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2 Days in the Valley

2 Days in the Valley

Comedy · Crime · Thriller · 1996

In a sleepy bedroom community of LA's San Fernando Valley, the murder of a professional athlete by two hit men sets into motion a chain of events that puts the mundane lives of a dozen residents on a collision course. This clever tale tells the story of two hit men, a mistress, a nurse, a vindictive ex-wife, a wealthy art dealer and his lovelorn assistant, a suicidal writer and his dog, and a bitter cop and his partner.

Movie details

2 Days in the Valley

“You have one minute to decide the rest of your life.”

1996 Comedy · Crime · Thriller 1h 44m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.2 / 10

Community rating

In a sleepy bedroom community of LA's San Fernando Valley, the murder of a professional athlete by two hit men sets into motion a chain of events that puts the mundane lives of a dozen residents on a collision course. This clever tale tells the story of two hit men, a mistress, a nurse, a vindictive ex-wife, a wealthy art dealer and his lovelorn assistant, a suicidal writer and his dog, and a bitter cop and his partner.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over 2 Days in the Valley?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

John Herzfeld

Written by

John Herzfeld

Danny Aiello

Danny Aiello

Dosmo Pizzo

Jeff Daniels

Jeff Daniels

Alvin Strayer

Teri Hatcher

Teri Hatcher

Becky Foxx

Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron

Helga Svelgen

James Spader

James Spader

Lee Woods

Eric Stoltz

Eric Stoltz

Wes Taylor

Glenne Headly

Glenne Headly

Susan Parish

Court is in session

Put 2 Days in the Valley on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“It owes the canon nothing.”

The movie pursues immediacy and audience pleasure without begging institutions to certify its worth.

The prosecution The Prestige Tourist

“Easy pleasure, short half-life.”

It moves efficiently through the moment but offers little reason to keep arguing once the credits end.