X
- 2007
- R
- Warner Independent Pictures (WIP)
- 2 h 1 m
- 2007
- R
- Warner Independent Pictures (WIP)
- 2 h 1 m
Summary In the Valley of Elah tells the story of a war veteran, his wife and the search for their son, a soldier who recently returned from Iraq but has mysteriously gone missing, as well as the police detective who helps in the investigation. (Warner Independent Pictures)
Directed By: Paul Haggis
Written By: Mark Boal, Paul Haggis
- 2007
- R
- Warner Independent Pictures (WIP)
- 2 h 1 m
- 2007
- R
- Warner Independent Pictures (WIP)
- 2 h 1 m
In the Valley of Elah
65
7.6
Where to Watch
Summary In the Valley of Elah tells the story of a war veteran, his wife and the search for their son, a soldier who recently returned from Iraq but has mysteriously gone missing, as well as the police detective who helps in the investigation. (Warner Independent Pictures)
Directed By: Paul Haggis
Written By: Mark Boal, Paul Haggis
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 37 Critic Reviews
65
73% Positive
27 Reviews
27 Reviews
27% Mixed
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 37 Critic Reviews
65
73% Positive
27 Reviews
27 Reviews
27% Mixed
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
For the most part it is an effective, disturbing and - a rarity for Haggis - subtle exploration of the stateside war story.
Tommy Lee Jones is marvelous in the film. He has one scene in particular, a simple two-person encounter, that's as good as it gets in the realm of American screen acting.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 58 User Ratings
7.6
79% Positive
46 Ratings
46 Ratings
19% Mixed
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
2% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 58 User Ratings
7.6
79% Positive
46 Ratings
46 Ratings
19% Mixed
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
2% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
This is a seriously thought provoking movie. Some people will hate it because they actually NEED to live in nationalistic illusions. But for those who have eyes willing to see, and ears willing to hear, this movie asks us to really think about war... what we do to the children (ours and theirs), what we are complicit in, and what we normally refuse to see, despite the mounting statistics on effects on our returning soldiers. This movie was a real wake up call, with superb acting, writing and directing... it is for grown-ups, though.
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In The Valley of Elah is a true story, that follows the disappearance and murder of a solider, recently returning home from Iraq. Tommy Lee Jones plays that soldiers father, a retired Military Police Officer, who launches his own investigation, and he continues to be the best actor I've ever seen. Jones rightfully received an Academy Award Nomination for this role and really should have won. No matter the film, no matter if it's good or bad, Jones simply steals the show and makes it work. Charlize Theron was also terrific as the Detective who wanted to solve the case that nobody else wanted. In most things I've seen her in, I didn't like her, but here her performance actually rivals Jones's. This film is extremely well written and very methodical. If The Valley of Elah can't keep your attention and have you on the edge of seat, talking to the screen, than nothing else will. This is honestly one of the best written, acted, and important films I've seen in a very long time. This one's going on the must see list and you will defiantly not be disappointed!
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Haggis' earnest and eloquent film about the impact of the war in Iraq on U.S. soldiers, and by extension, their nation, is human-scaled. And as deep and harrowed as Jones' crevassed face.
It's the casting of Iraq vet and non-professional Jake McLaughlin as Specialist Bonner, who fought alongside Deerfield's son in Iraq, that strikes a deeper emotional chord. His scenes with Jones, fraught with a complicated mix of bitterness, concern and guilt, are the best things in the movie.
Paul Haggis switches from the problem of racism to the problem of Iraq. The war is a better fit. None of the exasperating guilt on display in "Crash" has made it into In the Valley of Elah, a solidly made genre movie: the Army mystery.
In my cut of the film, it ends after Jones opens the parcel from his son that's been sitting on his kitchen table since shortly after he left. I recommend viewers leave the theater at that point. You won't be sorry that you did.
Haggis also appears to have no respect for his audience. At its crudest, the film settles for agitprop...it's no Hollywood guy's call, particularly as he's extrapolating from a single case that could have occurred anywhere, at any time.
It was very helpful to Paul Haggis to have Clint Eastwood as a teacher. The story of a war veteran who is looking for his son, who in the hands of someone else would have been a movie of the lot, he knew how to make it so that the characters become empathetic, and the plot arouses interest during its two hours of footage .
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An unfathomably underrated piece of murky, riveting crime drama. Not sure why everyone slept on this one. "In The Valley Of Elah" is as much a sobering study of war and its psychological effects as it is an engrossing, labyrinthine true crime piece. Tommy Lee Jones' performance is masterful in the professional sense, giving the audience just enough to know what's going on underneath, but not enough to encroach upon the realms of melodramatic "scene chewery." Charlize Theron's supporting turn is just as commendable, acting as more of an olive branch to the audience than anything else, but doing so in a skillful and tender fashion. Roger Deakins cinematography is -- as always -- to be commended. And Mark Isham's score is cerebral and appropriately dark. This is a haunting and, at times, horrifying film with a whole lot to say, but with nowhere near the amount of "chip" resting on its shoulder as some of the more rhetorically unabashed films you see nowadays. In fact, I'd go so far as to say this movie came out at the wrong time. It probably would have done much better now than it did in 2006/2007. It certainly holds up for me.
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Es una película sobre temas sensibles; la trama es muy buena y las actuaciones de Tommy Lee Jones y Charlize Theron son excelentes; muy recomendable.
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This film revolves around the American intervention in Iraq: when a soldier returns home and simply disappears without a word, his father, who was a soldier in Vietnam, decides to move heaven and earth to find him. It's a film about how the war moves everyone involved, and particularly the young soldiers who take part in it, and who don't come home the same way they left.
The film is intense, sometimes brutal in its approach to the subject and does not spare the audience in its effort to show us how good young people are transformed into men that even their parents find it difficult to recognize. All of this is carried out in the wake of a plot that is soon understood to be a crime... from then on, most of the story boils down to the parallel investigation that the father does, aided by a young detective, to find out the truth about the death of his son. There are certain moments where the plot becomes obvious and easy to foresee, but I handled it well and didn't feel the predictability detracted from what I was seeing. I enjoyed seeing the dogged way he investigates, but I felt the film thinks twice about telling us if he really realized how much the war has changed his son for the worse. This caution removed the possibility of an even more impactful ending.
Tommy Lee Jones is the main actor here, and in all fairness, as he presents us with one of the most eloquent works of his career to date. The way the actor plays his character is, in a word, irreproachable. As the film progresses, the actor reveals an increasingly evident wear and bitterness. Charlize Theron also did very well, but the film is not hers, and the character remains forever in Jones' shadow. Veteran Susan Sarandon shows up little, less than she should and deserved, since the little she did was excellent and worthy of an actress of her caliber and experience. The supporting cast features solid but relatively neutral performances from actors such as Jason Patric, James Franco, Josh Brolin, Barry Corbin or Wes Chatham.
Technically, it's a pretty good movie, but not surprising. The cinematography is within the regular standards in use, and does not bring anything new or original that I have observed. The sets and costumes fulfill their role well, but they also don't surpass the average. Also a word for the rare visual and sound effects, and for the unremarkable soundtrack. All the chips have been bet on the good script and the cast, and I understand that bet well.
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Production Company
Warner Independent Pictures (WIP),
NALA Films,
Summit Entertainment,
Samuels Media,
Blackfriars Bridge Films
Release Date Sep 14, 2007
Duration 2 h 1 m
Rating R
Tagline Sometimes finding the truth is easier than facing it.
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
AARP Movies for Grownups Awards
• 3 Nominations
Venice Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
