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In the Valley of Elah (2007)
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Overview
Tagline:
Sometimes finding the truth is easier than facing it.Plot:
A career officer and his wife work with a police detective to uncover the truth behind their son's disappearance following his return from a tour of duty in Iraq. full summary | full synopsis (warning! may contain spoilers)Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 5 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(5 articles)
Theron: 'Movie fans are obsessed with fluff' (From digitalspy. 13 May 2008, 4:27 AM, PDT)
Theron Rages At Unprepared Journalists (From WENN. 23 March 2008, 7:11 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
A film that takes on a daring theme moreCast
(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 | ... | Corporal Steve Penning | |
| Jake McLaughlin | ... | Spc. Gordon Bonner | |
| Mehcad Brooks | ... | Spc. Ennis Long | |
| Jonathan Tucker | ... | Mike Deerfield | |
| Wayne Duvall | ... | Detective Nugent | |
| Victor Wolf | ... | Private 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:
EnglishColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 moreCertification:
Sweden:11 | Argentina:16 | Ireland:15A | USA:R | Portugal:M/16 (Qualidade) | Taiwan:R-12 | Denmark:11 | France:Unrated (with warning) | Canada:14A | Australia:MA | UK:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Finland:K-15 | Japan:PG-12 | Brazil:14 | Austria:16 | Germany:12 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva)MOVIEmeter: 
Fun Stuff
Goofs:
Factual errors: Hank, a truck driver, reads an email discussing a "weigh bill." The proper term is "waybill." moreQuotes:
Evie: Mustard or mayonnaise?[Hank looks up and is taken aback to see that the waitress is topless]
Hank Deerfield: Um... no thank you, ma'am.
Evie: Woman stands topless in front of you, "ma'am" could be taken as an insult.
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Soundtrack:
House is Falling Down moreFAQ
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And with the war still on, the theme of PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - is topical and relevant. Shell shock, they used to call it. It is more than shells these days, of course - it is the killing of children and innocents which has an appalling and destabilizing effect on the young U.S. men and women soldiers engaged in Iraq.
Paul Haggis who has made Crash amongst other good films, tackles this difficult subject with sensitivity depicting the dehumanization of the soldiers who come home to an indifferent populace.
Hank Deerfield (played by Tommy Lee Jones) is a retired Vietnam veteran who investigates the disappearance of his son and comes up against the brick wall of military police. A sympathetic detective, Emily Sanders (played by Charlize Theron) slowly takes an interest in the case and negotiates with her superior officer to take the case back from the military police who want to brush it under the rug. When Mike Deerfield is found, dismembered and scattered, Hank commits himself to getting at the truth.
This film is not an anti-war effort but rather the facts are all presented, and one is left to come to one's own conclusions.
Tommy Lee Jones gives one of his best performances here, a relentless, humourless driven father, who has not been the best father, but doesn't rest until he finds the closure he desperately needs on the matter of the murder of his son.
Susan Sarandon was totally underused in the part of the mother of Mike, but the little we are shown of her is riveting.
Charlize Theron plays down her beauty to the degree that she wears bandages and bruises on her face through many of the scenes and ignores the rampant sexism of her unit. A great performance.
I didn't care for the Valley of Elah metaphor which is at the core of the movie itself. The David and Goliath story did not have a relevance to a story of PTSD and the horrific effects it has on both perpetrators and victims. So I am left puzzled at this symbolism. A little guy taking on a giant? Who would be the little guy? The Iraqis?
However, that vexation aside, for overall tension and the sheer watchability of Mr. Jones in a meaty role, this movie gets an 8 out of 10 from me.
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