A mysterious stranger named Greider (Sam Riley) arrives in the Dark Valley, a remote village in the German Alps that’s cut off from the rest of civilization during the winter.
Strangers aren’t normally welcome, but Greider wants a place to stay for the winter and the villagers are fascinated by the man from America who can capture their images in photographs.
So old man Brenner (Hans-Michael Rehberg), the man who rules the village, orders a young woman named Luzi (Paula Beer) and her mother Gaderin to provide lodging for Greider.
Then accidents start befalling Brenner’s sons. One dies in a timber mishap. One dies while hunting. Turns out Greider is less a photographer than a young man with a score to settle from 20 years earlier.
And he might find a willing accomplice in Luzi, who’s about to marry her sweetheart Lukas.
But in Dark Valley, such an occasion isn’t a happy one. Because one of Brenner’s rules is that he lies with all new brides. And continues bedding them until the new bride is pregnant with his child.
Only one man ever tried to defy that law. He was crucified 20 years earlier; his lover disappeared, never to be seen again.
Review:
A German film made in Austria and set in Germany that has all the hallmarks of a modern-day Spaghetti Western, right down to the locket Greider carries to let his victims know who he’s avenging.
Oh, and it’s much better than most American-made Westerns from the 2000s.
A couple of the scenes are sure to stick with you. Greider, you see, doesn’t limit his vengeance to the Brenner family. There’s a priest in his gunsight. And an elderly female innkeeper who used to sell her silence, until someone came along with a more prosperous offer.
Tobias Moretti plays Hans Brenner, the leader of the band of six brothers who helps the old man enforce his will. Martin Leutgeb is Otto Brenner, the brute of the bunch.
Sam Riley as Greider in The Dark Valley (2014)
Hans-Michael Rehberg as old man Brenner in The Dark Valley (2014)
Directed by:
Andreas Prochaska
Cast:
Sam Riley … Greider
Paula Beer … Luzi
Tobias Moretti … Hans Brenner
Hans-Michael Rehberg … Old man Brenner
Thomas Schubert … Lukas
Carmen Grati … Gaderin
Clemens Schick … Luis Brenner
Helmuth Hausler … Hubert Brenner
Martin Leutgeb … Otto Brenner
Johannes Nikolussi … Rudolf Brenner
Florian Bruckner … Edi Brenner
Erwin Steinhauer … The Priest
Heinz Ollesch … Schmied
Franz Xaver Bruckner … Franz
Xenia Assenza … Maria
Beatrix Brunschko … Mother Lukas
Gerhard Liebmann … Father Lukas
Runtime: 115 min.
Theme song: “Sinnerman”
by Clara Luzia
aka:
Das Finstere Tal
Tobias Moretti as Hans Brenner in The Dark Valley (2014)
Thomas Schubert as Lukas with Paul Beer as Luzi in The Dark Valley (2014)
Memorable lines:
Luzi: “Only the Brenners are allowed to carry guns. Didn’t you know? Why would you need it?”
Greider: “They’ll come looking for me.”
Greider: “I have sinned against the 5th Commandment. I have killed. One in the woods. One man while hunting.”
Priest: “Who are you?”
Greider: “You know my mother.”
Luzi, of Greider: “There were many who wanted to chase him away. Or do worse. Old Brenner had shown his seed into every family. And freedom is a gift not everyone likes to receive.”
Carmen Grati as Gaderin in The Dark Valley (2014)
Erwin Steinhauer as The Priest in The Dark Valley (2014)
Martin Leutgeb as Otto Brenner in The Dark Valley (2014)
Sam Riley as Greider and Paula Beer as Luzi in The Dark Valley (2014)
Sam Riley as Greider photographs The Dark Valley (2014)
Tobias Moretti as Hans Brenner with Paula Beer as Luzi in The Dark Valley (2014)
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