In the Valley of Elah (2007)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Paul Haggis

Writers (WGA):

Paul Haggis (screenplay)
Mark Boal (story) ...

Release Date:

28 September 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Sometimes finding the truth is easier than facing it.

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Military | Disappearance | Army | Missing Person | Video Clip

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 5 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. July 6

4:30 PM

MAX

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Death and Dishonor (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violent and disturbing content, language and some sexuality/nudity.

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

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:16

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Blackfriars Bridge Films

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.

Goofs:

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.

Quotes:

Detective Nugent: [calling Emily Sanders] Remember the woman with the dead dog?

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008) (TV)

Soundtrack:

This Mess

Why do most critics attack this film for being heavy-handed?

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.