The movie itself could have been a disaster or mediocre but even if you think the story and production of the movie sucks, the acting is just so good that you cant help but give it some credit. Because of its uniqueness and the intriguing character of Harlan, this is a highly entertaining and gut wrenching thrill ride, where you always hope for the best, but can't help but expect the hope as the story unravels in front of you.

Easy to overlook the movie but not the performances of Norton,Wood, Morse and Caulkin. A tale of real life emotions and dysfunction.

Good acting, but overall not a particularly great movie.

it was ok..a litttle slow at times..ok througout the whole movie..lol

its different. kinda slow at times, but not to shabby

I remember pretty much zero about Down in the Valley. I remember running in the rain from my dorm room to the nearest indie theater the day I noticed this was playing. I dont know if I'd even bothered to watch the trailer before I left. I was beyond soaked, and had my jacket drying out in the seat next to me. As far as the movie, I just remember Edward Norton is a cowboy and he's got a kinda sketchy relationship with Evan Rachel Wood (does she ever have a relatoinship that's not inappropriate, on film or otherwise?). I'd totally forgotten about Rory Culkin until the opening credits. Oh yeah David Morse as the dad. Vague recollection of that. Guess it'll be like the first watch all over again, even though I think it's my third. OhMyGee itty bitty Hunter Parrish with long shaggy Zac Hanson hair, and Google fails me for finding a picture. Right. Edward Norton blog. We're kinda reaching an interesting part in his career. After having a bunch of roles that had some core similarities, he went for a string of unique characters, such as his cowboy, Harlan. He plays the western gentlemen so well, but you can just see the hint of something else lurking beneath the surface. You wanna get swept up by his char, but for some unknown reason you're just a bit uneasy about it. Just when you think this movie's gonna be sappy it gets dark quick. Something about it feels a little off though. I think maybe it's that the girl gets on my nerves. She's not very smart, and this whole thing could have easily been avoided. She's like the Kim Bauer of the movie. http://www.expletivedleted.com http://www.twitter.com/expletivedleted