Vallone worked primarily as a production designer, particularly for director Walter Hill. He worked with Hill on the films Southern Comfort (1981, starring Keith Carradine, with cinematography by Andrew Laszlo), 48 Hrs. (1982, featuring Jonathan Banks and Denise Crosby), Streets of Fire (1984, featuring Ed Begley, Jr. and cinematography by Andrew Laszlo), Brewster's Millions (1985, starring Stephen Collins), and Red Heat (1988, with cinematography by Matthew F. Leonetti).