Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Jason Patric

A career officer (Jones) investigates the disappearance of his son (Tucker), an exemplary soldier who went AWOL after his recent return from Iraq.

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78% liked it

23,250 ratings

Critics

72% liked it

151 critics

R, 2 hrs. 1 min.

Directed by: Paul Haggis

Release Date: September 28, 2007

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DVD Release Date: February 19, 2008

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Stats: 5,230 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (5,230)


  • June 27, 2009
    Paul Haggis' powerful follow-up to "Crash" is a very deep and moving affair, with a typically great performance from Tommy Lee Jones. Not afraid to delve into some touchy issues, this topical thriller asks some genuinely confronting questions about the role of society in modern w...( read more)arfare and ultimately where should loyalty lie. Well written and engaging, though not really appealing to everyones taste. Certainly a more mature and multilayered effort from Haggis, I can't wait to see what he does next.
  • June 1, 2009
    An interesting film. Tommy Lee Jones plays Hank, a father who receives a disturbing phone call from his soldier son who has gone AWOL after returning from Iraq. Hank travels to the base and finds out that the son has been murdered, and gets involved with solving who did it.

    ...( read more)I thought the acting was superb - Jones was nominated for an academy award. Theron (who plays a cop) also is great as the level-headed rookie investigator.
  • April 17, 2009
    Better-than-average drama about a father desperately searching for the truth about his soldier-son's death. As you watch the movie, the story and ending become more and more apparent and guessable, but it's still pretty good anyway. Jones is great in this, but he was better in No...( read more) Country.
  • January 11, 2009
    The only thing that made this movie worth watching was Tommy Lee Jones.
  • December 16, 2008
    Police detective drama about a veteran father who goes looking for his son who has gone AWOL upon his return from the Iraq war. Film's exploration on the toll war has on the soldiers that return home, is anchored by Tommy Lee Jones heartfelt and honest performance.
  • November 24, 2009
    I respect Tommy Lee Jones'talent, but he is not enough.
  • November 24, 2009
    Paul Haggis' sophomore effort is a gripping police procedural, a gut-wrenching emotional drama, and a brilliant anti-war film all in one. Tommy Lee Jones is the former Military Police father of a soldier who doesn't quite make it home from Iraq. When it appears his son's been mur...( read more)dered in a field in Texas, Jones enlists the aid of a tough female detective (Charlize Theron) to investigate and finds some things out he wishes he hadn't. Susan Sarandon is Jones' wife, resentful of a husband who inspired (we sense, not intentionally) two sons to go to war, only to have them both be killed. Writer-director Haggis is the screenwriter behind Clint Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby" (in my humble opinion, the best film of 2004, and the Oscars agreed), and also wrote and directed the best film of 2005, "Crash" (which also won Best Picture). Here, he's crafted an involving mystery, wrapped in deceit, cover-up and a heartbreaking human element. As Haggis peels back the layers of truth upon truth, the mystery gets more bizarre - though not as factually complex as it first seems. When the shocking truth is revealed, you will be confused, appalled, and have tears in your eyes. This is a great film; one of 2007's best!





    NOTE: Jones was a (deserving) nominee for the Best Actor Oscar.
  • November 3, 2009
    Interesting in the beginning then start getting boring
  • November 2, 2009
    A retired military investigator seeks out the help of a local police officer when his son goes AWOL after arriving from a tour of duty in Iraq.

    It's a bit dragging for my taste but the great performances make up for this. Tommy Lee Jones deserves the Oscar nom. Susan Sarandon al...( read more)so delivers a short, yet memorable performance.
  • October 31, 2009
    !Comercial or Stupid! :|

Critic Reviews


September 21, 2007
Kurt Loder, MTV

Haggis' movie is worth seeing mainly for Tommy Lee Jones' stoically pinched and intensely focused performance as Hank Deerfield, the Lanny Davis figure. full review

September 20, 2007
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

There's much to admire here: a continually surprising storyline, an aversion to cliché, a gallery of characters who are neither stock heroes nor cardboard villains, and a flawless cast. full review

September 20, 2007
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

The haunting, heart-piercing Elah isn't perfect. It's something better: essential. full review

September 15, 2007
Claudia Puig, USA Today

This is undeniably a haunting movie. But don't let that scare you off. The ending, and all that leads up to it, will leave viewers devastated but deeply moved. full review

September 14, 2007
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Paul Haggis' In the Valley of Elah is built on Tommy Lee Jones' persona, and that is why it works so well. full review

September 14, 2007
Pete Hammond, Maxim

A heartbreaking story that is told with honor and intelligence in a stirring film that will haunt you long after seeing it. full review

September 13, 2007
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

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. full review

September 10, 2007
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

Paul Haggis's In the Valley of Elah is vital in spite of its mustiness. full review

September 10, 2007
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

It feels like a movie in search of prestige, not truth. full review

September 9, 2007
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

Tackles its Iraq War subject matter with such sledgehammer clumsiness that it risks giving viewers blunt head trauma. full review

View more In the Valley of Elah reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • terris85017
    September 15, 2007
    Great cast of actors in this movie!!! Okay! Yes, I AM a huge Tommy Lee Jones fan!! Not yet released.....set for a late September release....so I am told!
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In the Valley of Elah Trivia


  • What is the significance of the movie title, In the Valley of Elah?  Answer »
  • In the film In the Valley of Elah, what did Tommy Lee Jones' character correct the school janitor for?  Answer »
  • In the Valley of Elah, who portrays the female detective who helps Hank Deerfield (Tommy Lee Jones)?  Answer »
  • 'In the Valley of Elah' is a Charlize Theron movie.  Answer »

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