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In the Valley of Elah (2007)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
28 September 2007 (USA) moreTagline:
Sometimes finding the truth is easier than facing it. morePlot:
A retired military investigator works with a police detective to uncover the truth behind his son's disappearance following his return from a tour of duty in Iraq. full summary | full synopsisAwards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 5 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(11 articles)
Battle For Haditha DVD Review (From Spout. 9 January 2009, 11:00 AM, PST)
Scott discusses War on Terror flops
(From digitalspy. 20 November 2008, 7:48 AM, PST)
User Comments:
Why do most critics attack this film for being heavy-handed? moreUS TV Schedule:
| Mon. July 6 | 4:30 PM | MAX |
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Tommy Lee Jones | ... | Hank Deerfield | |
| Charlize Theron | ... | Det. Emily Sanders | |
| Jason Patric | ... | Lt. Kirklander | |
| Susan Sarandon | ... | Joan Deerfield | |
| James Franco | ... | Sgt. Dan Carnelli | |
| Barry Corbin | ... | Arnold Bickman | |
| Josh Brolin | ... | Chief Buchwald | |
| Frances Fisher | ... | Evie | |
| Wes Chatham | ... | Cpl. Steve Penning | |
| Jake McLaughlin | ... | Spc. Gordon Bonner | |
| Mehcad Brooks | ... | Spc. Ennis Long | |
| Jonathan Tucker | ... | Spc. Mike Deerfield | |
| Wayne Duvall | ... | Detective Nugent | |
| Victor Wolf | ... | Pvt. Robert Ortiez | |
| Brent Briscoe | ... | Detective Hodge |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for violent and disturbing content, language and some sexuality/nudity.Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
121 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColour:
ColourAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 moreCertification:
USA:R | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Singapore:M18 | Brazil:14 | Ireland:15A | Australia:MA | UK:15 | Finland:K-15 | South Korea:15 | Germany:12 | Taiwan:R-12 | Sweden:11 | Portugal:M/16 (Qualidade) | Argentina:16 | Japan:PG-12 | Denmark:11 | Austria:16 | France:U | New Zealand:R16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Norway:15 | Netherlands:16 | Peru:14 | Iceland:16Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Several of the actors who played soldiers, including Wes Chatham (Corporal Steve Penning), Jake McLaughlin (Spc. Gordon Bonner) and Sean Huze (Captain Jim Osher) had actually served in the Iraq War themselves. moreGoofs:
Continuity: In the scene where Hank Deerfield is trying to access his son's financial records via his laptop, he is talking to his wife on the phone. When the camera is on him, he is holding the handset to his ear but when the camera is on the laptop, the phone is visible to the right of the laptop and the handset is on-hook. The logo of a dial-up ISP is displayed on the laptop as it's downloading e-mail. If the laptop is connected to the ISP, he couldn't be using the phone line to make a voice call. moreSoundtrack:
This Mess moreFAQ
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Only Roger Ebert and the reviewer for Rolling Stone seem to see the truth here: this film is slow and elegiac because it deals with heavy matters, but it is never boring, not if you understand the situation and the depth of feelings being explored. It's as if reviewers don't get it because they didn't really feel what the film is saying. Saying that there have been dozens of films about how war ruins men so it's a cliché, and that this one is too dreary and slow means that a person has stopped feeling for what is really hurtful, is even in denial. And that's the theme of this film: what happens when we lose touch with what's painful and don't care any more. The film is restrained but powerful, which is why it has such a strong effect.
Jones is wonderfully grim, with a face like a road map, as he explores what happened to his son. Charlize Theron is beautiful even though she is playing a woman who is forced to act as non-sexy as possible to get on in her job in a male police force. Susan Sarandon is not, as some critic said, "underused"; she gives a performance that is all the more powerful because it is restrained. This movie should be a must see for all who believe that the Iraq war should continue until there is an honorable time for America to leave. That time is already passed.