The Dark Valley

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The Dark Valley

2014

1h 55m

Drama

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Watchlist

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Popcornmeter

33%

Tomatometer

6 Reviews

67%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

In 19th-century Austria, war erupts between a traveler (Sam Riley) and a local family after one of their members dies under mysterious circumstances.

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Joel Wicklund

Chicago Reader

Riley gives a sensitive performance as the iconic stranger, but director Andreas Prochaska (a TV veteran who has edited some of Michael Haneke's work) shows less assurance with his film's relentlessly brooding tone.

Dec 3, 2015

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Jessica Kiang

The Playlist

Centered on an uninvolving hero, and proceeding in unsurprising ways, the film's cinematographic competence can't compensate for an overwhelming sense of "ok, and?" to the whole endeavor.

Rated: C

Feb 14, 2014

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Vladan Petkovic

Cineuropa

The dark atmosphere is complemented by some fairly effective gory deaths, but the film frequently goes over the top in its seriousness and intensity.

Aug 19, 2020

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Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

Captures a rather poetic ambience, even as it manages to neglect both its protagonist and rather garish details that skews the film into horror film territory.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 9, 2019

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Alberto Abuín

Espinof

A western true to the spirit of the genre. [Full review in Spanish]

Jun 27, 2016

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Stefan Pape

HeyUGuys

This takes itself far too seriously and suffers greatly as a result.

Rated: 2/5

Feb 17, 2014

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Kevin C

A very unique take on a western movie, but set in the Austrian Alps. A brooding, slow burn, the contrast to traditional westerns is fascinating, and there's an amazing performance by Sam Riley.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/17/23

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Brent M

This was an intense, taut revenge western with unforgettable casting, particularly of the protagonist and the villains. The scenery was haunting, realistic and raw.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/18/23

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Craig M

I would say, "Don't miss it," as the story and mood worked for me. However, for those reviewers here who gave it a chance but did not like it, I see their point, for them, and you should heed their perspectives.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/29/23

Full Review

Blue eyed Fox

I know that Rotten Tomatoes got it Wrong!. This is a great movie 🎥 it held my attention 👏🏽👏🏽💯😁.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/10/23

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Nick R

An Austrian Western - who knew something so obscure would be so good? Absolutely fantastic film, assuming you like Westerns. If you do, this is about as good as they get. Revenge is a dish best served very, very, very cold (and preferably in the deep snow). My only beef was with the musical score, which could have done with some work. Otherwise, this is a film I go back to often and enjoy more and more each time.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/02/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I've read lots of criticism regarding this movie, but I just can't agree with most of it. First off, I would never label the protagonist as "uninvolving". Whilst not exactly being well characterized, the protagonist sure does enough to get you interested in whatever it's going on. I'd also like to say that, whilst having a plot that is not too uncommon amongst others of this genre, this movie still manages to feel very different thanks to its setting and the way its unfolding is handled. Most of all, this movie can be appreciated for feeling really unique, which is something that can't be said for even some of the top rated ones of the same genre. After watching all of the classics by Sergio Leone, I wanted to taste something a bit different, and that's exactly it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

Full Review

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Andreas Prochaska

Director

Sam Riley

Greider

Tobias Moretti

Hans Brenner

Helmuth A. Haeusler

Hubert Brenner

Martin Leutgeb

Otto Brenner

Johannes Nikolussi

Rudolf Brenner

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Synopsis

In 19th-century Austria, war erupts between a traveler (Sam Riley) and a local family after one of their members dies under mysterious circumstances.

Director: Andreas Prochaska
Producer: Stefan Arndt, Helmut Grasser
Screenwriter: Andreas Prochaska, Martin Ambrosch
Production Co: X Filme Creative Pool GmbH - Berlin, Allegro Filmproduktions GmbH
Genre: Drama
Original Language: German
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016
Runtime: 1h 55m

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