Well-written story with odd characters, intricate plot, and some callous but not excessive blood-letting. I don't want to give anything away, but this is one of those movies with a bunch of interlocking stories that come together and resolve at the end. There isn't a weak performance in the ensemble cast and the script is likewise pretty much rock solid. It was also really nice to see Spader before he got too chunky--he always had that doughy look and lately he's been looking anything other than svelte. A total treat which only makes you wonder why we suffer from such a dearth of good movies today, given that this dates way back to 1996 and there has been plenty of time to do at least as well.

"2 Days in the Valley" feels like one of those '90s movies that walks in the footsteps of "Pulp Fiction" (cosmic coincidences, lives interweaving, all happening in L.A.) . . . "Go" has also been compared to Tarantino's movie, but that was at least darkly comic about it."Valley" never reaches the heights of those movies, even with such a large cast and an advertised catfight between Teri Hatcher and Charlize Theron. It's not funny and there's never really a payoff. Characters learn lessons about life, but that's where the movie gets syrupy. It's like a fantasyland version of Southern California.But a dull fantasy.5/10

Within the space of a couple of days, the lives of a disparate bunch of characters collide in circumstances that are so bizarre and unpredictable that it's impossible not to be drawn into the rather convoluted plot of "2 Days In The Valley". This is a crime movie which features an unusual mixture of violence, romance and comedy as well as a large number of characters who are all eccentric, dangerous or troubled in various ways and it's these characters that make this film so compelling and entertaining to watch.Lee Woods (James Spader) and Dosmo Pizzo (Danny Aiello) are the professional hit men who break into the home of sleeping Olympic skier, Becky Foxx (Teri Hatcher) and after giving her an injection that knocks her out, kill her unfaithful husband Roy (Peter Horton) who was lying in bed next to her. After making their escape, Lee shoots Dosmo and leaves him in a burning car so that the money they're due to be paid won't have to be split two ways.Unknown to Lee, Dosmo (who was wearing a bulletproof vest) survives and takes shelter at the nearby home of wealthy art dealer Allan Hopper (Greg Cruttwell) whose Kidney stones are causing him great pain. Initially, Dosmo holds Hopper and his assistant Susan Parish (Glenne Headly) at gunpoint and later, when Hopper's sister Audrey (Marsha Mason) arrives with a guy called Teddy Peppers (Paul Mazursky), they're also taken hostage.When Becky regains consciousness, she's covered in blood and horrified to find her estranged husband's dead body. In sheer panic she runs out into the road and asks the occupants of a nearby car for help. The two men in the car turn out to be vice cops who get drawn into the subsequent murder investigation, as well as two other homicide detectives who are officially assigned to the case. Lee returns to the scene of the crime to collect his money and this puts the lives of all the police officers in extreme danger. Not too surprisingly, the movie comes to its very violent conclusion when most of the surviving characters eventually meet up.The circumstances that Dosmo and Teddy found themselves in were similar as they were both older men who were seriously down-on-their-luck. Dosmo was a washed-up hit man who was only hired by Lee because he wanted to set him up as a fall-guy and Teddy, after many years as a TV director had seen his career degenerate to such a low point that he'd become suicidal. Against all the odds, in this story, both men found the promise of something better for their futures when they met Susan and Audrey. Aiello and Mazursky both do a great job in conveying their characters' humanity and despair.James Spader provides the movie's standout performance as the sadistic Lee who even uses a stopwatch as an instrument to inflict further pain and anguish on his helpless victims and Charlize Theron makes a strong impression as his equally evil girlfriend, Helga. Eric Stolz and Jeff Daniels add considerable colour to the proceedings as the two vice cops with very different attitudes to their jobs and Teri Hatcher is convincing as the treacherous Becky."2 Days In The Valley" was given mixed reviews when it was first released as many reviewers understandably compared it unfavourably with "Pulp Fiction" which had been released just two years earlier. However, in view of the number of years that have elapsed since the release of Tarantino's masterpiece, maybe it's now more pertinent to judge this movie on its own merits and recognise its positive values a bit more clearly.

Several plot lines involving a multitude of characters eventually come together in this quirky comedy. The cast is awesome, with almost every character played by a familiar face. Despite such a collection of stars, however, the film never really takes off. The main problem is the uneven script that tries to balance too many plot threads and too many characters. Also, although it has its moments, the comedy is not funny enough. Herzfeld, who has mostly worked in TV, is in over his head here on both the writing and directorial fronts. In her first screen credit, Theron is an alluring bad girl and engages in a cat fight with Hatcher!