In a Valley of Violence

West, making his first foray into westerns, doesn't control the tone. Its somber, bone-dry gruffness crumbles to dust, only to be replaced by adolescent jokiness.

Announces itself as an unabashed B-movie from its pre-credits scene ... and never worries itself about being anything deeper than that.

In a Valley of Violence does not take itself too seriously (a great asset), but it also takes itself just seriously enough that it's not empty snarky parody.

Spiked with dryly funny exchanges and lovingly shot by Eric Robbins on 35-millimeter film, "In a Valley of Violence" nevertheless feels exasperatingly two-dimensional.

A by-the-numbers spaghetti Western that's kind of slow and uneventful-and the world has no shortage of those.

This smartly cast, vengeance-fueled oater proves mighty entertaining in its own right.

It seems that West's quirkiness involves no point at all, other than to create a familiar setting, throw a bunch of idiots together, and watch them act out their violent tendencies to somewhat predictable ends.

A sincere letter of love from its director to the genre, perhaps less risky and hoarder than might be expected, but equally enjoyable. [Full review in Spanish]

Turning his recent slide into middle-aged paunch to his advantage, Travolta allows a glimmer of the charisma he wielded in Pulp Fiction to shine through.

In a Valley of Violence is a fusion and modernization of old genres, particularly Spaghetti Western, and though not without flaws, it is mostly an entertaining thrill ride.

Revenge hasn't been this sweet in a long time.