Down in the Valley

The tropes of old cowboy movies are twisted in macabre ways in David Jacobson's contemporary anti-Western Down in the Valley. The appearance in present-day L.A. of a mysterious young stranger who claims he's just ridden in from the range and insinuates himself into the life of a local family is a perverse take on the Shane template, while the denouement, in which the contemporary cowpoke tries to flee on a horse through a modern subdivision, calls to mind another classic, Lonely Are the Brave. But in the end all the cinematic myth-bending seems more pretentious play-acting than enlightening drama. To be sure, the film is blessed with a fine cast: Edward Norton drawls and aw-shucks his way compellingly through the role of the ostentatiously rustic dude who stands out like a sore thumb among the folk of the San Fernando Valley, and Evan Rachel Wood matches him well as the girl he woos, with Rory Culkin equally remarkable as her young brother, who is also drawn to the drifter. But the truth about the stranger ultimately lacks the psychological insight that would have made this long cinematic journey truly worthwhile. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include a Q&A with star Edward Norton and writer-director David Jacobson (22 min.), nine minutes of deleted scenes, and trailers. Bottom line: a small extras package for an uneven film.] (F. Swietek)