One of the early views in the opening of the film is the beginning of the Grapevine. The Grapevine is a stretch of road over the mountains that serves as the first leg of the journey to northern California. The trip along Interstate 5 consists of miles upon miles of monotonous driving broken up by small oases of gas stations, motels, and fast food drive-thrus, all while sharing the road with a constant stream of large trucks. It serves as a sudden change from the overpopulated Southland. That's my recollection of traveling along that route during the early 90s. I don't know how much of that has changed. Somehow it seemed to be both unlikely and appropriate to find cowboy Harlan (Edward Norton) to be living in this frontier of southern California. But unfortunately, he seems to be trapped on the wrong side. The new California Gold Rush is land development. In the film, the natural beauty of the region is marred by reminders of this encroachment. We also see endless traffic, hills covered by power lines, and rundown concrete shopping districts. The world is closing in on Harlan Fairfax Carruthers.
You have to wonder why Harlan stays in the Valley. He doesn't fit in at all. Early in the film, it looks as if he stepped off the range, but right behind him in the background is a Pizza Hut. The viewer is constantly struck with the disparate natures of Harlan and the world around him. He works at a gas station even though he dislikes cars and his apartment is fairly depressing as well. His stated background in ranching won't get him too far. Why doesn't he just hop on a Grayhound and head back to South Dakota and do the work he so clearly wants to do? Probably because he won't fit there either. He isn't quite truthful about his life. Harlan doesn't just long to be a cowboy, he longs to be a cowboy in the Old West.
Toby (Evan Rachel Wood) is also searching. She clearly describes her problem: she is "waiting for her life to start." She takes every opportunity to escape the inside of her darkly lit drab house. Even though she only lives with her father Wade (David Morse) and brother Lonnie (Rory Culkin), her olive colored bedroom door holds a pathetic little sign created by pencil and paper and reads "Tobe's Room." She aches for a privacy that is constantly disturbed by her abusive father who barges into her room without knocking and her needy younger brother, who's afraid of the dark. Her life begins to change on a trip to the beach with her friends where they stop at a gas station and meet Harlan.
The age difference between Harlan and Tobe is a topic that comes up in many of the reviews. Many also characterize her as just a rebellious teen. But while they emphasize these elements, they ignore the depth of the relationship. To Tobe's friends, Harlan is a joke. But she is able to perceive something in him beyond the cowboy hat, holes in his shirt and drawl. Something draws her to him when she sees him looking at her. After a brief conversation, she invites him to the beach.
Visually, the world changes for both of them. It seems to go from a monochromatic look for the Valley to vivid bright colors. She is the aggressor, turning the fun on the beach into kissing and later, turning the kissing into sex. He is shocked and overwhelmed by the attention. It is then that you are able to see in Harlan the great toll that his isolation has caused, the depth of his loneliness and his complete vulnerability. The walls are down between them and they are able to talk to each other about their true feelings. Only Tobe can make inroads to Harlan's world. She is able to convince him to go into the ocean and to take ecstasy (not at the same time). She is his connection to the world as it is. He treats her with a respect that she probably has never experienced. On their first date, he shows up in his best shirt, his hair combed down, and appears fairly nervous. The sex the night before probably should have clued him into the fact that she likes him. He bought her a matching top and skirt for a gift even though he lost his job to go to the beach. He gives her the encouragement lacking from her father.
Harlan also connects with Tobe's brother Lonnie. Other than the time he spends with his sister, Lonnie is starved for attention. Lonnie tiptoes around Wade, not wanting to be around when he goes into a rage. The fact that Wade is not his real father may add to Lonnie's insecurity about his place in the family. When Harlan shows geniuine interest in Lonnie, a friendship quickly forms. Harlan sees some of himself in the boy. Plus, Lonnie is the one person who truly accepts Harlan's vision of the world.
Something that stood out to me from the beginning is strangely missing from the reviews. There is a great deal of similarity between Harlan and Wade. Harlan tells Wade that he thinks Tobe has a great spirit. Later on, Lonnie asks what Wade likes about Tobe, and he says that she has gumption. Lonnie doesn't know the word, so Wade clarifies his thoughts: she has spirit, she won't take crap from anybody. Harlan strums a guitar while talking to Tobe their first night together. Wade plays a guitar and sings "I'm so Lonesome I Could Cry" when he thinks he's by himself, only to have Harlan join in on the last few lines. Harlan practices quick draw with his guns and play acts confrontations in his apartment. Wade, a corrections officer, cleans his gun. When Harlan first comes to the house, he admires Wade's old fashioned crank phonograph and enjoys one of his records. He is also impressed by Wade's gun collection that Lonnie shows to him. Wade's quick and violent temper has alienated him from his family. Harlan experiences a self-imposed isolation. His cowboy ways keep people at a distance, which grows even farther as the film goes on. In spirit, they're both cowboys. But the differences are also vast. Wade is pragmatic and has conformed to the modern world, while Harlan still clings to the classic cowboy personna. Wade points out that Tobe is a minor. The age difference doesn't seem to even occur to Harlan. Wade calls Harlan nothing but trailer trash, and this characterization greatly angers Harlan. Unlike Wade's temper, Harlan is moved to anger only when his vision of his world is threatened. As time goes on, he is less able to reconcile the differences between the two worlds. The clash between Harlan and Wade is more than a difference in personality, it is the Old West against the New. Unfortunately, Wade and actor David Morse are not given a lot of credit in the reviews. I think that Wade also comes to a realization during the film: what does it say about his relationship with his children if both of them choose the company of some stranger over him?
While spirit is the one trait that both Wade and Harlan admire about Tobe, it is also the thing that separates each from her. Wade is enraged by her refusal to give in to his demands. Although Harlan and Tobe form a deep connection, she refuses when he asks her to go away with him. She is not simply going to ride off into the sunset with him because it's what he wants. If Harlan wants to be a part of her life, he has to accept her terms.
Not only do we deal with the disappearance of the Old West in "Down in the Valley", it also seems to be a reinvention of genre of the Western. Over the years, the universal themes in Westerns have unfortunately been misappropriated into the development of stereotypic characters and hackneyed plot structures. With a few outstanding exceptions (as well as incredible disasters), the genre itself has disappeared from modern film. "Down in the Valley" is not your average Western, but it seems to be set up that way. Kind, mysterious drifter in a white hat versus bully who terrorizes his own children, it seems obvious how the film should end. But it is not at all predictable. And I think that it the main reason why the major studios were not anxious to distribute the film. I don't want to give away any of the plot twists. Elements of the traditional western abound: there is a makeshift posse, a chase and a gun battle. We learn a little bit about Harlan's background, but most did not make it in. Ellen Burstyn had a role that was cut from the film. I don't know what the original intent was, but I have a feeling from what remains that some of Harlan's childhood mirrors Lonnie's.
In June's Total Film, EN mentioned that his father said it was the best film his son has ever done. There are many complex aspects to the role of Harlan that EN is able to blend together. He is able to embody the classic Western hero without making it seem over the top in the modern age, his skill with the guns is as if he had been practicing all his life, he manages a balance of the love and desire towards an underage girl without making it exploitative, he manages to seem sweet and easygoing yet he can also appear menacing when he feels threatened.
Other things about the film that don't seem to fit anywhere else in this review. Considering his previous film roles, it's very funny to listen to Bruce Dern giving unsolicited parenting advice to Wade. Muse Watson was supposed to be in the film, but I must have missed him entirely. The name "Tobe" is short for "October" and her best friend is named "April". I don't know what it means but I thought I'd point it out. For those who saw EN in "Burn This", his castmate Ty Burrell plays the marshal.