"2 Days in the Valley" (1996) on HBO Max

[nuxvomica]

This fast-moving, California-noir comedy employs the random interplay of strangers trope found in such movies as Pulp Fiction and Crash without the posturing and desperate hipness of those films. This story has heart, and dogs, and is just a fun though bloody ride. (The dogs are unharmed.) It boasts a solid cast: Paul Mazursky as a suicidal, washed-up TV director; Danny Aiello as a washed-up hitman who takes on a job with a sociopathic James Spader; Marsha Mason, Charlize Theron, Eric Stoltz, Keith Carradine, and a cameo by Austin Pendleton. There are also pretty vacuous performances by Terri Hatcher and Jeff Daniels but they don't harsh the buzz. This is an enjoyable and twisty 48 hours but definitely not for youngsters.