The Dark Valley (2014)

recommended

Instant Favorite.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

'Das finstere Tal', or 'The Dark Valley', is an excellent Austrian revenge Western and one of the best foreign language films I've watched recently. I'm surprised that this film didn't even get nominated for best foreign picture of 2014 because, unless 2014 was an abnormally strong year for foreign films, I can't imagine there being many better than this.Everything about 'Das finstere Tal' has the feeling of a high-end, mega budget production. The cinematography is outstanding with some breathtaking shots of the Austrian alps, where the film is set. I also liked the narration and the film has some really cool music, especially during the shoot-outs. Overall this is a very slick production. An excellent foreign Western that deserves a lot more recognition.

Even though it takes place between the snowy mountains of austria, this western style movie is a tribute to all the old ones and so it goes just the same way. Hero rides into a village to avenge his family, kills all the bad guys, frees the village and rides of. There's very little dialogue the movie and the story is somewhat straightforward and predictable, offering barely any surprise or tension.Worst thing were the accents for me. I watched the movie in "German", but their accent was often so strong and they swallowed whole letters, which made it hard to understand at times. I actually had to activate subtitles for this.The scenery is okay and it sure is impressive enough that such a movie is an austrian-German cooperation project. But besides that there's nothing special here. Average stuff, no less, no more.

Greider enters a time capsule: a town sworn to isolation and poverty, and probably the very spare life many of our near ancestors escaped from. Life in the Alps wasn't about skiing and hot chocolate for these folks. Wood must be gathered once a year; not just for burning, but for building. Bread from harvest was baked in community ovens. Running out of food was real and everyone depended on everyone else. Enter the stranger who wears Spurs and comes from the American West. The camera he brings and the photographs he captures are our first hint something new is being introduced, but the plot takes hold and we are caught up in a secret so big and dangerous we cannot see a solution. Mountains, snow, fear and blood encapsulate this story, and Sam Riley's Greider is perfect. Masterful acting by the full cast.. There is some undiscovered talent here. History is paramount to this drama and those of you who love history will applaud this great "western".

As far as I remember, the only other German western kind that existed were the features of the early sixties adapted from Karl May, directed by Harald Reinl and Hugo Fregonese, starring Lex Barker and Pierre Brice with the recurrent Winnetou and Old Shatterhand characters. But besides that, concerning Europe, there was not German western, only Spanish, a few French starring Johnny Hallyday and Robert Hossein, and of course Italian. This one has nothing to do with a Hollywoodian western, even if it's highly influenced by Clint Eastwood films, which are themselves influenced by Sergio Leone's movies... Yes, this film has many lengths, but it's its trade mark. Take it or leave it. The story needs those lengths to get its strength. It's a dark film, very gripping too. I really like it and recommend it. Don't be afraid because it takes place in the Austrian or German Alps. Watch it.