Paul (Ethan Hawke) is a cowboy who travels with the only company of his dog Abbie. In an attempt to shorten the path that will take them to Mexico, the gunslinger and his dog make a stop in a small, apparently quiet town, where they meet some outlaws and the son -Gilly (James Ransone)- of the sheriff (John Travolta) with whom he has a turbulent conflict. Taking place a threatening confrontation, and in order to avoid greater evils, they decide to leave the place immediately. Keep Your Finger on the Trigger !.
Ti West directs this peculiar western that includes: vengeance, shootings, desert dust, corruption and bloody showdown. The film is made in somewhat similar style to typical spaghetti Westerns with usual theme: a merciless vendetta. Dealing with a mysterious stranger and a random act of violence drag a town of misfits and nitwits into the lethal crosshairs of revenge. Well crafted Western with interesting screenplay; though we had already seen the main issue of the film before and better in other movies. The story is almost terrific as the drifter comes to strange town just in time to reckoning villagers and bandits. Although atmospheric, it's also downbeat and sometimes just downright nasty. This violent picture contains a powerful examination of morality and hypocrisy on people of a little town. The film owes a considerable debt to ¨Clint Eastwood's High Plain Drifter¨ (which was a kind of remake to ¨Sergio Garrone's The Strangers Gundown¨) taking several elements from this film, as well as Sergio Leone's others.
And a good cast of actors led by Ethan Hawke and John Travolta, who play the stranger with a tragic past and the villainous marshall who becomes a peacekeeper. As the story progresses, providing its characters with all the characteristic elements of the genre. They are accompanied by two beautiful women, previously promising figures and today sufficiently established: Taissa Farmiga and Karen Gillan.
Director Ti West frecuently uses focus on the faces and bodies of our protagonists to show the despair and unsettling happenings, adding brilliant cinematography by cameraman Eric Robbins , suspenseful musical score by Jeff Grace and eliptical edition. The film could be described as a figurative immersion into the meanderings of the starring's vengeful psyche. The motion picture was well written/produced/directed by Ti West. He is a notorious writer and director known for "Pearl" (2022), "X" (2022) and "The Innkeepers" (2011). And also directed "Cabin fever 2: The spring fever" (2009) but after extensive re-editing and re-shooting of by the producers of this film, West requested to have his name removed from the movie and replaced with the popular pseudonym Alan Smithee; since he was not a member of the DGA his request was denied by the producers and he remains credited as the film's director. And he has directed several episodes of notorious television series, such as: ¨Wayward Pines¨, ¨Scream¨,¨Soundtrack¨, The Resident¨, ¨Chambers¨, ¨The passage¨, ¨The Exorcist¨, ¨Outcast¨, ¨South of Hell¨. ¨In a Valley of Violence¨rating : 6/10. The flick will appeal Western genre enthusiasts and Ethan Hawke fans.
