None of the exasperating guilt on display in Crash has made it into In the Valley of Elah, a solidly made genre movie: the Army mystery.
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09/14/07
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In the Valley of Elah (2007)
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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:Sep 28, 2007 Wide
Box Office: $6,585,535
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
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Reviews for In the Valley of Elah
Top CriticA heartbreaking story that is told with honor and intelligence in a stirring film that will haunt you long after seeing it.
09/14/07
After watching this riveting film, you will have more compassion than ever for the soldiers who have served and are serving in Iraq at great danger to their bodies, minds, and souls. One of the best films of 2007.
09/14/07
Like Missing, a critique of U.S. government policy disguised as a mystery about a father searching for the truth about his son. And a rather heavy-handed one at that.
09/14/07
In and of itself, the story offers rich dramatic material that Haggis exploits well, but the writer-director's unsubtle condescension to his audience represents small thinking.
09/14/07
Haggis may be our patron saint of noble cinema, yet he's cagier than such a title would suggest.
09/14/07
[Jones] can't single-handedly save this frustrating film from its overly earnest impulses, but when he's onscreen, at least the hokum burns cleaner.
09/13/07
With "In The Valley Of Elah," his follow-up to the absurdly overpraised "Crash," writer-director Paul Haggis solidifies his position as this generation's Stanley Kramer.
09/13/07
Underneath 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 Criticachingly sad
09/13/07
Fine performances from Tommy Lee Jones and Theron and the investigation itself maintain interest, but Haggis's film disintegrates just when it should be delivering its final punch.
09/13/07
Neither affecting nor cerebral; it's a case of going through the motions.
09/13/07
Haggis is an extremely talented man, and much of the film works brilliantly. But it misses the mark.
09/13/07
Top CriticA lot of very good films have a distinct drop-off point, usually occasioned when the gods of character are shoved aside for the gods of plot. In the Valley of Elah is one of those very good pictures.
09/13/07
Top CriticIn Paul Haggis' In the Valley of Elah, Jones' face is a poignantly detailed map of skepticism, simmering rage and, in the final count, self-recrimination.
09/13/07
Top Critic... it doesn't hurt to have Tommy Lee Jones driving the film with a beautifully realized performance.
09/13/07
The considerable power of the film is contained in Jones's hard-bitten, movingly understated performance.
09/13/07
Top CriticA different and devastating look at the residual effects of war, presenting the small pieces of purity its survivors and victims lose, whether or not the battle is won.
09/13/07
Jones is terrific, as is a barely recognizable Theron ... [but] an awkwardly tacked on subplot implies our soldiers in Iraq are sadists and psychopaths.
09/12/07
Haggis reduces America's problems to a series of slanders and then hangs a flag upside down just to bully home the point.
09/10/07
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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