The Dark Valley (2014) - Andreas Prochaska

In a small town, isolated by the towering Alpes mountains, there is an underlying violence and tyranny thanks to the Brenner family, who use fear and violence to rule over the population.  Before the harsh winter takes hold of the town, a lone rider arrives, seeking shelter.  The Brenner's grant the stranger a place to stay, not knowing his true intentions lie in vengeance stemming from the Brenner's tyranny.  Andreas Prochaska's The Dark Valley is a western revenge story that effectively uses its dark, isolated setting to enact a solid tale of vengeance.  A mostly quiet, brooding experience, The Dark Valley spends a lot of time building its atmoshperic setting, using the harsh winter and cold landscapes that perfectly fit into this dark vengeance story.  While The Dark Valley isn't anything out of the ordinary as far as revenge films go, the film's poetic aspect of the film is somewhat compelling, capturing the circular nature of violence in this small town, with Greiger, the lone rider, intent on stopping the cycle.  The film is brutal in stretches, not holding back from showing the monstrosities inflicted by the Brennar family, with action sequences that work to a degree, although the overuse of slow motion grows tiresome.  Slow motion can work in certain situations but in this film it doens't really fit the quiet, brooding tension that envelopes the rest of the film.  The Dark Valley isn't a groundbreaking film in anyway, being a rather ho-hum revenge story, but its solid atmosphere and gorgeous cinematography make it a sound entry in the revenge film genre.  

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