2 Days in the Valley Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

2 Days in the Valley Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 22, 2023

John Herzfeld's "2 Days in the Valley" (1996) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with Herzfeld and Sylvester Stallone; new audio commentary by Herzfeld; archival filmed Q&A session; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

It's a complicated business. Sometimes people die, you know.

In an exclusive new program, John Herzfeld tells Sylvester Stallone that what brings together the many random characters in his film 2 Days in the Valley is their frustration. I am not entirely convinced this is true. Vanity, greed, cockiness, bruised egos, and anger also have something to do with it. I would say that the L.A. mystique is a factor as well. You know what I mean, it is a crazy city that often invents interesting ways to bring random people together.

The opening twenty or so minutes of 2 Days in the Valley are strikingly disjointed, but Herzfeld is fully in control and does some quite good misdirection plays. For example, two hitmen (James Spader and Danny Aiello) break into a suburban home and force a guy (Peter Horton) to confess that he has been a Chinese spy. But after the hitmen inject the guy’s terrified ex-girlfriend (Teri Hatcher) with some substance that instantly knocks her out and then put a bullet in his head, the camera abandons them and abruptly moves to another guy (Greg Cruttwell). He is a wealthy art dealer with bad kidneys and a terrible attitude who begins passing a stone while driving his fancy car on a busy street. The pain blocks his ability to make rational decisions, so gets out of his car and collapses on the road, forcing a stranger to pick him up and give him a ride. The camera now jumps to a quiet park where two men meet while walking their dogs. One of the men recognizes the other (Paul Mazursky) as a failed film director and in a matter of minutes sums up his lousy career. The accuracy of the impromptu summation then inspires the failed film director to conclude that the only way out of his misery is suicide. Another abrupt camera switch introduces an undercover vice cop (Eric Stoltz) enjoying a massage in an Asian parlor, where the girls are happy to do a lot more for their male clients if properly compensated. But instead of busting the cute girl rubbing his back, the vice cop returns to his partner (Jeff Daniels), who goes berserk and declares that he is going to arrest everyone in the massage parlor for corrupting his neighborhood. Now enthusiastically returns to the two hitmen, who are passing through the same neighborhood. When they reach a lonely place somewhere on a hill, one of the hitmen (Spader) kills the other (Aiello), and while their car goes up in flames, jumps in another car, where a hot blonde (Charlize Theron) promptly gives him a kiss. Meanwhile, across from the lonely place where the car is burning, the art dealer returns to his million-dollar home, and while unloading on his submissive assistant (Glenn Headly), is introduced to the “dead” hitman who has survived his partner’s betrayal because he has been wise to wear a bullet-proof vest.

At this point, 2 Days in the Valley no longer looks strikingly disjointed, and the path forward is very clear. However, I am intentionally going to end my description of the evolution of the relationships between the different characters because the element of surprise is crucial in all of them. I am just going to mention that what unleashes all the drama and fireworks is a complicated insurance scam, which only a couple of characters are aware of it.

In the same program that is referenced at the top of this article, Stallone declares that 2 Days in the Valley is Herzfeld’s masterpiece. I have not seen every single film Herzfeld has scripted and directed, but I trust that Stallone is right for a couple of different reasons. First, there is no other film in Herzfeld’s body of work that has as many excellent leads as there are in 2 Days in the Valley. Second, the screenplay is one of those special creations that can make even ordinary actors look extraordinary. No, I am not trying to imply that some of the actors that Herzfeld cast did not deserve to be in 2 Days in the Valley. (Ironically, during the casting calls, and up until production was initiated, virtually everyone around Herzfeld thought that Theron was not good enough for her part and demanded that she be replaced. But Herzfeld, who was convinced that Theron was an incredible new talent, would not budge). However, the quality of the writing is such that it makes it impossible for anyone to appear genuinely mediocre, and for this, obviously, Herzfeld deserves all the credit.

There is one more thing about 2 Days in the Valley that is worth mentioning now. It is a very loose film whose dark humor comes from all sorts of different directions. This practice is a lost art now.

Herzfeld’s director of photography was Olive Wood, whose credits include the iconic TV series Miami Vice, as well as blockbusters like Die Hard 2: Die Harder, Face/Off, and The Bourne Identity.

2 Days in the Valley Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, 2 Days in the Valley arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from an exclusive new 4K master that was struck from the original camera negative. This master gives 2 Days in the Valley a very healthy and very attractive appearance that makes the film look almost brand new. Delineation, clarity, and depth are either very good or excellent, so on a large screen all visuals look outstanding. Fluidity is very good, too. In fact, I would say that often it is so good it could have been produced by a 4K Blu-ray release. Image stability is outstanding. Color balance is stable. I like everything that I saw, but I must mention one area of the film where saturation levels appear to be off. It is the area where Paul Mazursky meets Marsha Mason at the cemetery. The blues temporarily begin to collapse into turquoise and the effect becomes quite distracting. See screencaptures #34, 35, and 36. This is the kind of effect that would be common on an improper conversion from a 4K HDR-graded master to 1080p. (The same issue is present on the 1080p presentation of the new 4K makeover of Jess Franco's The Girl from Rio). The rest looks lovely. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

2 Days in the Valley Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I spent quite a bit of time with the 2.0 track before I tested the 5.1 track. I think that the latter opens up most of the film quite a bit better. It is not only the action footage that benefits, either. Dynamic intensity is very good, so if you turn up the volume of your system a bit more than usual, you are in for a treat. All exchanges are very clear, sharp, and easy to follow.

2 Days in the Valley Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Sylvester Stallone and John Herzfeld Conversation - I thought that this exclusive new program was outstanding. I knew that Stallone and Herzfeld were good friends, but I did not know that they had such a rich history together. The two discuss their early years in New York and struggles to produce quality content that can put them on the right track in Hollywood, the strange production history of 2 Days in the Valley (there are some fascinating revelations about Charlize Theron's involvement with it and a big bet Herzfeld won), Stallone and Herzfeld's creative instincts, the cruel nature of the film industry, etc. As far as I am concerned, this is the best bonus feature to be produced and included on a Kino Lorber release in 2023. In English, not subtitled. (36 min).

• Commentary - an exclusive new audio commentary recorded by John Herzfeld.

• Q&A at Cinefamily - presented here is a filmed reunion between some of the people that made 2 Days in the Valley in which they discuss their collaboration on the film. Present are: Charlize Theron, Glenne Headly, and John Hersfeld, while Danny Aiello joins via phone. In English, not subtitled. (31 min).

• Making of Featurette - this archival featurette takes a closer look at the production of 2 Days in the Valley. Included in it are clips from interviews with several cast members, as well as raw footage from the shooting of the film. In English, not subtitled. (8 min).

• B-Rolls - in English, not subtitled. (8 min).

• Cast and Crew Soundites - in English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• Trailer - presented here is an original U.S. trailer for 2 Days in the Valley. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Cover - a reversible cover with vintage poster art for 2 Days in the Valley.

2 Days in the Valley Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sylvester Stallone is right to declare that 2 Days in the Valley is John Herzfeld's masterpiece. It is a wonderfully scripted and shot film with a truly remarkable cast. While certainly unique, I think that it is easy to group with the likes of Thursday and One False Move, both of which have equally wild characters and wicked sense of humor. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a good new 4K master and features an outstanding new program with Stallone and Herzfeld. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.