The Dark Valley

Who would've thought that two of the best movies released in 2014 were westerns? After seeing My Sweet Pepper Land I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this modern western, a genre that normally doesn't appeal to me that much. The Austrian movie Das finstere Tal (aka. The Dark Valley) again pushes the boundaries of the western genre. Not the American frontier, but the Austrian Alps at the end of the 19th century are its setting. Aesthetically this is one of the most beautiful movies of the year, especially because of its winter landscapes in the Alps and the almost desaturated blue-grey color palette. Storywise it seems like something Tarantino could've made, if he got off the coke and took some tranquilizers: a story of vengeance and raw characters but with a slow burn effect. At the same time this movie strikes an emotional nerve and provokes a melancholic atmosphere by constantly maintaining a dreary and ominous effect. With its use of an anachronistic soundtrack it never gets too heavy though. This should've been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Seriously.

Despite the flat character development that some critics have talked about (and I agree with, with the exception of the female lead), I found this compelling viewing. It has a fantastic opening, which pulled me in, but what I found fascinating was the relentless feeling that it was all taking place in a truly dark place; where normal happy life had been extinguished. The story itself is dark enough, but the effect is to a large part the result of the choices made in the cinematography, with the acting of some of the cast also helping. Finally the location adds too, to the sense of a closed, remote world, full of evil... Real human evil, not some horror type fantasy!

The more "user reviews" I read on IMDb over the years, the more I am convinced that people post things without A) actually paying attention to the movie or B) A lick of forethought or critical thinking skills. The Dark Valley is a genre film, a revenge western set in the Alps instead of the Rockies. For anyone complaining that the main characters' motivations aren't talked about, did you watch the beginning? The opening scene explains it all in a matter of seconds. I mean come on you lazy viewers!! He only pulled out his pocket watch a half a dozen times to get the point across.

The Dark Valley is brilliant BECAUSE it doesn't treat viewers like the idiots that (obviously from these reviews) most of them are... There is no "I'm here to do THIS because of THAT" scene... It literally is not necessary if you just watch the movie. Sam Riley is great as The Stranger that so many have played in Westerns before, the plot is straight forward, the acting top notch, and the camera work is hauntingly beautiful. What else do you need from a Netflix gem?

And really? You didn't like the movie because of the song at the beginning? Sounds like something my teenage daughter would say... But seriously, it's an Austrian movie so OF COURSE it's going to have bad music. :) Too lazy to pay attention to nuance, but not too lazy to make asinine generalizations on the Internet.

This Movie is exceptional German/Austrian Movie. Never saw a Western in this Setting. Sometimes it reminds me of The Great Silence from 1968. But there is something that destroys this incredible Film. The Songs of the Soundtrack are extremely rubbish. What was in Prochaskas Mind, when he choose these Songs? Sad. Great Atmosphere and fine acting, destroyed by a Soundtrack. However, I hope this is the beginning of a new Revival for the European Western. But this time they don't try to pretend that the stories are happening in the US. I can imagine a Western in the Black Forest, or in the flat, wide region of northern Germany, or a polish one.

There isn't much to say about this movie. I was pretty thrilled to hear that Das Finstere Tal was chosen to be among the Oscar candidates. So I simply had to give it a shot, after all it's an Austrian movie. So what I've come to find is that, as you watch the film, it gets more and more awe-inspiring. Sam Riley's performance is simply impeccable. The cinematography stunningly created, the shots simply gorgeous and even the soundtrack is genuinely amazing. Andreas Prohaska has created something I haven't seen in a while. Bottom line, I'd highly recommend the movie to everyone interested in something refreshingly original, an alps-western (even if I never thought this genre would even exist).