User reviews

Since this film came out only two years later, it is hard to imagine that the phrase "pulp fiction" did not come up at the pitch meeting. But I thought that this movie was pretty good and can stand on its own despite the similarities, mainly the weaving together of disparate characters by events. It does run chronologically, unlike PF. It has an amazing cast, with two Oscars, and another five nominations among them. (Although some of these did come afterwards) Kudos for great performances by Danny Aiello, Eric Stoltz, Glenne Headly, Marsha Mason, Terry Hatcher, Charlize Theron, and in a smaller role, Ada Maris. Nice unobtrusive direction by John Herzfeld, who also has a writing credit. Worth checking out.

Unfortunately, "2 Days in the Valley" didn't get a big audience. I saw it in theaters and enjoyed it very much, and now that I bought the DVD I still enjoy it very much! This is really a unique, original piece of work with echoes of Tarantino. Just like any Tarantino film, the characterizations are very well-developed and the dialogue is sharp, witty and full of observation.

The film is an ensemble piece that works on the same level as many others in the genre: We're approached with a series of characters and as the story develops, we watch how the situations all interweave. The result is a hilarious, drop-dead funny dark comedy that's entertaining from start to finish! The music by Anthony Marinelli perfectly accentuates the ironic, darkly comic setting.

One of the crucial elements to make a film like this work is, of course, the characters. Each character is quirky in their own respect, yet they're not caricatures. This is not a farce; this is a real comedy about real people who are really screwed up. We probably know some of these people in our personal lives. And the wonderful cast of multi-talented performers shine in each of their respective roles. Danny Aiello is definitely one of our best actors, with an intense screen presence. He blesses us with another memorable performance as a hitman-turned-pizzeria-owner, who takes a yuppie couple (Glenne Headley, Greg Crutwell) hostage. Headley is a mousey, ultimately naive woman who does everything for, yet ceases to please, her mate--Crutwell as an annoyingly snooty Englishman with kidney problems. You want to cheer in every scene Aiello yells in his face or punches him out. Former teen star Eric Stoltz is good in a quiet role as a rookie detective, who's a little held-back but knows what's right. Jeff Daniels is beautifully cast and outstanding as his partner, who's been in the business for a lot longer, but is a loose cannon and will do absolutely anything--including exposing the masseuses of a Japanese parlor for alleged prostitution--to protect the dear "Valley." James Spader has mastered the role of the yuppie serial killer, and reprises the role he was born to play. He's smooth as ever and sadistic as ever. That's the Spader we know! Charlize Theron is the sexiest in her debut role as Spader's seductive partner. If you want to see the beautiful Charlize at her absolute hottest--look no further! Paul Mazursky--who I've seen in other movies, but doesn't quite stick in my mind--has a nice little supporting role as a washed-up screenwriter. I'll probably have him better stored in my memory after seeing him in this movie, he really is terrific. Finally, we have veteran actress Marsha Mason as a nurse, whose half brother is Crutwell. And there we go--the characters interweave. Each character has an odd sense of irony, which is what's wonderful about this movie.

The only minor flaws are the sometimes-contrived ways of merging the characters into different situations and the excess of characters. There are tons of characters, and though they are all greatly developed in their own particular scenes, the running time prohibits us from getting to know the whole story on some of them--and that's a little bit of crutch, since we grow to love (or love to hate) all these characters. For example, I wanted to see more of Daniels' character and his story comes to a halt midway.

Nevertheless, I was laughing all the way through and never once felt that the film lagged. I was surprised to look at John Herzfeld's (the writer/director) filmography and see a group of TV movies, after-school specials and a few flops, including "Two of a Kind" with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Herzfeld really has an ear for dialogue, and he can be the next Tarantino! I'm not kidding! And I love the way he captures the sunny California setting. So beautiful and picturesque. I know I'm using a lot of superlatives to describe this movie, but it's so darn good and so few people went to see it and I hope more people do. So I urge anyone who hasn't to check out this underrated gem! You won't be disappointed!

My score: 8 (out of 10)

In addition to the clever plot and delicious acting you get to see very early work by Charlize Theron and James Spader, either of which is worth your time. All of the characters are full-fledged characters, with not a weak link in the chain; and those playing those characters all make the best of it. It's a true ensemble cast, with no one -- with the possible exception of Spader, having a lead role. The story is full of twists, surprises and turnabouts enough to flesh out two or three movies. You can tell that all of these fine actors are enjoying playing the quirky characters we are presented with to make this a true fun romp.

This is great ! For all those people who like their tales dark and told well...oh dash it ! For all those who like their tales told well, dark or not..this is your dish. With a tight script and credible characters this one takes you on a dizzy dark trip. The director achieves this trick by picking a multitude of characters and, wonder of wonders, doing justice to each character great or small. The viewer achieves instant familiarity with all the cast that flit in and out of this set, be it the hard-luck hit man, the mousy secretary, a has-been film director or the females in a dangerous game. With splendid economy the director blends careless, throw away humour and dangerous games to bring off a stunning conclusion. The script is well structured and has a definite place to go unlike the crime movies that seem to falter at the end. The cast is superb, great to witness James Spader do the ice cool one and Danny Aiello is superb as the unwitting player in a sinister game. Do Not Miss !

Trying to compare Two Days in the Valley with Tarantino's Pulp Fiction is pointless. There is very little originality in the vast majority of modern movies; by and large within their particular genre most movies are variations on a theme. I've watched Pulp Fiction several times and enjoyed it every time and I'll probably watch it many times more. I watched Two Days in the Valley and never once thought about PF, because I enjoyed it and accepted it as just another variation on a theme that was worth watching....and I'll more than likely watch it again....for its entertainment value. The characters were believable in a many-threaded plot that finally knitted together in a way that did not seem contrived.

1st watched 2/5/2000 - (Dir-John Herzfeld): Interesting mish-mash of characters who all eventually fit together amidst violent crimes started by a man who seems to be used to this line of work. Despite the obvious muddle-filled lives we are able to pick out those that we route for and they seemed to win out in the end. Interesting small film with many big names.

John Herzfeld writes and directs a tangled story that unravels and rewinds itself. The plot seems to involve a murder by hire that goes awry. A dozen or so Californians have their lives intersect with each going different directions. Violence, sex and dark humor are the adhesive for this scattered, but interesting movie. An ensemble cast keeps your attention.

James Spader is a very effectual and ruthless assassin. The drop dead gorgeous Charlize Theron accomplishes raising blood pressures. Her fight with Teri Hatcher is one you will remember. Danny Aiello is an aging hit man and provider of comic relief. Jeff Daniels is a burnt out detective and Eric Stoltz is a detective wannabe.

Rounding out the cast is Paul Mazursky, Peter Horton, Marsha Mason, and small parts for Keith Carradine and Louise Fletcher.

You will probably want to invite friends over and watch this thing again. It is worth it.

John Herzfeld's film is one of Intersecting narratives set in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley. It chronicles a violent and profane tale of how the lives and deaths of a dozen various people intersect over the course of two days. The director's method is to introduce his characters in seemingly unrelated scenes and then eventually connect them together. The technique has been done before: "American Graffiti" (1973) and "Pulp Fiction" (1994) come to mind.

Two hit men, cold-blooded psychopath Lee Woods (James Spader) and faded Dosmo (Danny Aiello), are hired to kill for insurance money the womanizing ex-husband (Ray Foxx = Peter Horton) of scheming Olympic skier Becky Foxx (Teri Hatcher). Despite his lethal line of work," Dosmo shows compassion; he is even afraid of dogs. On the other hand, Lee is a sadist who gives his victims one minute to get their affairs in order. Lee's girl is Helga (Charlize Theron). The subsequent crime scene is somewhat later stumbled upon by two vice cops: quixotic Wes Taylor (Eric Stoltz) and exasperated Alvin Strayer (Jeff Daniels). When the two cops were staking out an Asian massage parlor, Wes refused to arrest lovely Vietnamese girl Midori (Kathleen Luong). Alvin is not happy because he does not want any vice dens in the valley. Unlike Wes, he doesn't want to get involved in a homicide investigation. In the second half of the movie he is ordered to turn in his badge and gun. Later, real homicide detective Creighton (Keith Carradine) is assigned to the case.

Obnoxious and patronizing British art dealer Allan Hopper (Greg Cruttwell), who sustains a kidney stone attack in the middle of a busy LA street, is assisted by his dutiful secretary Susan Parish (Glenne Headly). He continually denigrates her with unflattering comments.

Down-and-out movie director Teddy Peppers (Paul Mazursky), four months behind in his rent, contemplates suicide but doesn't want to see his beloved dog homeless. At first he decides to shoot him after one last walk in the park. There he meets Ralph Crupi (Austin Pendleton), who, while smiling, proceeds to insensitively criticize Peppers' screen failures. Eventually Peppers resolves to find someone to care for his dog. When he spots compassionate nurse (Audrey Hopper = Marsha Mason) in a cemetery he introduces himself to her. In time we will learn that Audrey is Allan Hopper's half- sister. Kindheartedly, Audrey senses Teddy's distress and brings him to her brother's house.

Meanwhile, after the hit, Lee shoots Dosmo so that he can have the insurance payment all to himself. Dosmo, though, is smarter than he seems and correctly suspected Lee: he wore a bullet proof vest. Thus he survives both a bullet and a blown-up car. Disheveled, Dosmo stumbles upon Hopper's residence and takes him and Susan hostage. Hungry, he cooks a pasta and sauce dinner for all of them. Dosmo plans on taking Hopper's car. Before that, he warns Hopper to stop insulting Susan and slaps him. Susan says to Dosmo, "Please don't hurt him. He doesn't mean anything by it. It's just his nature to be cruel."

At this point no more bits of information are being provided as they will necessitate spoilers. Aiello is very good but the other actors also give their all in this one, and Hatcher achieves the best role of her career. The dialogue is snappy. There are a number of comedic overtones, mostly from Aiello's character, like the pit bull's reaction to Dosmo's toupee falling from his head. In short, the movie is entertaining with a simple but satisfying ending.

My feelings for this film can be summed up in one sentence: This is the worst, most derivative Pulp Fiction rip-off of the thousands of high-profile Pulp Fiction rip-offs. Wait, maybe a few more sentences to elaborate. The characters feel like they were instantly spawned into the current scenes they were being shot in, all with attributes such as "burnt-out cynical cop" or "vaguely shocking killer who has a hard-on for clocks" written on thier hands so they know what to say. If "the guy that's taken a family hostage is cooking spaghetti for everyone- hilarious!" is a sentence you think you could hear yourself say, then this movie is made for you. Fetch.

"2 Days in the Valley" is a great movie for anyone. If you like interesting story lines accompanied by amazing performances by very talented actors/actresses then you should watch 2 Days in the Valley. This movie packs a lot of star power with names such as Charlize Theron, Teri Hatcher, Eric Stoltz, Danny Aiello, Jeff Bridges and James Spader. The story revolves around the events surrounding different characters, all unrelated. The movie has many sub-plots and develops them all independently until they all merge together and we get the big picture. Throughout the movie, we learn important details that are all leading up to a great finale. The director threw in a lot of little interesting quirks, such as the murderous assassin smirking as he watches a cop sight down the barrel of a watergun, or a spiteful old man who we came to hate earlier slinking out of a Japanese pleasure house in the dead of night. The movie is very well written and very interesting, and if there is any problem whatsoever, it would have to be that at times the dialogue becomes a bit laborous and unrealistic. (Sometimes, it appears that the characters are explaining what's going on to the audience, rather than conversing with the other characters.) Nevertheless, this is a trite point, and distracts none at all from the movie's enjoyment.

The cast, especially James Spader and Charlize Theron are top notch, but a crucial change made to "lighten" the movie tosses much of the plot out the window, robs one central character of his key motivation, and greatly hinders the film. Stoltz and Spader give the Best performances, both funny and real. Especially Spader, he virtually Carries the film. Charlize Theron, in one of her first films, is very, very attention-grabbing, through her looks and her abilities. Daniels and Hatcher appear too infrequently to be memorable. Aiello and Headly give equally likable performances that become the moral centre of the film. However, what makes this work is some clever dialogue and some satirical plot ideas, but mainly it is a tour de force of acting by a talented and highly professional cast. This is one of those movies in which every actor is a threat to steal the show at any time one way or the other. In a way it's a parade of cameos cleverly stitched together and then nicely edited.

Overall rating: 8 out of 10.

U just watched this recently (2021) and was shocked by how entertaining this movie was considering its age. Often this type of movie doesn't hold up too well but in this instance the film does.

Terrific performances from Spader and Aeilo provide a film with good drama along with good humour.

Highly recommend :)

I disagree with Berardinelli's review, I didn't find this film very entertaining,. To me it was more like they wanted to make an 'art film' but didn't know how to go about doing it. The movie makers cannot decide whether the film is a comedy, a thriller or something else...

A pity, the cast is phenomenal but nothing transpires, other than Charlize Theron showing how stunningly beautiful she was as a young girl... Not even a great performance by Danny Aiello saves the day. I found mostly the Direction and the script to be sorely lacking. This is basically nothing else but a bunch of (decent) cameos clumsily stitched together to resemble a movie. All things considered, in my opinion this is not worth wasting your time on.

Writer-director John Herzfeld's mining of the multi-layered, heavily populated neo-crime genre sparked by the popularity of Pulp Fiction is an above average, if workmanlike, movie that should satisfy most aficionados of the style. Weaving together the stories of more than half a dozen interesting denizens of the San Fernando Valley, Herzfeld makes the most of his situations, allowing talented performers like Danny Aiello, Eric Stoltz and Jeff Daniels to show-off their chops. Additionally, Paul Mazursky shines as the depressed, suicidal director Teddy Peppers and Charlize Theron delivers an electrifying turn that should have made her a big star.

Over the course of two days the lives of two vice cops, an ex olympic

athleate a couple of gangsters, an art lover, a foxy chick, a down and out actor, a Nurse and a dog all interlink with eachothers. Like Pulp Ficton ya see. The cast might be B List but that is not a bad thing, not having the big names in there help's make it more realistic. What kept me watching this was waiting to see who was gonna pop up next and waiting to see where the plot was gonna twist. This is not a flick that you can watch go make some pop corn and expect to still know what's going on. Double crosses, some interesting charecters (the time obsessed hitman for instance)and a few laughs should give enough to keep most crime fans happy. Oh and check out Charlize Theron in this, DAM SHE IS FIT!

2 Days in the Valley brings a widely disparate cast of characters together for, well, two days in the valley. Each character in the ensemble has his or her own story and it is fascinating to see all the stories come together. James Spader plays his typical snarky bad guy. Jeff Daniels plays a slightly unhinged cop protecting his beloved Valley. Eric Stoltz is quite good as Daniels' partner. Charlize Theron and Teri Hatcher are around to look pretty although there may be more than meets the eye there. Stealing the show is Danny Aiello as a washed-up mobster with a bad hairpiece and a serious affinity for pasta who believe it or not is really the good guy of the picture. Yes, it's a mobster with heart. And with all those big names there is still plenty of room for some perhaps lesser-known but still rather talented performers led by Greg Crutwell in a part which could easily have come off as caricature had he not played it so well. It would be impossible to call any of these actors the lead. It's a true ensemble with about 10 or 11 co-leads. And somehow all these seemingly disparate characters see their fates intertwined over two days in the valley. Even more amazingly each of these characters' stories is in and of itself an interesting one. Throw them all together and you've got a movie that works really well.

Now this might all sound a little convoluted and at times it is. The circumstances which bring all these characters together do at times seem a little far-fetched. But you'll find yourselves emotionally invested in all these characters. Many movies have a hard time getting you interested in one character let alone a dozen or so. A number of great character studies here. There are moments of humor, sadness and outright mania sprinkled in along the way. All in all a very solid effort.

Each time I watch 'Two Days in the Valley' I like it less.

It's a knock-off of many films of The Nineties, its closest 'relative'; being Pulp Fiction. A bunch of characters, a seemingly disparate group of stories, all coming together for a grand finale. When I first saw it I thought, How modern. I thought, Brilliant plotting. Now I see it and think, Contrived. Very contrived. As for the characters, they're just too broad, too stereotypical. In fact I had the sense that the film-makers (Director, Screenwriters) were quite in love with themselves; their cleverness, their cynicism.

Here's the story. An athlete is murdered. One of the two murderers tries to kill the other murderer, but fails. The two murders go their separate ways, meet different people many of whom have some a vague relationship to one another. Of course the two murderers will meet again, each bringing with him the people they've been with. And this forms the grand finale in which someone's gotta die. And does.

James Spader is terrific as Murderer #1.

Likewise Danny Aiello as Murderer #2.

Glenn Headley is impossible not to love as the assistant to a no-good Hollywood-type.

Paul Mazursky steals the show as a down-and-out suicidal former film director with a great little dog.

Terry Hatcher is fine as the dead athlete's girlfriend who may be harboring an important secret regarding the murder. And this was a problem for me, an inconsistency in the plot. If she is involved with the murder, then scenes of her first reaction to the murder are .... 'off'.

Charlize Theron as girlfriend to Murderer #1 is also fine, but nowhere near as good as she's gonna be over the following decades.

Overall, it's OK. Only just. On my latest viewing I had the sense that it was meant to be a longer film but, at the last minute, was edited down. I say this as the pace - early-on it's quite slow - seems to pick up as we approach the ninety minute mark; the bringing together of all the characters seems a large, hastily concocted, device.

But maybe it's that I've seen it too many times.

Watch it yourself. See if you agree.

Something of a mess, (I think it's meant to be a black comedy), but this amalgam of stories set, as the title tells us, over "2 Days in the Valley", involving a dozen or so characters is at least a very enjoyable mess with a terrific cast while the stories themselves are very nicely linked together. What it lacks is a decent script. That terrific cast aren't given the material to sink their collective teeth into so players as talented as Charlize Theron, Marsha Mason, James Spader, Eric Stoltz, Keith Carradine, Jeff Daniels and Teri Hatcher never rise to the occasion. Only Danny Aiello as a not very successful hitman and, surprisingly, Paul Mazursky, gently sending himself up, as a suicidally down-on-his-luck writer/director hit the mark. There's certainly a lot going on and since the main story involves a psychopathic killer, (Spader), it's never less than interesting.

Two Days In The valley really nailed me to my seat,at first I only rented it to see my favorite new actress Charlize Theron(Helga). Then as the movie started and I saw Danny Aiello(Desmo)and James Spader (Lee) staking out a house I thought it had to be cops checking out drug dealers or something along that line and I was wrong. Then as the other characters appeared in the movie and the story started going in a different direction then I figured it would I was shocked by the way things came out and knew this was one of the best Dramas I've seen in years. It's a must see kinda movie and must have do to all the great and weird acting in it. out of three stars I give it ****.

"2 Days in the Valley" is another one of those movies that were made in the 90s during a not-so-mini-fad of multi-character crime dramas, inspired of course (do I need to say it?) by "Pulp Fiction". The comparisons end here, however, as this film is nowhere near the quality of that one (plus, it's lighter in tone). It's an uneven movie: for every character that works (Spader as an icy, high-precision killer, a stunningly sexy Theron (in her film debut) as his accomplice, Hatcher as a professional athlete (good casting!), Stoltz as an earnest cop), there is one that is just a waste of space and time (Aiello as a pathetic ex-hit-man, Crutwell as an arrogant prick, Headly as his "homely" assistant, Mason as the nurse who likes war movies). But Spader really is irresistible in this film....and you haven't lived until you've seen the Theron-Hatcher catfight, certainly a classic of its kind. (**1/2)

Yes, this can be compared to "Pulp Fiction". It has a slew of twists and veers from one set of characters to another at the drop of a hat. Unlike "Pulp", however, there are many sympathetic characters mixed into the cast. The film has humor (a hired gunman that spends much of the movie looking for Italian seasonings while cooking for his captives), some sadness (a once successful director down on his luck, ready for suicide, being ridiculed by a bit part actor), a very lush Charlize Theron, a movie mogul with "kidney stones", and an extremely competent killer that has a thing with his stop watch. Let's not forget the two police officers, one a compassionate young man looking to advance to criminal investigation, the other a red neck failure that decides its time to shoot a foursome at the golf course next to his home. How these characters are brought together through the planning of an Olympic star (well, almost a star)who is ready to have her ex knocked off for the will is amusing, well acted, and one of the best films I've seen in some time.

I've had this movie in my collection for a few years and just got around to watching it. It was given to me as a gift. I agree with other reviews that it was trying to clone Pulp Fiction, which is a much better movie. There were scenes that I really liked, although it was a little slow in connecting them. The cast was incredible. I just wish there was a little more to work with. Terintino's dialog writing skills would have made this a much better movie. Charlize Theron was incredible. I would have liked to see more of her. The version that I have is the old style snap case and it was widescreen, but not anamorphic.

O.K. movie. I gave it a 5.If available, I probably would have given it a 5.5. Mildly entertaining. It was good to see Marcia Mason. I think if she lost weight she would still be very attractive. Glen Headly is an outstanding actress and is the only performer in the entire film bringing something new to the screen, as she always does. Loved the fight scene between Terri Hatcher and Charlize Theron. Charlize looks great in the tight jump-suit. It must have been cold on the stage the day they shot the fight scene because she was looking a little "nippley." Best phrase: As Terry Hatcher is rubbing her face into the wall she says,"Like that wall."