No Vale de Elah (2007)

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.

Director:

Paul Haggis

Writers:

Paul Haggis (screenplay), Mark Boal (story)

Stars:

Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Jonathan Tucker

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 18 nominations.

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	...	Corporal Steve Penning
Jake McLaughlin	...	Spc. Gordon Bonner
Mehcad Brooks	...	Spc. Ennis Long
Jonathan Tucker	...	Mike Deerfield
Wayne Duvall	...	Detective Nugent
Roman Arabia	...	Private Robert Ortiez (as Victor Wolf)
Brent Briscoe	...	Detective Hodge

Storyline

In Monroe, Tennessee, Hank Deerfield, an aging warrior, gets a call that his son, just back from 18 months' fighting in Iraq, is missing from his base. Hank drives to Fort Rudd, New Mexico, to search. Within a day, the charred and dismembered body of his son is found on the outskirts of town. Deerfield pushes himself into the investigation, marked by jurisdictional antagonism between the Army and local police. Working mostly with a new detective, Emily Sanders, Hank seems to close in on what happened. Major smuggling? A drug deal gone awry? Credit card slips, some photographs, and video clips from Iraq may hold the key. If Hank gets to the truth, what will it tell him?

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Plot Keywords:

murder investigation | charge | coffeeshop | dead boy | forgery | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes The Truth Is Best Left Buried

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

M/16

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tommy Lee Jones and Susan Sarandon also co-starred together in O Cliente (1994)

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Goofs

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.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Spc. Gordon Bonner: What are you doing? Get back in the fucking vehicle man! Mike, get back in the fucking vehicle. Let's go, Mike, now!

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Crazy Credits

Jason Patric does not appear at all in the end credits. Since he plays a pivotal role in the film and is seen in many of the scenes, it seems odd that he is uncredited for this role in this film.

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Connections

Featured in The O'Reilly Factor: Episode dated 4 April 2008 (2008)

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Soundtracks

Lost
Written by Annie Lennox
Performed by Annie Lennox
Courtesy of Arista Records, LLC
By Arrangement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment

User Reviews

In Search Of The Truth

A gung-ho ex military man gets word that his son, a soldier in Iraq, has gone AWOL. The film's plot follows the father, played by Tommy Lee Jones, as he sets about trying to find out what happened. Most of the characters here are either military people or local cops.

The story is heavy on mystery and investigation. The father's research skills are more potent than those of some local cops. Subtle plot twists and red herrings throughout keep the story's outcome uncertain until the end.

Based very loosely on a real-life event in 2003, the film's back-story pertains to the war in Iraq. Because of the controversial nature of this war, some viewers will read into the film a nefarious political agenda, dismissing it as propaganda. In point of fact, the motivation that led to the real-life event is, to this day, still shrouded in mystery.

Production values are generally high. The film has terrific, detailed production design. Sound quality is near perfect, which, when combined with the absence of background music in some scenes, enhances a sense of realism. Film editing is reasonably good, though a number of scenes could have been edited out, as they are either unnecessary or a tad confusing. If one is not privy to the film's point of view, the ending is slightly ambiguous, especially with regard to motivations of certain characters. An added line or two of dialogue could have added clarification.

Acting is wonderful. Tommy Lee Jones, with his weather-beaten face, is convincing as a tough, patriotic American military dad. Charlize Theron is satisfying as a frustrated local cop. Even minor roles are well cast. Kathy Lamkin, in a small role, couldn't be any more realistic as the impersonal, haggard manager of a fast-food restaurant.

I found "In The Valley Of Elah" entertaining as a mystery. The terrific casting and acting, along with high production values, render a film that is both realistic and highly believable.

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros [France] Warner Independent Pictures [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 February 2008 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

No Vale de Elah

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$133,557, 16 September 2007

Gross USA:

$6,777,741

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$29,541,790

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Independent Pictures (WIP), NALA Films, Summit Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1