While it’s not quite the return of a full blown trend, westerns are back in action, both at the major studios, and in the indie world. And it’s on a smaller level where arguably some of the most interesting stuff is being made. S. Craig Zahler broke out last fall with his vicious “Bone Tomahawk” and now Ti West, no stranger to making audiences spines tingle, is now tackling the genre with “In A Valley Of Violence.” And the title pretty much says it all.
The director behind “The House Of The Devil,” “The Innkeepers” and “The Sacrament” lines up his starriest cast yet — Ethan Hawke, Taissa Farmiga, James Ransone, Karen Gillan, and John Travolta — in a film that centers around a mining town, a drifter and revenge, with a whole lot of bullets set to fly. Here’s the official synopsis:
A mysterious drifter named Paul (Ethan Hawke) and his dog (YouTube sensation Jumpy) make their way towards Mexico through the barren desert of the old west. In an attempt to shorten their journey, they cut through the center of a large valley — landing themselves in the forgotten town of Denton, a place now dubbed by locals as a “valley of violence.” The once-popular mining town is nearly abandoned and controlled by a brash group of misfits — chief among them Gilly (James Ransone), the troublemaking son of the town’s Marshal (John Travolta).
As tensions rise between Paul and Gilly, Denton’s remaining residents bear witness to an inevitable act of violence that starts a disastrous chain reaction, infecting the petty lives of all involved and quickly drags the whole town into the bloody crosshairs of revenge. Mary-Anne (Taissa Farmiga) and Ellen (Karen Gillan), two bickering sisters who run the town’s only hotel, try to find the good in both men, while desperately searching for their own salvation. Only the world-weary Marshal struggles to stop the violent hysteria, but after a gruesome discovery about Paul’s past… there is no stopping the escalation.
“In A Valley Of Violence” opens on October 21st, and also hits VOD and digital HD the same day. Watch the trailer below or click on the main image above.