Ti West is usually the guy you associate with slow-burn horror or that recent, massive X and Pearl trilogy. But back in 2016, he took a hard left turn into the dusty, blood-soaked world of the American West. He brought along a heavy-hitting crew to do it. Honestly, when you look at the in a valley of violence cast today, it feels like a fever dream of "how did this not win ten awards?" You have Ethan Hawke at his most rugged, John Travolta playing a nuanced lawman, and Karen Gillan before she was a household name in every Jumanji or Marvel flick. It’s a weird, lean, mean movie that functions more like a dark comedy wrapped in a spaghetti western’s skin.
The movie follows Paul, a deserter from the Army, who is just trying to get to Mexico with his dog, Abbie. He stops in a literal "valley of violence"—a dying mining town called Denton—and things go south immediately. It’s a classic revenge setup, but the actors elevate it from a standard B-movie to something much more textured and, frankly, hilarious in a grim way.
Ethan Hawke and the Art of the Quiet Protagonist
Ethan Hawke plays Paul. He’s great at playing guys who look like they haven’t slept in three weeks but could still outsmart you in a heartbeat. In this film, he’s mostly talking to his dog. That’s a bold choice for a lead. It’s actually Jumpy the Dog (a very famous Hollywood Border Collie/McNab mix) who shares the most screen time with Hawke in the first act.
Hawke has this way of making "the man with no name" trope feel less like a Clint Eastwood rip-off and more like a guy who is genuinely exhausted by humanity. He doesn't want the fight. He’s a veteran of the Indian Wars, burdened by the guilt of what he’s done. When he’s forced back into killing mode, you see the physical toll it takes on him. It’s not "cool" violence; it’s messy and desperate. Hawke’s performance is the anchor that keeps the movie from drifting too far into the absurd, even when the dialogue gets snappy and modern.
John Travolta’s Late-Career Gem
We have to talk about John Travolta as "The Marshal." Usually, in these movies, the town authority figure is either a total saint or a complete monster. Travolta plays it right down the middle. He’s a man with a wooden leg who just wants his idiot son to stop causing problems.
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It’s easily one of Travolta's best performances in the last decade. He’s funny, he’s weary, and he’s surprisingly reasonable. There’s a scene where he basically begs the protagonist to just leave so he doesn't have to deal with the paperwork of a massacre. He knows his son, Gilly, is a "clown," as he puts it. Travolta brings a rhythmic, almost theatrical quality to his lines that reminds you why he was a superstar in the first place. He’s not playing a villain; he’s playing a tired dad who happens to run a town full of degenerates.
The Breakout Talent: Taissa Farmiga and Karen Gillan
The in a valley of violence cast also features two sisters who run the local hotel, played by Taissa Farmiga and Karen Gillan. They are the polar opposites of each other.
- Taissa Farmiga (Mary-Anne): She’s the heart of the movie. While everyone else is posturing and spitting tobacco, she’s just a teenager who wants to escape a dead-end town. Her chemistry with Hawke is sweet and awkward. She provides the only reason for the audience to care if the town survives the night.
- Karen Gillan (Ellen): She is unrecognizable if you only know her as Nebula. She’s loud, vain, and fiercely protective of her status as the "pretty" one in a town of ugliness. She plays the comedy beats perfectly, especially when reacting to the escalating violence around her.
It’s interesting to note that James Ransone plays Gilly, the Marshal's son. Ransone is a Ti West regular and he plays the "entitled bully" so well you’ll want to reach through the screen and punch him. He’s the catalyst for the entire plot, and his performance is deliberately grating. He’s not a mastermind; he’s just a kid with a badge and an ego.
The Supporting Players
You might also spot Burn Gorman as a creepy priest. Gorman has one of those faces built for character acting in period pieces. He pops up early on, sets the tone for the lawlessness of the region, and disappears, leaving a lingering sense of dread. Then there’s Toby Huss and Larry Fessenden—legends in the indie film world—who round out Gilly’s gang. They aren't just "thug #1" and "thug #2." They have distinct, albeit pathetic, personalities that make the eventual shootouts feel more impactful.
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Why the Casting Choices Mattered for the Genre
Most Westerns today try to be "gritty" and "realistic" to the point of being boring. Ti West went the other way. By casting people like Travolta and Hawke, who have very specific, modern energies, he created a "Neo-Western" that feels fresh. The in a valley of violence cast was clearly told to play it straight, which makes the absurdity of the situations even funnier.
Think about the dog. Jumpy isn't just a prop; he's a credited member of the cast. The stunts that dog performs—covering himself with a blanket, playing dead on command—are better than what some human actors manage in big-budget blockbusters. The emotional weight of the movie actually rests on the bond between Paul and Abbie. When that bond is threatened, the movie shifts from a quirky character study into a high-stakes revenge thriller.
Misconceptions About the Film
People often think this is a horror movie because Ti West directed it. It’s not. It’s a Western through and through. Another misconception is that it’s a high-octane action flick. It’s actually quite slow. It spends a lot of time on dialogue and character motivation. If you go in expecting John Wick in the desert, you’ll be disappointed. But if you go in expecting a Coen Brothers-esque take on a classic genre, you’re in for a treat.
The Production Reality
Filming took place in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The weather was brutal, which actually helped the actors look as miserable as their characters were supposed to be. The town of Denton wasn't just a set; it felt lived-in. When you see Hawke covered in dust and sweat, that’s not all makeup. The physical environment played as big a role as any of the human actors.
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The film was produced by Jason Blum’s Blumhouse Productions. This is a bit of an outlier for them, as they usually stick to low-budget horror. But they saw the potential in West's script and the powerhouse in a valley of violence cast to do something different. It premiered at South by Southwest (SXSW) and got great reviews, though it never quite exploded at the box office. That’s a shame, because it’s a much more intelligent film than the marketing suggested.
Essential Takeaways for Film Buffs
If you’re looking to dive into this movie or revisit it, pay attention to these specific elements that make the casting so effective:
- The Power of Silence: Watch how much Ethan Hawke conveys without saying a word. His eyes do most of the heavy lifting.
- Dialogue Rhythm: Listen to the way John Travolta delivers his lines. It’s almost musical. He finds humor in the most mundane observations.
- Tone Shifting: Observe how Taissa Farmiga manages to keep her character grounded even when the movie veers into cartoonish violence.
- Animal Acting: Don't ignore Jumpy. The dog's performance is central to the plot's emotional payoff.
To get the most out of your viewing, try to find the "Making Of" featurettes if you can. They show the incredible training that went into the dog stunts and the camaraderie between Hawke and Travolta on set. They apparently had a blast filming the climax, which involves a lot of shouting from balconies and tactical maneuvering around a stable.
If you haven't seen it yet, go find a copy. It's currently streaming on various platforms and is well worth the 100-minute runtime. It’s a masterclass in how a great cast can take a simple "stranger comes to town" story and turn it into something memorable, darkly funny, and surprisingly moving. Stop looking for the next generic action movie and give this weird Western a chance. You’ll probably end up recommending it to everyone you know.