Last week I went to view several films at the NY International Independent Film Festival. I caught a bunch of shorts and several features. The highlighted films were "The Last of the Romantics" and this wonderful film "Valley of Angels".
Now, I've been in the business for 32 years. I've seen brilliant films and some wonderful indies. "Valley of Angels" really took the cake at this festival for me. I haven't seen an indie film this powerful in a very long time.
First off, for the budget it was made on, the film looks wonderful. The story had me on the edge the entire time. I was not bored for a minute.
Now, Danny Trejo is more of a supporting actor in the film - we don't see very much of him but when we do - Watch out! It's the best and scariest I've seen him in a very long time. He's great to watch but the highlight for me was the young newcomer and New York City native George Katt - the true star of the film. Katt plays "Zeus" the young drug dealer that gets caught up in a huge mess. He is in virtually every scene and carries the entire film with one of the most powerful presence's I have seen in cinema in a really long time. He is one of the most moving young actors I have watched in a very long while. He has a young Russell Crowe intensity but reminds you of the greatest actors of our earlier generation - Brando, Dean, Clift, McQueen - due to a very naturalistic approach and intensity, but he also channels this amazing vulnerability.
Katt truly made the movie work for me. I don't know how it would have turned out if Mr. Rosten had cast another way. George Katt is truly a diamond in the rough - especially out in Los Angeles where we get a lot of flash-in-the-pan actors and mediocre performances. When you watch the film, you can see Mr. Katt truly lives and breathes the role of "Zeus" with every inch of his emotion and instinct.
I can't say enough about "Valley" the film itself, but I can't stress even more about Mr. Katt and his importance in making it a great flick. He is worth every penny of the ticket price of this film.
The other performances that really stood out were a wonderful young actress (also a newcomer) Heather Trzyna - who plays Zeus' younger sister. She really moved me and has a bright career ahead of her (a young Meryl Streep-to-be). Also, Renee George gave a nice turn as Sandra - Zeus' materialistic girlfriend.
A great cast all around - but Mr. Katt is surely the one to watch with Trejo as a bit of icing on an already wonderfully well-done project! Jon Rosten does a great job with his vision and an already powerful script.
We are sure to see more of Mr. Rosten and Mr. Katt (reminding me of the early Scorsese and De Niro in many, many ways).
Check this film out when it comes to you! I'm off to the next festival and review! Cheers, -CMJones
