In the Valley of Elah

Name: In the Valley of Elah
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Crime
Released: September 14, 2007
Duration: 121 min
Rating: 65
Cast: Charlize Theron, Jonathan Tucker, Tommy Lee Jones

2007

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Generally favorable reviews based on 37 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 94 Ratings

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7.4

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7.4	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 94 Ratings

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In The Valley Of Elah

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Movie Details & Credits

Warner Independent Pictures (WIP) | Release Date: September 14, 2007 | R

Starring: Charlize Theron, Jonathan Tucker, Tommy Lee Jones

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)

Director: Paul Haggis

Genre(s): Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 121 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Owen Gleiberman

It's the first Hollywood Iraq movie to remind me of a Vietnam film like Coming Home, and it does more than disturb. It scalds, moves, and heals. Read full review

Michael Phillips

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. Read full review

David Denby

No one could mistake the movie for a documentary, but the picture has some of the rectitude of a good documentary--a tone of plainness without flatness. Read full review

David Ansen

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. Read full review

Lawrence Toppman

Journalists have a saying for someone who neglects or downplays the most important part of a news story: He buried the lead. That's what Paul Haggis does with "In the Valley of Elah," which submerges two important storylines beneath a pointless, unsatisfying whodunit. Read full review

Wesley Morris

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. Read full review

Stephen Hunter

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. Read full review

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User Reviews

Damjk

Nov 11, 2013

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 andThis 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.… Expand

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MINTONmedia

Nov 5, 2007

I'm not a Haggis fan and have found his work consistently overrated by critics. To me, "Crash" was a muddled parable and "Million Dollar Baby" a wallow-in-it disaster. But in this film, he (with the brilliant acting assistance of Jones, Theron, Sarandon and everyone else) has hit one I'm not a Haggis fan and have found his work consistently overrated by critics. To me, "Crash" was a muddled parable and "Million Dollar Baby" a wallow-in-it disaster. But in this film, he (with the brilliant acting assistance of Jones, Theron, Sarandon and everyone else) has hit one out of the park. By telling the story via an intriguing mystery plotline and rooting it deeply in the flawed character Jones plays, he makes a "political" statement without politics...and the film works because of it.… Expand

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Compi24

Jan 29, 2019

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 masterfulAn 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.… Expand

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SteveG.

Sep 23, 2007

ALL performances were excellent and held true to their characters and their director's intent. No cliches, no given overly dramatic gestures. No added violence. A bit slow at times with it's solitude and singular vision, my belief is Haggis wanted to draw you in to a world if ALL performances were excellent and held true to their characters and their director's intent. No cliches, no given overly dramatic gestures. No added violence. A bit slow at times with it's solitude and singular vision, my belief is Haggis wanted to draw you in to a world if solitude and aloneness. We are all alone with this war in IRAQ and the movie touches on the theme of losing more than just a war. It becomes a broader question. When Susan Sarandon walks away from what's left of her son the camera stays on her and Tommy Lee's walking. Her outstretched hand the entire way says more than words could EVER say. BRILLIANT MOMENT Haggis and Sarandon! The cinematography was incredible and very palpable with it's bleached tones and very simple, bright almost shimmery angles.… Expand

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Cinemaphile

Jul 29, 2016

Masterful use of the David/Goliath archetype to comment on post 9/11 asynchronous warfare. Laconic Tommy Lee at his best. Again, I'm hamstrung by the 150 character minimum.

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TimoV

Mar 15, 2009

Suburbian horrors of the warfare hit Tommy Lee Jones and his wife, as their kid goes missing. In the Valley of Elah is a Iraq-topic film with a twist.

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DavidR.

Dec 4, 2007

I was thinking that the President of Iran was the money behind the film. The "America is the evil empire" crowd now has their own classic.

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