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Plot Summary
"In the Valley of Elah" tells the story of a war veteran (Tommy Lee Jones), his wife (Susan Sarandon) and the search for their son, a soldier who recently returned from Iraq but has mysteriously gone missing, and the police detective (Charlize Theron) who helps in the investigation.
Credits
Director
Screenwriter
Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews
TOMATOMETER
73%- Reviews Counted: 158
- Fresh: 115
- Rotten: 43
- Average Rating: 7.0/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Fresh: This is Jones' show and he makes you feel a father's fear and loss in ways that are subtly heartbreaking, never melodramatic.
Rotten: [Haggis'] self-serious tone becomes wearisome, and he fails to explore how the military failed its men while clumsily laying a guilt trip at its feet.
Fresh: 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.
Fresh: In the Valley of Elah is another in a long line of great Tommy Lee Jones performances.
Customer Reviews
Trust the box office numbers...
There is a good reason that "Valley Of Elah" was box office poison. Tommy Lee Jones gives his usual great performance in a boring and completely contrived tour of Director Paul Haggis' personal politics. Haggis honed his craft on TV shows like "The Love Boat" and "Walker: Texas Ranger", and watching this plodding, preachy procedural leaves you expecting to see a soap commercial any second. Aside from Jones, this is truly awful stuff. Avoid.
Well Done...
In my top 25 list of best films of the year, everything is well done, but it just isn't my cup of tea. The acting is superb -- but Tommy, I think, will not win the Academy Award because he's up against some tough competition. The directing is well done -- as is expected from Mr. Haggis (Crash). The writing could've been a little tightened, but it's still great. The dialogue and scenes flow. Everything works with this film. Finally, a film about soldiers returning home that is good! Overall, buy/rent this great movie. Well worth the time and money.
Tommy Lee delivers!!!!!!
Don't know what everyone else is talking about. This is a really well told, nuanced story. It's about war, it's about facing your demons, it's about each and every brick of good intention that paves the road to hell. It's about how great we are and how flawed we are. And how we are both of those things at the same time. Tommy Lee delivers. Susan Sarandan is awesome as well. The supporting cast . . . supports. More than adequately. Really good flick.
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- $17.99
- Genre: Drama
- Released: 2008
- © 2007 A Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved