Film Movement, which operates the uber-awesome independent foreign movie Film of the Month Club about which Unreal TV often raves, maintains its reputation for excellence regarding this genre as to the November 4, 2014 VOD release of the 2014 English language Austrian Western/revenge drama "The Dark Valley" that seems to come from the mind of stylistic revenge drama god Quentin Tarantino. One difference is that "Valley" is less violent and ironically not as dark as a Tarantino film.
The similarities between "Valley," Tarantino films, and the American and Italian Westerns that inspire Mr. T. nicely illustrate the universal nature of the flicks that Film Movement chooses for its catalog. Virtually every selection could be made word-for-word and shot-for-shot in the United States and still make perfect sense.
Austria submitting "Valley" as its entry for the Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar is only one indication of the terrific quality of this movie. Sam Riley, best known for his role in "Maleficent" and who is playing Mr. Darcy in the upcoming "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies," does a wonderful job as handsome young mysterious stranger Greider. Further, the scenery in this film set in the Austrian Alps in the late 1800s is spectacular.
This film also coincidentally has common elements with the '50s American Western "Son of a Gunfighter," which is the subject of a recent Unreal TV review. Both stories center around the quest of a justifiably angry young man for revenge/justice.
The following clip, courtesy of YouTube, of the foreign language trailer for "Valley" nicely illustrates every element described above.
Greider is an unwelcome presence in the small community in the largely hidden valley when he rides in on his horse and expresses a desire to spend the winter for the purpose of photographing the surrounding countryside. Greider secures lodging with a widow, whose daughter Luzi is engaged, only after convincing village leader/bully Brenner to allow him to stay.
Developments, which include a seemingly accidental death during a community-wide logging activity, soon make it clear that the agenda of Greider extends beyond taking pretty pictures. The upcoming nuptials of Luzi providing Brenner's very eager sons an opportunity to continue a family tradition that is a variation of kissing the bride (or else) only intensifies the desire of Greider to obtain satisfaction regarding a past sin of Brenner.
One of the more Tarantinoesque moments in "Valley" occurs in a scene in which very apt retribution is administered for literally selling out. The punishment for this greed is almost Biblical.
The final showdown is equally as good and includes a twist that becomes predictable only after the commencement of that inevitable confrontation, which ends in an equally fated conclusion.
Anyone with questions or comments regarding "Valley" is welcome to either email me or to connect on Twitter via @tvdvdguy.
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