In the Valley of Elah (2007)

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 | Investigation

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 5 nominations

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

Color:

Color

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 Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | 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:

Originally a potential starring vehicle for Clint Eastwood.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Hank, a truck driver, reads an email discussing a "weigh bill." The proper term is "waybill."

Quotes:

Det. Emily Sanders: And so David went down into the valley to challenge Goliath...
David Sanders: D'you think he was scared Mom?
Det. Emily Sanders: Yes. I think he was scared.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The O'Reilly Factor: (2008-04-02)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Rock Like This

Surprisingly Poetic and Not Very Political.

This movie is just about perfect. I love how it starts as a genre movie and then transcends into something deeper and soul-searching. Some people just don't like Paul Haggis, but I'm not one of them. I think he's very smart here; he has no political point of view, he handles Charlize Theron perfectly, and the movie forces everybody to think about the troops in a way that isn't simply political rhetoric. I love that Tommy Lee Jones feels the way so many dads do. He's never been better. Watching the police work happen is interesting on it's own, but I like that Charlize Theron is just out to do the job correctly and just shrugs off the chauvinism coming at her from her department. The movie could've gone somewhere with that, but instead just quietly lets us in on it and moves on.

There have been many very good movies the last few years about Iraq-related themes, but I don't think there is a film that captures the feeling of the national mood as good as this one. It's drained of melodrama and just sort of moves forward on really good performances of the whole cast, who all act according to their natures instead of because of stupid plot requirements.