Rojo
2 Days in the Valley
Once in a while I re-watch a film I have seen years ago. A film I may have gone meh to, but then on my re-watch I think what was I thinking, this film kicks arse. Well I am glad to report that ‘2 days in the Valley’ is one of those films.
As I watched this seemingly trite crime flick that came on the success of Pulp Fiction and was pitted against ‘Things to do in Denver when you’re dead’ I was hit with the realisation that this in fact is a great film.
Hit men, cops, winging limey ponses, and Terri Hatcher make this film great. Great script writing (even if it is a little hackneyed) good direction all combine to bring this out of the shadows of Res Dogs to let this film stand alone as a good crime flick. Then there is Danny Aiello.
Aiello is a kind of ‘that guy’ to most people. He’s in a lot of films and most of them aren’t that good. But his performance in 2 days is just brilliant. A loser hit man with a phobia of dogs he finds himself in a unusual predicament of a hostage taking (he being the one taking the hostages) while trying to keep a aggressive dog outside. He is hungry and he is useless. If it wasn’t for the sympathy of his captives instant Stockholm syndrome he would be lost. This film is worth seeing just for Aiello trust me!
Add to this a multiply plot line that intertwines in a rather contrived way that the director just manages to get away with and 2 days really begins to shape up as a good film.
When genres are crossed results can be ends of the scale. Crossing comedy with crime isn’t an original move but is a path that is riddled with danger. This danger is recognised and handled well. As I have said Aiello is so good and the oafish hit man trying to make good finding love as he does so.
2 Days in the Valley well worth a look.
7/10
