I love this movie so much

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

I have just finished this movie and it is truly remarkable. I really enjoy independently produced westerns and this is one of the best. It goes a bit slow but it is worth ii to stay through it until the end. For a western fan, it will not a disappoint.What attracted me to this was the idea of a western set in the Alps of Austria or Germany. It was never clear about that but it does not matter. I don't want to make a spoiler but as I said, this is SET in the Alps and not just shot in the Alps as an American western.This is a genre of westerns that I would like to see more of and that is the American Cowboy or Cowgirl placed in a foreign environment. The Dark Valley stacks up well with Quigley Down Under (Australia). Hidalgo (Saudi Arabia),and The Castaway Cowboy (Hawaii) although the last was a comedy. What I have enjoyed about all of these flicks is how the American cowboy has to adapt to the environment to survive and prevail. I hope there are more such westerns like that out there or maybe someone will be inspired to explore this sub genre. I have never seen Africa:Texas Style but that was a "modern" western and I am not too crazy about those except that I did like Longmire. Good job everyone.

THE DARK VALLEY is a slow burning Austrian western set in an Alpine village in the late 19th century. The rugged Alpine scenery dominates the movie and becomes a character in itself, whether it's rain-sodden or icy cold when the snows finally hit. Inevitably this is a well-shot film with some fine cinematography although the colour palette didn't really need to be so subdued as it would have been better without that clichéd greyed-out look.The story is similar to the supernaturally-tinged Clint Eastwood westerns of the 1970s and 1980s. A young photographer arrives in the village to stay the winter and make a basic living, but there's more to the story than meets the eye and before long the plot really kicks into motion. You see, this is a very typical revenge story that involves violence and retribution, particularly in the latter half.Until that point there's a lot of scene-setting and character-building to get through. This is an extreme slow-burner and although all of the material is interesting, my interest did threaten to wane at points. Still, the denouement is worth the wait, packed with suspense and tension as it is, and the direction is very good. Realism is crucial here and carefully constructed. The Austrian cast is fine, and Sam Riley proves acceptable as the imported British lead; even his German language scenes sounded convincing, at least to this Brit reviewer.

This is the first Austrian western I have viewed, and what an introduction to this director! I am a long-time aficionado of great westerns and this ranks right up at the top of the genre alongside such classics as Unforgiven and High Plains Drifter.The production values are extremely high with particularly good attention to costume and set/scene realism - with my only (tiny) criticism being the lack of an appropriately grimy, dirty finish to much of the costuming. Unlike many reviewers I found the score throughout the movie to be superb and the introductory and closing songs to be appropriate and perfectly matched for the film's atmosphere. The setting in the European Alps was something I raised an eyebrow at before watching but not only does it provide for some of the most breathtaking scenic placements for the camera work, everything slots nicely into place with perfectly sensible logic and reason.This is a superbly-paced, brooding and somewhat dark story; an atmosphere which is perfectly echoed in the stunning lighting and cinematography. The acting was top-notch with no Hollywood-style prettiness, the whole cast looked sufficiently careworn, weather-beaten and real, just as if they were plucked in mid-winter from a genuine alpine village to play themselves. The dialogue is beautifully minimalist with no wasted lines, it is so pleasing to see that it hasn't been scripted it for a mass-market audience that needs to have every single facet of the story explained to them, viewers actually need only to engage their eyes and brain at the same time (Yes, I know some will find that difficult.) Despite the fact that the story is a pretty standard and predictable western genre staple - mysterious stranger appears in isolated community to exact revenge for misdeeds in the past - I loved this movie from start to finish and have not a single bad thing to say about it. I think this great film will appeal to not only all genuine western fans but also any lovers of fine cinema as an art-form.

Pleasantly surprised to find an authentic Western rivaling Dances with Wolves and Eastwood in quality and ambiance. And, shockingly, it's a German production filmed in the Italian/Austrian Alps. The character presentations, props, sets, landscape, costuming, background sound effects and music were created, or reworked from existing structures, such that I could feel those rain drenched muddy roads on my feet as I watched. Bonus - action, suspense, storyline twists and emotional intensity. Landscape/scenery looked very much like the Rockies to me and I've traveled the Rockies from Canada nearly to Mexico. My only negative is, like many movies, the director did not have enough real world dirt and tatteredness in the costuming and props.