Down in the Valley (2005)

Synopsis: Edward Norton plays a cowboy, Harlan, whose a drfiter wandering the San Fernando Valley. He seems like a smooth talker, a classic Western hero but it's obvious that there's more to him than meets the eye. His true nature starts coming out once he meets a high school girl, October Summers (Evan Rachel Wood). They fall in love instantly and begin a relationship despite the objection of Evan's hard ass father, Wade (David Morse). The relationship begins to escalate as Harlan's shady background clashes with Wade's authoritian views on life and his policy towards his daughter and son.

Should You Watch It? If you like Edward Norton you will definitely want to watch this movie. He does his magic again as he's able to bring to a life, a very complicated character with several mental disorders. He does a good job in making this character believable while making him a tradgic hero and a very likeable villian. Other than him, this movie doesn't really have much in terms of plot, action or twists. It doesn't really explain to the audience Harlan's background thoroughly and why he does what he does. This is probably a conscious decision made by the writer/director, David Jacobson.

Things To Watch Out For: This movie is really about Harlan and his condition. It's obvious that he has a problem but he doesn't live his life thinking that his problem is a problem. This sounds like a common symptom of people with this kinda disorder but Harlan has taken a step further and accepted this disorder as something else. The movie is about how anybody can be anybody they want. Perhaps this movie is a criticism on free will and how society restrains it with laws and tradition. Harlan doesn't live within these terms and tries to make himself into someone he believes he should be.

Things You Don't Expect: Even with Edward Norton, this movie is pretty boring and there really really isn't much content. Just didn't feel that they did enough with Harlan's character.

Final Score: 5.5