A sombre condemnation of US foreign policy, wrapped in an absorbing whodunit.
Comment
01/24/08
In the Valley of Elah (2007)
72
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:150
Fresh:108
Rotten:42
Average Rating:7/10
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.
Theatrical Release:25-01-2008
Synopsis: Tommy Lee Jones plays Hank Deerfield, a retired military man investigating the mysterious disappearance of his soldier son, Mike, in this somber mystery-drama from director Paul Haggis (CRASH).... [More]
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Frances Fisher, Susan Sarandon
Director: Paul Haggis
Reviews for In the Valley of Elah
A powerful, imperfect drama let down by the playground polemic of a country still sending its children to be slaughtered overseas.
01/24/08
Top CriticClick to read the article
01/24/08
Powerful, downbeat drama with an anti-war message.
01/24/08
Top CriticWhere Lions For Lambs stumbled, Haggis’ latest succeeds in putting dramatic form to the disquiet over US policy. Tommy Lee Jones’ performance, meanwhile, is impressive enough to make him a decent bet in this year’s Oscar race.
01/24/08
Top CriticHaggis draws sensitive performances from his cast while asking provocative, important questions.
10/18/07
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.
01/24/08
Top CriticTense, powerful and considerably less crass than Crash, Elah may be jammed with ideas that don’t all connect, but Jones’ devastating performance makes this a compassionate and very human look at the Iraq conflict.
01/24/08
Top CriticClick to read the article
09/15/07
Click to read the article
10/18/08
Top CriticUnderneath the deceptively quiet surface of In the Valley of Elah is a raw, angry, earnest attempt to grasp the moral consequences of the war in Iraq.
09/13/07
Top CriticWearing its holier than thou attitude on its blood-soaked sleeves, In the Valley of Elah is the most underhanded, backdoor anti-war film ever attempted.
09/22/07
In the Valley of Elah rises and falls on the strength of Tommy Lee Jones' performance, which is to say that it rises to great heights, indeed.
09/20/07
Often heavy-handed detective-police allegory doesn't diminish the pleasure of watching T. L. Jones' economical, snappish performance.
09/23/07
It is extraordinary that a film this muted could resonate with a message this strong.
02/28/08
It's a difficult picture dealing directly with misery and misfortune, but it has much to say about affairs of the family and the state of the union, presented in an unsettlingly peaceful manner few in the genre would dare emulate.
09/21/07
Has numerous levels that go far beyond a whodunit, asking us to look at familial ties, gender roles and relations, and the interactions of military and civilian worlds.
10/21/07
In the Valley of Elah offers a fine example of a mutually beneficial pairing of filmmaker and actor. Director and co-screenwriter Paul Haggis gives Tommy Lee Jones a great role. In exchange, Jones supplies Haggis with nuance.
09/21/07
Paul Haggis' earnest and eloquent film about the impact of the war in Iraq on U.S. soldiers, and by extension, their nation, is human-scaled. And as deep and harrowed as Jones' crevassed face.
09/21/07
achingly sad
09/13/07
Latest News for In the Valley of Elah
February 18, 2008:
RT on DVD: Cram For The Oscars With Michael Clayton, In The Valley of Elah, And More Out This Week
Ready those Oscar ballots! With the Academy Awards around the corner, it's time to start catching up on what you missed in theaters. Snap up this week's offerings for... More...
January 24, 2008:
Director Paul Haggis on In the Valley of Elah: The RT Interview
We sit down with the Crash director and Bond scribe to find out more about his political latest, In the Valley of Elah. More...
January 10, 2008:
Amy Ryan and Greg Kinnear Join Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon in the Green Zone
"Making a movie about the war in Iraq" is quickly turning into just another way of saying "losing tons of money at the box office," but director Paul Greengrass isn't letting... More...
December 14, 2007:
Atonement, Control Lead London Film Critics Noms
The London Critics Circle has announced the nominees for its year-end awards, with Anton Corbijn's Control and Joe Wright's Atonement leading the pack at eight nominations apiece. More...
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