In the Valley of Elah

R

Released Sep 21, 2007

2 hr. 1 min.

Drama

War

List

74%

163 Reviews

Tomatometer

77%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

A police detective (Charlize Theron) helps a retired Army sergeant (Tommy Lee Jones) search for his son, a soldier who went missing soon after returning from Iraq. Hank Deerfield, a Vietnam War veteran, learns that his son may have met with foul play after a night on the town with members of his platoon.

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Critics Consensus

Though some of Paul Haggis's themes are heavy-handed, In the Valley of Elah is otherwise an engrossing murder mystery and antiwar statement, featuring a mesmerizing performance from Tommy Lee Jones.

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Audience Member

Good acting with a meh to alright story 3.0

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/02/23

Full Review

KEVIN C

Tommy Lee Jones plays a retired military police investigator who has to team up with a local detective, played by Charlize Theron, to find out what happened to his son, a soldier who disappeared after returning to the USA from Iraq. This was a pretty engaging story and Jones is in his wheelhouse playing a grizzled hardass set in his stubborn ways. Theron is great as usual despite her less fleshed out role. Also features Susan Sarandon, Josh Brolin, Jason Patric and James Franco.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/02/22

Full Review

isla s

This is a film that is primarily anti-war in tone. Tommy Lee Jones gives a decent performance as the main character, a father trying to figure out what happened to his son after he returned home from serving on the front line. He does well coming across as a strong, determined father and I also think Charlize Theron did well as the police detective (detective Emily Sanders), who gets a fair bit of flack from her colleagues, to put it one way. The two of them give pretty decent performances, although I got a bit confused by some of the plot details. The general anti-war sentiment comes across pretty clearly though. I felt that this was generally a decent film, although I did feel it was missing something but im not entirely sure what that is. There are some plot twists but it did feel to me that it was lacking in substance somehow. However, I wouldn't say its a bad film...I just can't quite say I'd recommend it as such, no.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Forte, baseado no artigo de Mark Boal sobre o assassinato de Richard T. Davis, sobre as mazelas da guerra e seus frutos… Ele recebara um e-mail anônimo de um soldado que serviu com Richard no Iraque que afirmava que, enquanto estava no Iraque, Richard testemunhou Martinez e Navarrete estuprar uma menina iraquiana, e essa teria sido a causa real do homicídio, difícil saber...

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Es una película sobre temas sensibles; la trama es muy buena y las actuaciones de Tommy Lee Jones y Charlize Theron son excelentes; muy recomendable.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The Valley of Elah is a strong anti war film that gets to it's message via a murder mystery that takes Tommy Lee's son from him. It hits hard on the themes of what war does to the men that fight it and their families that lose them to one thing or another.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

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Paul Haggis

Director

Tommy Lee Jones

Hank Deerfield

Charlize Theron

Det. Emily Sanders

Jason Patric

Lt. Kirklander

Susan Sarandon

Joan Deerfield

James Franco

Sgt. Carnelli

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Hank Sartin

Time Out

Rated: 3/5

Nov 18, 2011

Full Review

Wendy Ide

Times (UK)

Jones' Oscar-nominated performance is impeccably judged. His low-key turn as a man forced to question everything from the kind of father he was to the nature of the country he fought for could be the contender to give Daniel Day-Lewis a run for his money.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 24, 2008

Full Review

Neil Smith

BBC.com

Powerful, downbeat drama with an anti-war message.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 24, 2008

Full Review

Wesley Lovell

Cinema Sight

This introspective co-writing effort with The Hurt Locker scribe Mark Boal might be the pinnacle of Haggis’ career. The rest of Haggis’ filmography has been a letdown, but at least for this one moment in cinema, he got it mostly right.

Rated: 3.5/4

Dec 6, 2022

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

A powerhouse of moral conflicts and unpredictable resolutions.

Rated: 9/10

Nov 26, 2020

Full Review

Carlos Marañón

Cinemanía (Spain)

Tommy Lee Jones composes an unforgettable character. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 4.5/5

Oct 28, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

A police detective (Charlize Theron) helps a retired Army sergeant (Tommy Lee Jones) search for his son, a soldier who went missing soon after returning from Iraq. Hank Deerfield, a Vietnam War veteran, learns that his son may have met with foul play after a night on the town with members of his platoon.

Director: Paul Haggis
Executive Producer: Emilio Diez Barroso, Bob Hayward, David Garrett, Erik Feig, James Holt, Stan Wlodkowski
Screenwriter: Paul Haggis
Production Co: Summit Entertainment, Blackfriars Bridge, Samuels Media, Nala Films
Rating: R (Some Sexuality/Nudity|Language|Violent and Disturbing Content)
Genre: Drama, War
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 21, 2007, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 18, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $6.8M

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