2 Days in the Valley (1996)
66%RT Audience Score: 54%
Awards & Nominations: NA
A labyrinthine thriller with a host of memorable characters, 2 Days in the Valley is an uneven but intriguing thriller/black comedy
2 Days in the Valley is like a rollercoaster ride that goes from murder to farce in a matter of seconds. The characters are all over the place, but somehow they all come together in the end. It’s a bit of a muddle, but it’s a fun ride nonetheless. Plus, the actors are all lively and flavorsome, which makes up for the lack of depth in their characters. If you’re looking for a quirky crime comedy that pairs sex with violence, then this is the movie for you. Just don’t expect anything too deep or groundbreaking.
Production Company(ies)
Ghost Pictures, Passion Pictures,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Los Angeles National Cemetery – 950 S Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for violence, sexuality, and language
Year of Release
1996
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English, Vietnamese
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Nov 20, 2007
Genre(s)
Crime/Drama
Keyword(s)
2 Days in the Valley, Crime, Drama, Danny Aiello, Glenne Headly, Jeff Daniels, James Spader, Greg Cruttwell, Teri Hatcher, Eric Stoltz, directed by John Herzfeld, written by John Herzfeld, produced by Jeff Wald, Herb Nanas, reviewed by Owen Gleiberman, Todd McCarthy, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Stephen Holden, Mick LaSalle, Jack Mathews, Mike Massie, Steve Persall, Chris Hewitt, Stephen Hunter, Jo Berry, R rating, $11.1M box office, Surround sound mix, murder-for-hire, conspiracy, labyrinthine thriller, black comedy, memorable characters, uneven, intriguing
Worldwide gross: $11,132,210
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $21,248,556
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,691
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 2,317,182
US/Canada gross: $11,132,210
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $21,248,556
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,392
US/Canada opening weekend: $3,352,440
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $6,398,955
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,053
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Glenne Headly – Susan Parish
Jeff Daniels – Alvin Strayer
James Spader – Lee Woods
Greg Cruttwell – Allan Hopper
Teri Hatcher – Becky Foxx
Director(s)
John Herzfeld
Writer(s)
John Herzfeld
Producer(s)
Jeff Wald, Herb Nanas
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (58) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (36) | Rotten (22)
Writer-director John Herzfeld blends violence and top-heavy absurdism, creating a self-conscious muddle of indie-style hackery.
September 7, 2011 | Rating: D-
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
To the director’s credit, the actors all seem responsive to his touch, giving performances that are lively and flavorsome, if not deep or unlike anything each of them has done before.
April 16, 2008
Todd McCarthy
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Herzfeld has a tolerable eye for filling a ‘Scope frame but a tin ear when it comes to creating dialogue; these are all characters we’ve met before, and most even seem bored with themselves.
April 16, 2008
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
A sleek, amusingly nasty screen debut by a film maker whose television credits include an Amy Fisher docudrama.
May 20, 2003 | Rating: 3.5/5
Stephen Holden
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
Funny, pathetic, sad, absurdist — writer-director John Herzfeld plays it any number of ways, and makes them all work.
June 18, 2002 | Rating: 3/4
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
There are too many characters, but some are a lot of fun. The tone shifts, from graphic murder to wig-flipping farce, are too extreme, but much of it works.
February 14, 2001 | Rating: 3/5
Jack Mathews
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
By the time the parties meet up for a chaotic showdown, amusement has all but disappeared, leaving the conclusion, no matter how resolute, mostly devoid of satisfaction.
January 2, 2022 | Rating: 3/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
2 Days in the Valley is a neatly folded piece of cinematic quirk.
August 7, 2021 | Rating: B+
Steve Persall
Tampa Bay Times
The characters come together in surprising ways – by the end of the movie, each actor has played a scene with virtually everyone else.
August 7, 2021
Chris Hewitt
St. Paul Pioneer Press
Around and around it goes, and only Herzfeld knows where it will stop. Fortunately, he’s as astute a plotter as he is observer of the human condition.
August 7, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Stephen Hunter
Baltimore Sun
[An] interestingly quirky and occasionally steamy comedy thriller…
August 7, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
Jo Berry
Radio Times
Flawed crime comedy pairs sex with violence.
July 18, 2017 | Rating: 2/5
Andrea Beach
Common Sense Media…
Plot
John Herzfeld deftly welds together a multitude of subplots
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
James Spader plays a strangely serene character in this labyrinthine thriller.
John-Herzfeld.jpg
