2 Days in the Valley *** (1996, Teri Hatcher, Jeff Daniels, Danny Aiello, Glenne Headly, Charlize Theron) – Classic Movie Review 5575

‘The nights are cool. But the days are murder!’

Writer-director John Herzfeld’s cool 1996 black comedy crime thriller revolves around 48 hours of intersecting lives of a group of 10 characters and crimes in the San Fernando Valley, in Los Angeles, all drawn together by a murder.

It starts when hitman Lee Woods (James Spader) walks into a bedroom, injects aspiring Olympic athlete Becky Foxx (Teri Hatcher) with a tranquiliser and then shoots her ex-husband Roy Foxx (Peter Horton) in the head.

It is not a total success, perhaps, but it is slick, competent and darkly entertaining – and welcome as just a little bit stylish and different.

There’s a great vintage ensemble cast to put it over: Danny Aiello as Dosmo Pizzo, Greg Cruttwell as Allan Hopper, Jeff Daniels as Alvin Strayer, Teri Hatcher as Becky Foxx, Glenne Headly as Susan Parish, Peter Horton as Roy Foxx, Marsha Mason as Audrey Hopper, Paul Mazursky as Teddy Peppers, James Spader as Lee Woods, Eric Stoltz as Wes Taylor, Charlize Theron as Helga Svelgen, Keith Carradine as Detective Creighton, Louise Fletcher as Evelyn, Austin Pendleton as Ralph Crupi, Kathleen Luong as Midori and Ada Maris as Detective Carla Valenzuela.

It is worth while just for that cast.

The film is Charlize Theron’s feature film debut in a credited role, after an uncredited walk-on as Eli’s follower in Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest (1995).

Herzfeld recalls: ‘The movie is about a lot of people who either never achieved their goals, or screwed up their lives, or dropped the football the first time it was thrown to them. What a lot of characters share in common is this unrealised potential.’

It is R rated for violence, sexuality and strong language

RIP Glenne Headly (1955–2017) who died on 8 June 2017, age 62.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5575

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