The Dark Valley (2014)

Through a hidden path a lone rider reaches a little town high up in the Alps. Nobody knows where the stranger comes from, nor what he wants there. But everyone knows that they don't want him to stay.

Director:

Andreas Prochaska

Writers:

Martin Ambrosch (screenplay), Andreas Prochaska (screenplay)

Stars:

Sam Riley, Tobias Moretti, Paula Beer

28 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sam Riley	...	Greider
Tobias Moretti	...	Hans Brenner
Paula Beer	...	Luzi
Thomas Schubert	...	Lukas
Carmen Gratl	...	Gaderin
Clemens Schick	...	Luis Brenner
Helmuth Häusler	...	Hubert Brenner (as Helmuth A. Hausler)
Martin Leutgeb	...	Otto Brenner
Johannes Nikolussi	...	Rudolf Brenner (as Johann Nikolussi)
Florian Brückner	...	Edi Brenner
Heinz Ollesch	...	Schmied
Franz Xaver Brückner	...	Franz
Xenia Assenza	...	Maria
Beatrix Brunschko	...	Mutter Lukas
Gerhard Liebmann	...	Vater Lukas

Storyline

Through a hidden path a lone rider reaches a little town high up in the Alps. Nobody knows where the stranger comes from, nor what he wants there. But everyone knows that they don't want him to stay.

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Plot Keywords:

shot in the head | slow motion scene | stranger | coin | vengeance | 

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Western

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Austria] Official site [Germany]

Country:

Austria Germany

Language:

German English

Release Date:

13 February 2014 (Germany)

Also Known As:

The Dark Valley

Filming Locations:

Val Senales, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

EUR6,350,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,390,284

Company Credits

Production Co:

Allegro Film, X-Filme Creative Pool, SamFilm Produktion

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The gun used by the main character is a Winchester 1873 lever-action repeating rifle.

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Goofs

When Greider shoots one of the Brenner brothers, you can see he is wearing a boot with plastic injection tread.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Luzi: [narrating] Some things may not be spoken of - things from the past - from long ago. But this does not mean you can ever forget them. There are things that can never be forgotten.

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Soundtracks

How Dare You
Performed by Steaming Satellites
Music by Max Borchardt, Emanuel Krimplstätter & Matthäus Weber
Written by Max Borchardt
Published by BMG Rights Managements GmbH, Atze & Keule Musikverlag
Mit freundlicher Genehmigung von BMG Rights Managements GmbH
Atze & Keule Musikverlag und Steaming Satellites

User Reviews

Fine, slow-paced revenge "Western"

Another reviewer mentioned "The Great Silence" - exactly, that's the best comparison. It's a very condensed western without any frills, using little dialogue and less colour and relying on the character faces (congratulations, good casting and make-up here). In fact, the reduced colour palette gets a bit grating after a while; during the whole winter sequence (about 90% of the movie) there's not a single spot of green on the screen; everything is black, blueish-white and sepia tones. Even the shootout was shot in this muted palette - come on, blood on snow makes for such a nice contrast! And we never see a blue sky. I liked how they went for "different" when shooting those landscapes; it's rare that the mountains look that dreary, cold and inhibiting on the screen - but some scenes really could have used some colour.

Besides the dull palette, there were also some questionable (read: ridiculous) choices for music/soundtrack. And, really, there was not much tension since the story unfolds along well-trodden lines with not a single surprise anywhere. Otherwise, I can recommend this to anyone who likes a tight western. In Germany/Austria's world of streamlined TV-coproductions, this is a nice exception with its uncompromising look and story and the use of local idioms and dialect.