In the Valley of Elah Reviews

• Great; and Terribly Important!

  
  By A1YLN3C5UIKKOX on 2008-02-03
  This past weekend, we saw the first truly great movie to come out thus far on the terrible subject of the unfolding American disgrace in Iraq. "In the Valley of Elah" is that movie, and we strongly recommend it to all, not just for its entertainment value, which is significant, but more for its importance in displaying for all to see the horror of this ill conceived adventure in its most human terms.
  
  The story involves Hank Deerfield, brilliantly played by Tommie Lee Jones, a retired military police investigator, whose son, Mike, has been deployed with his Army unit in Iraq. Deerfield receives the call at his Tennessee home that his son has gone AWOL from his Army barracks. Deerfield replies that this can't be so: his son is in Iraq. No, the caller informs him. The unit has returned, and Mike is gone from the base. He'd better get back "pronto".
  
  Deerfield tries to raise his son on the cell phone, to no avail. He senses something wrong, and sets off to the Army base to discover what it is. On the way, a significant, though symbolic scene takes place. Deerfield observes a flag flying in front of a school. But the flag is flying upside down, a sign of distress. Deerfield investigates, only to find that the immigrant janitor was unaware of this important aspect of flag etiquette.
  
  Arriving at the base, Deerfield finds his son is still missing. Army CID is no help. And neither are the civilian authorities. And then the mutilated corpse of his son shows up near the base. It appears that Army CID wants to suppress the case. Deerfield turns to the civilian authorities. But the authority in this small town is rather suspect, represented by Charlize Theron in a wonderfully understated role as the civilian detective.
  
  Deerfield and the female investigator form an unlikely duo and finally solve the gruesome crime. But that is only half the story. What they discover is the depravity that the young soldiers have come to through their involvement in this brutal, absurd conflict.
  
  A terribly important, and possibly overlooked, scene occurs at the home of the female investigator. Deerfield tucks in her young son and, eschewing "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe", tells the lad the story of David in the Valley of Elah. David, the little shepherd boy is the only one of the Israelites who can overcome his fear of the monstrous giant, Goliath. He chooses to fight both his fear and the giant. And he wins, against all odds and logic. This is the essential message of this very important film. Goliath represents the power of the modern state, what Hobbes styled as Leviathon. David represents all of us who, rather than cower in fear of this monstrosity, have the courage to take it on.
  
  Some have styled the ending of this movie as "over the top". I strongly disagree with this assessment. In my view, the ending is perfectly understated, and extremely powerful. This country is, indeed, now in distress. And those who truly care need to act and act now. False "conservatives", like the mendacious Michael Medved hate this movie. This is so because it well illustrates the total bankruptcy of their insane policies. It is a great and terribly important movie. See it. Pick up five small, smooth stones. And have no fear!
  
  
  

• The rest of the story

  
  By A1SV22OU1E7XRX on 2008-04-06
  Much has been made of the fact that this movie is based on a true story, the 2003 murder of Richard Davis, a story chronicled by Mark Boal in an extensive magazine article, "Death and Dishonor," that appeared in the May 2004 issue of Playboy (an article that can be found online and that is far more thought-provoking than this film). Some reviews go so far as to say that the film hews closely to the story reported by Boal, but the truth is otherwise. (The film opens with the statement that it was "inspired by actual incidents" - a statement that usually heralds significant dramatic license.) Indeed, of adapting his story for the screen, Mr. Boal, who shares writing credits for the story with director Paul Haggis (Mr. Haggis alone is credited with the screenplay), had this to say: "It's a fictional piece [the film], and so at various junctures Paul [Haggis] and I thought we should change Lanny's story to make it feel more universal." The Lanny to which Mr. Boal refers is Lanny Davis, the real-life father of the victim and the model for the character Hank Deerfield, whom Tommy Lee Jones plays. Exactly what was done to make the story "feel more universal"? Be advised that spoilers follow.
  
  Lanny Davis, upon whom Hank Deerfield is based, is, in fact, a 20-year veteran of the Army, 16 of those years with the Military Police. About a month after his son, Richard Davis, was reported AWOL, from his first 2-day pass following his return from six months in Iraq, Mr. Davis traveled to Fort Bragg, where he spent several days trying unsuccessfully to motivate a missing-person investigation into his son's disappearance by either Army or civilian authorities. Failing in that effort, he returned home. About two weeks later he enlisted the support of his congressman, who had the clout to push the Army to investigate Richard Davis as a missing person. At first, the men in Davis's platoon stonewalled. Then, as the Army pressed its cross-examinations, a single soldier repeated a rumor that had been circulating: four members of the platoon had killed Davis and left his body in a wooded area, and he identified both the men and the area. The area fell under the jurisdiction of the Columbus (Georgia) Police Department, which promptly investigated and quickly located remains of the victim. The same day that remains were found, the Army arrested the four members of Richard Davis's platoon identified as responsible and delivered them into civilian custody.
  
  The stories the men told authorities were of an alcohol-fueled night on the town, their first since returning from six months in Iraq, that turned violent. After being evicted from a club, the group was angry with the victim, whose rowdy behavior, it was claimed, was responsible for their eviction, and an argument ensued in the club's parking lot between the victim and one of the group. Then, so their stories went, the group got into their car and left, but as they drove the argument continued. They stopped at an unfamiliar location, got out of the car, and a fistfight ensued between the victim and the fellow with who he had been arguing. But at some point, one of the men pulled a knife and began stabbing the victim. The others claimed to have tried unsuccessfully to intervene. Afterwards, they dragged the body into a more secluded area, and later they returned with gasoline and set it afire. No one involved with the case believes this version of events - it is far more plausible that three of the group were active participants in the victim's death - but the confessions were enough to secure two convictions: one for murder and one for voluntary manslaughter. (The fourth person, whose presence in the group that night was deemed incidental, received five years probation.) The convictions satisfied authorities but not Lanny Davis, who believes his son was killed because he had knowledge of a rape committed in Iraq by the perpetrators, and he remains angry that has not been investigated.
  
  Throughout the film, the Army is portrayed as impeding the investigation, of covering up, and of not cooperating with local authorities, which, as the record shows, is not true. Neither is it true that the civilian authorities were eager to avoid investigating the case. Lanny Davis did not play Sherlock Holmes and conduct his own investigation; neither did he beat a suspect (he first saw the accused at trial). The civilian detective played by Charlize Theron is fiction. (You'll have to ask Mr. Haggis why her fellow detectives and superiors are portrayed as sexist pigs.) There was no cell phone rich with imagery of soldiers acting badly; no suicide. Richard Davis's only sibling is a sister. (In the film he supposedly had a brother who was killed while a soldier, in a helicopter crash, which plays into an emotional scene in which Susan Sarandon asks Tommy Lee Jones something to the effect of "couldn't you have left me one?", suggesting that the father encouraged both his sons to join the military. In fact, Lanny Davis did not encourage his only son to join.)
  
  Furthermore, the film seems to suggest that the killers were fine, upstanding young men so dehumanized by what they saw and experienced as soldiers in Iraq that not only could they viciously kill one of their own, they could be hungry enough afterwards to require stopping for fast food. In fact, the three soldiers convicted of Richard Davis's death were hardly fine or upstanding, a fact that leads to the more interesting question: what happens when we send misfits into an environment like Iraq. And as for stopping for fast food afterwards, I found nothing in the record to suggest that is anything but dramatic license. (Lanny Davis dismisses the suggestion that post-traumatic stress syndrome played a role in his son's murder.)
  
  Some aspects of the film may be inspired by actual incidents, but incidents that had nothing to do with the Richard Davis case and which were included, depending on your perspective, either to stack the deck against the policies and institutions whom the director targets, or to make the film "more universal." For example, a woman tells Charlize Theron's character that her husband (a veteran of Iraq) drowned their dog in their bathtub, that she's afraid he will hurt her, and she appeals for the authorities to intervene. The response of Ms. Theron's character is to suggest the woman have her husband seek help from the VA. Of course, the woman is later found drowned in her bathtub. To avoid possible ambush, did Lanny Davis's son run over an Iraqi child rather than stop the vehicle he was driving? No. Might these two incidents be based on real events? Yes. Does their inclusion in this story make it more universal? You be the judge.
  
  Tommy Lee Jones's performance has been justly praised, and he is ably supported by others of the cast. But the problem here is not the performances, it's the script. The film touches upon important issues but does so dishonestly in its quest to make the story "feel more universal."
  
  

• A Terrifyingly Honest Examination of the Effects of War

  
  By A328S9RN3U5M68 on 2008-02-21
  As this country continues to struggle with the tragedies inflicted upon all who are being singed and scorched by the Iraq War (and that includes every citizen of this country, whether directly or indirectly), films addressing this war are wither avoided by the theatrical audiences or cause flare reactions of judgment. Into this milieu writer (with Mark Boal) and director Paul Haggis places this painful examination of the effects and aftershocks of war in the persona of a father whose only son is reported as 'missing' after he has returned from his tour of duty in Iraq. By keeping the story focused on the effect of the devastation on one man Haggis makes his point all the more clear, and the result is one of the finest documents of the insanity of war that has been released in some years.
  
  Hank Deerfield (Tommy Lee Jones) has served in the military and encouraged both his sons to serve their country (much against the emotional reaction of his wife Joan - Susan Sarandon): his older son is killed in a helicopter crash and his younger son, recently returned from a year's duty in Iraq, is reported as missing. Hank drives to the base where his son was stationed, learns of his son's death 'by friendly fire' at home, and tries t enlist the help of the military to investigate the affair without success. He encounters a sullen police detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron) who appears bruised by life in general and by her prejudiced co-workers and military men in particular. Gradually Emily sides with the grieving Hank to explore the horrid details of Hank's son's brutal murder, dismemberment and burning. Despite endless barriers of red tape and military secrecy lead by Lt. Kirklander (Jason Patric) both Emily and Hank slowly piece together the truth, using email videos Hank's son had sent him from Iraq, interviews with Hank's son's fellow soldiers, and examination of the body parts of Hank's son. Once the truth is out the effects on all concerned reveal the inevitable permanent scars of war on all concerned. Yet it is the strength of character as revealed in Hank's responses that drive home the pungent message of this difficult film.
  
  Tommy Lee Jones gives the most subtle performance of his fine career as the grieving yet stoic Hank. Charlize Theron once again proves that she can disappear into a demanding role like few other actresses. Susan Sarandon, Jason Patric, James Franco (in a tiny but pivotal role), Josh Brolin, Frances Fisher (in a cameo that is very impressive), and all the young men who play the soldiers involved in the investigation are superb. The film pulls no punches, yet it also refrains from sensationalizing events - as though Haggis realized that the truth was viciously cruel enough without embellishment. Special mention should be paid to the fine musical score by Mark Isham, a pulsating, minimalist background that heightens the effect of the film. This may be a difficult film to watch but it is a necessary experience if we are to constantly re-evaluate our philosophy of war and intervention. Grady Harp, February 08
  
  

• A Masterpiece!

  
  By A1RNMPOY4XIAA8 on 2008-02-06
  There have been many films about the aftermath of war, but never have I seen such a brutally honest and shocking depiction of the de-humanization of soldiers back from war. This is the underlying premise of the new crime thriller from academy award winning writer/director Paul Haggis (Crash).
  
  
  Hank Deerfield (played by Tommy Lee Jones) is a retired veteran and military police officer searching for his son who has gone AWOL. A detective Emily Sanders (played by Charlize Theron) becomes interested in the case and starts helping Hank outside of her job. When Hank's son's body is found, the search suddenly turns into a search for the murderer.
  
  
  One of the many aspects I appreciated was that director Haggis did not turn this into a typical Hollywood crime thriller and also not turn it into a political propaganda piece against the war and President Bush. Instead he mixes the two plots together seamless and subtle, letting you decide for your self.
  
  
  Tommy Lee Jones gives the best performance of his long career as he plays a quiet, emotionless war vet, but still shows tremendous amount of emotion. Just watching his face as he sits in a diner and listens to one of his retired friends tell him about plans to go visit his grandchildren is heartbreaking. We can almost see the internal emotional struggle as he realizes he will never be able to do that. Charlize Theron does a wonderful job as the detective, and despite her small screen time Susan Surandon plays the grieving wife of Jones to perfection.
  
  
  This film is such a moving masterpiece on so many levels it is simply wonderful to watch. The quiet pacing of the film building up to the climax is captivatingly intense in its own way. I am sure this will be a popular film at the Oscars this year, and if they gave out awards for best scene this would be sure to garner a nomination for a simple, poignant, yet profoundly moving scene when Frank tells the story of David and Goliath (which took place in the Valley of Elah) to the little son of detective Sanders.
  
  
  

• Signals of distress

  
  By A3NH7PYU4AD5GA on 2007-12-31
  The movie shows the devastation that this war causes to America. It does this with high intensity and without any cheap political shots. One might even say it manages to keep its subject out of the political area. It does not discuss the question whether the invasion ought to have been done in first place, it only shows how the role of occupiers in a civil war constellation destroys the life of the soldiers of the occupying force. Its subject is not the dead on either side, but the destruction in the souls and minds of those who survive.
  The movie shows that Hollywood has not become entirely irrelevant; it is an argument against those who claim that Hollywood has nothing to add to civilization, or that its influence is only devaluing morality.
  It also shows that films can be made with more than making money in mind.
  And a personal lesson: if you ever receive signals of distress from your son or daughter, please listen, or you might have to regret it like T.L.Jones.
  
  
• One of Tommy Lee Jones' strongest roles
  By A3AVJCB1ZD6ZY5 on 2008-05-01
  After his career in the military, Hank Deerfield (Jones) settles down for a quiet life with his wife, Joan. He's not particularly worried at first when he learns his son is AWOL after coming back from Iraq--these things happen.
  
  When the local police call to tell him his son's dead, Hank can't believe it and he enlists Emily Sanders (Theron) a local cop to help him solve his case. He gets his clues from his son's cell phone files, credit card receipts and testimony from fellow troop members.
  
  The story's a harsh reminder that the war does not end when "Johnny comes marching home" and many of our troops and their families need help they're not getting from either the military or local officials. While Jones initially is only seeking to find his son, he uncovers a lot more about the realities of war than many of us would want to see. In my opinion, this is Jones' best performance yet.
  
  Rebecca Kyle, April 2008
  
  
• A Magnificient Anti War Film!
  By A1AP3A4UW8OJFV on 2008-05-23
  Ex MP Hank Deerfield (Tommy Lee Jones in one of his best roles) once had two sons. The first one got killed in a war, the second one has gone missing after he returned from Iraq.
  Without thinking twice or discussing things with his wife (Susan Sarandon) Hank goes looking for him.
  But he is not prepared for the dirty truths that come to light. It doesn't take him long to realize that the young man he is looking for has changed. With the help of a few blurry shots and videos from his son Mike's mobile phone and a local detective (also very impressive: Charlize Theron) he is able to dig deeper into his son's past. Not only has Iraq destroyed a large part of Mike's psyche, it has also changed his life for the worse. Boredom, booze, drugs, strip clubs and more boredom, booze and drugs have invaded the young man's life.
  Mike is found, or what is left of him. He was brutally murdered.
  In the end the case is solved but the lives of all (including yours) will be changed forever.
  I want to point out that for me this was NOT an anti military film. Although the army isn't always shown in its best light, the director Paul Haggis tries to show us a neutral vision on what happens when young men are exposed to the cruelty of war.
  True, the army looks a little helpless. Bound by rules and regulations and afraid to lose the trust and support of the American people, they try to protect the soldiers by withholding statements and manipulating the investigation. But that is all understandable.
  This film is anti war (and anti racist). No matter where you look, either the Deerfield family or Mike's army buddies, so many lives lost and destroyed all because of war.
  It will stay with you forever. The acting is state of the art, camera, directing and script terrific.
  With Blu-ray and HDDVD you have the story jumping into your living room - which I believe is what it deserves.
  As an extra there is a small heart wrenching storyline involving Mike's ex-girlfriend (who is not in the theatrical version of the movie) and interviews with the co-stars who play the army buddies, most of which have served in Iraq thus knowing exactly what this is all about. My utmost respect goes out to these young men.
  
  
• Different yet incomprehensible
  By A18MBO1U4DPY20 on 2008-02-08
  In The Valley of Elah is a rahter good effort but there are some things about it that seem rather flawed and dragged. Tommy Lee Jones takes about 20 seconds in the film to walk over from a field to a car, the scenes are predictable, the film lacks action being a true story, fathers and mothers are more likely to like it. I couldn't help but feel that many scenes in the "film" were repeated. I understand it was based on a true story, I don't think it's the editing which was lacking, I just felt the impact of the film, overall, was quite measly.
  
  Let me mention that Charlize Theron is very beautiful. Of course, she is miscast yet she's definitely the film's strongest point. Her character is that of a single mother ,her way of fighting "wrong" is by stating what's right and never raising her voice. Some scenes were well depicted because they were believable but the scenes featuring the American flag were done over the top. In a way, very film and rather incongruent to the story's issue at hands.
  
  There are no bad guys in the film for you to dislike. Susan Sarandon appears in the first scene and I was a bit delighted to see her but she hardly has any role except the one scene where you might see her howl. I'm not sure if it's just me who took notice but isn't Theron a bit too beautiful to be interested in being a detective, she looks remarkably easy and settled in the film yet real.
  
  The end is a bit strange but you might just be too yawned by then.
  Strengths : Charlize Theron, a sturdy character represented by Tommy Lee Jones
  
  Weaknesses : Not meant for all audiences, direction tried to play it a bit too much by the book, some scenes irritating you because characters seldom display anger
  
  Remarks : If you liked United 93, you will like this. If you're looking for something to make you go "Whoa" , it is only the last ten minutes that might do that but by then the effect will be dwindled because the film seems lackluster for a bit too long.
  
  
  
  
• More Hollywood Fiction
  By A2ZD7EELY0PR2P on 2008-02-15
  I was prompted to write this review after seeing all of the reviews from the people who watched this and rave about how realistic it is. It is as realistic as "Stargate." Do you also think that "E/R" depicts the daily activities in a hospital? This movie is a work of fiction. It does not factually portray the happenings in Iraq, or the heroic actions of our servicemen. It does, however, serve as a medium for its creators to sway public opinion (Susan Sarandon, anyone?) And to the poster above who thinks the military is trained to run people over....are you kidding me?
  
  If anyone is wanting to watch a movie that will actually help them learn about the Iraq war, they must wait a little longer. None of the movies currently out on the subject are remotely relevant. The programs on The Discovery Channel, The History Channel, and The Military Channel are currently the closest sources you will get to what actually happened/is happening there, without the anti-war distortions (and they don't portray each and every servicemember as a criminal in order to force their political and social positions on their viewers.)
  
  The bottom line is that if you want to watch this film for personal entertainment, then do so. If, however, you feel that watching this film will help you understand what is happening in Iraq, and the people who serve/served there, then don't bother.
  
  
• Iraq Soldier bashing movie
  By A20P5OY5P74RYC on 2008-04-20
  This movie was a stereo-typical Hollywood expose
  of the problems with those who come back from Iraq.
  It is anti-war and more typical of Hollywood than of
  reality. The plot was symplistic and so PC you can
  guess exactly how each plot sequence is going to work
  (boring). It ends up with a Jane Fonda / John Kerry
  view of our troops as torturers and murderers. Having
  a son in the military I see this as simple American bashing
  troop hate speech so typically the Hollywood elites who
  seem to be more into America bashing propaganda than
  finding out what is really going on in Iraq. One story
  is taken and blown up as if it is the norm. Why is it
  I never see any stories telling the wonderful things are
  troops our doing in Iraq come out of Hollywood. Monolithic,
  1984 same-think with never a dissenting voice. Really sad
  that our troops daily put their lives on the line while
  Hollywood rips up and smears our young men and women.
  It ends with an upside down flag flying. The folks in
  Hollywood seem stuck in their old Vietnam anti-troop mode.
  What a shame. Don't waste your time on this movie. Just
  another Jane Fonda American bashing Hollywood perversion
  of reality hardly "cutting edge." Stereo-typical and boring.
  
  
• Military Wifes Opinion of "In the Valley of Elah"
  By AU3XOHLUCGANV on 2008-03-30
  I haven't posted many movie reviews on Amazon, but after watching "In the Valley of Elah" last night, I have to give my opinion. I have been a military wife for the past fifteen years. My husband has served in both Bosnia and Iraq. I can honestly state that I was offended by the movie. Returning soldiers are depicted as soul-less, murdering, inhuman monsters. In the film one soldier drowns his dog AND his wife and other soldiers brutally murder, chop up and burn one of their own men, run over children, desecrate dead bodies, and torture prisoners. I am sure that atrocities have been committed by a select few in every war, but this film is SO anti-military that it is shameful.
  I can only speak from my own experience, which has been that my husband and his fellow soldiers returned from Iraq and have all been upstanding citizens who have proudly served their country. None of them have murdered anyone or have turned into soul-less monsters after returning from Iraq. I'm saddened to think that people are giving this movie four and five stars and might actually think that this is what members of the armed forces are like.
  I am giving the movie two stars on the basis that the performances were strong and the story was interesting. As a military wife, I give "In the Valley of Elah" zero stars.
  
  
• Slings and stones
  By A37PV5GMP2ILJC on 2008-05-04
  Short Attention Span Summary (SASS):
  1. War is hell
  2. Coming back home can be worse
  
  
  Tommy Lee Jones is perfectly cast as Hank Deerfield, a retired sergeant in the Military Police whose son Mike has gone missing shortly after returning home from active duty in Iraq.
  
  Refusing to believe that Mike would go AWOL, Hank gets into his truck and heads off for the Army base to find out what really happened. He runs into the brick wall of Army protocol and the stone wall of the Police when it comes to military matters, and stubbornly sticks his own craggy mug into the investigation.
  
  His tenaciousness and crime scene experience eventually help him to win the respect of Police Detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron) who begins assisting him, and together they put together the pieces after some gruesome remains are discovered on Army property. Small but significant roles are played by Susan Sarandon, Jason Patric, James Franco and Josh Brolin, and Frances Fisher is at her most revealing.
  
  Much more than the story of a man searching for his son, this movie is based on actual events, and illustrates the mental trauma that affects some military personnel after their experiences in combat and conflict situations. The Valley of Elah, by the way, is the site of the biblical mismatch between David and Goliath.
  
  A powerful movie that's well worth watching, with stellar performances from Jones and Theron.
  
  
  
  Amanda Richards, May 4, 2008
  
  
  
• Garbage
  By AD7J8Y6CN2UJ4 on 2008-02-22
  I am active duty military so I know what I'm talking about when I say this. Not only that, but I have visited the base (Ft. Hood) that this movie takes place around several times.
  
  This may have been intended to be an anti-war movie, but it is to me, an anti-military movie. It depicts the Army as a bunch of country bumpkin losers who all do drugs and love killing people. The fact is is that we all have random drug tests several times a year, and if we were hiding anything like a pot pipe in our barracks, it would be found by the officers who perform our room inspections every day. Drug use in the military is a terminal offense. If you are caught, you get kicked right out after one offense. Another point I would like to mention is that our rules of engagement (do not fire unless fired upon) regularly put our men and women in danger, get them injured and sometimes even killed. While casualties are inevitable, our current military does more than has probably ever been done in history to prevent them from happening.
  
  Regarding the running over of the little girl, and the messing with dead bodies; I must sadly admit the messing with bodies does happen. It is the charge of the platoon leaders to ensure that this kind of conduct does not happen and they need to do their job as most of them do. I guarantee that no one in my chain of command will be getting away with any of this kind of conduct. Regarding the running over of the little girl, I've never heard of an order like that, BUT the unfortunate fact of modern war is that little children, old women, pregnant women WILL come out with bombs under their dresses, in their purses etc. to kill soldiers. If they are in a combat area and the girl does not move out of the way as told / warned / honked at / etc. I can see that this could become a necessity. Having one vehicle taken out by a harmless looking civilian can cause great damage to an effort to hold or take an area, not to mention the several American lives that could be lost by ignoring the possible threat. A career soldier like the main character in this movie (Tommy Lee Jones' character) would know better. Especially being a Vietnam vet as I think he was, he would know that these types of things have been minimized to a high degree compared to the Vietnam era. If he was so distressed about what happened in this war, he would have deserted during the Vietnam war.
  
  I give this movie 2 stars because the story was somewhat engaging, and while I do find the general theme insulting, I don't think it was as bad as some of the other leftist movies out there. If you are pacifist who hates war, or someone who hates the military, this may be your movie.
  
  
• Pure anti-Bush movie
  By A3TDM8ZTPBHB0U on 2008-04-12
  Right in, just for elections!!!I question myself why I even watched that movie...Weak and inconsistent story line,bah there is really no story just smearing american soldiers seems sole purpose that movie was made for!!!!Good part there was very little mrs Sarandon present.Mr Jones is getting very old tired and his acting is more like a robot than a human.Dont waste your money I can send you my disk if you must see it I am not watching that movie again in my lifetime,if you suport your troops don't "bring it home"
  
  
• A truely dishonest portrayal of the war
  By A14ESSWHRY4KPG on 2008-02-25
  This movie depicts our returning servicemen as murderous, torturing, drug addicts (the military drug tests all the time) to a man. Then tells us a patriotic former Vietnam Vet, who still makes up his motel bed with hospital corners and spit shines his shoes, ends up dishonoring his country by flying an Iraq battle flag his son fought under, upside down as an international sign of distress at a public building. I understand the right to free speech. Conning moviegoers into paying to hear such dishonest trash is another matter. I want my money back!
  
  
• "In the Valley of the Shadow of Death"
  By A3EE0H0NWQ9QVL on 2008-02-21
  `In the Valley of Elah' is an absorbing police procedural about an Iraq War recruit, Mike Deerfield, who is reported AWOL a short time since returning home to his US base. Directed and written by Paul Haggis (`Crash'), the film is based on events as compiled by `Playboy' magazine writer, Mark Boals.
  
  Tommy Lee Jones stars in a well-deserved Oscar nominated role as Mike's father, Hank Deerfield, a Vietnam veteran and the head of a military family whose two sons have enlisted in war. The eldest son died in combat, and Mike, the younger son volunteered for Iraq, but uncharacteristically did not let his folks know about his absence from the base. Hank, who gets a call about the prospect of his son going AWOL, goes to the military base, a two-day's drive from his Murso, TN home, to investigate. First he starts at the base; then, he asks the civilian police to take over the case, believing they would be more able to find his son than the military would.
  
  Hank, who was an investigator of sorts during his time of service, stays at a motel where he starts his leg work. He questions Mike's closest friends, goes to topless bars he would frequent, and hunts down his credit card records. Soon he pays Mike's friend a hundred dollars to clean up the messy transmission of a video of Mike and his troop, taken on the front lines in a HUM-V in Iraq. We get a picture from the front, and the video translates clues about his time of service.
  
  Meanwhile, Det. Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron) first refuses Hank's request for filing a missing report based on the understanding that the military has jurisdiction over the investigation. When Mike's body is found, it has been treated in a grisly manner, not an easy aspect to divulge or ponder, but the placement of his corpse again requires a borderline investigative decision. Once Hank convinces Det. Sanders to take him to the scene of the crime, Hank is able to prove that his son's body was moved from civilian to military lines. (And all of this is discovered in the first half hour of the movie.)
  
  From there Emily gets involved with the case in a personal way. She's the one who visibly shows compassion for Hank's situation and his determination to get to the truth about his son's death. Between her conviction to cross military lines and usurp the investigation with her own passion for the truth, she is Hank's best ally, even when his regard for her is sometimes as calloused as her colleagues. (Especially, but not exclusively, her supervisor [Josh Brolin] dishes out harassment of the sexual and non-sexual kind.) Once she makes a case the department can't refuse, she squares off with a military investigator (Jason Patric) who would like to keep it all under tabs.
  
  Invited to dinner at Emily's house, Hank is able to relate the story of David and Goliath from which the movie's title is extracted, tucking her young son into bed that night. Poignantly, yet quietly, he relates a tale of bravery and conviction taking place at grim odds. He also relates that this was a time when there were "rules of war" not meant to be broken.
  
  Tommy Lee Jones may be the underdog to Daniel Day-Lewis's performance in 'There Will Be Blood,' but his understated vitality gives a real scope to a character we'd find recognizable in the real world. He's the center, of course, but the film is graced by the likes of Susan Sarandon (as his wife, Joan), Charlize Theron, Josh Brolin, Jason Patric, and James Franco (who delivers himself naturally in a small role) and make the procedural as real as they come. Just like 'Zodiac' and 'Gone Baby Gone' from 2007, 'In the Valley of Elah' makes an investigation of extraordinary events palpable with very human performances.
  
  The film`s patriotism may be called into question, but the movie is magnetic to watch and offers some unsettling issues to face, (While it is worth noting here the selflessness motives of many of our nations' soldiers.) Looking on Paul Haggis as the prime mover and noting little touches like Annie Lennox's composition "Lost," which plays at the end of the film, people will easily find the film's prime motivation, but that should not deter an audience from an essentially fine film.
  
  
• Iraq War as cheap plot device for motive = not good
  By A3825QQVSCUZ9A on 2008-03-16
  This movie really goes nowhere and uses Iraq induced PTSD as a cheap (as in no class) plot device to explain inhuman behavior. I'm not buying the screenplay or the insensitivity. The acting is 1st rate, but I have no idea why Jones or Theron would appear in this. The war and its effects is fair game for inspection... it just needs a truer more meaningfull vehicle. 2 stars is for the acting, otherwise just 1.
  
  NOTE: It's always interesting to see reviews, and voting on reviews such as mine. I find it amazing that the 'motive' for this crime is considered plausible and that having a group chicken dinner afterwards "because we were hungry" fits in with a 5 star screenplay.
  
  
• A Theron tour de force
  By A2U83VDVJMAB2U on 2008-02-21
  First of all, I have no idea why this movie was panned or lauded during its theatrical release as some kind of statement for or against the Iraq war. After having watched it, the political ramifications of that war are, in my opinion, totally irrelevant to this movie as a work of entertainment. There have been atrocities in every war since tribes were clubbing each other with mastodon bones, so let's just put that aside.
  
  Having been raised in the military as an Army brat -- and being a veteran myself -- I really love movies oriented toward military subjects, and this movie doesn't disappoint. In many ways, it's territory we've explored before in movies such as "The Caine Mutiny", "A Few Good Men", "Basic", "The General's Daughter", "Rules of Engagement" (another Jones movie), and many others. Why this one was castigated as being anti-war in any special way is totally beyond me.
  
  We have a stellar cast in what is essentially a "Courage Under Fire" genre movie, a Rashomon scenario, wherein Tommy Lee Jones -- the father of a murdered vet -- tries to uncover the details of his son's murder with the help of an outcast female police detective played by Charlize Theron.
  
  Jones is always a marvel to watch, and the supporting cast is also top notch: Josh Brolin, Jason Patric, Susan Sarandon, Francis Fisher (in a gutsy role for a middle-aged woman), as well as the lesser lights.
  
  But in my opinion, Charlize Theron stole this show, hands down.
  
  Having won an Oscar for her incredible performance as the serial killer in "Monster" a couple of years back (and keeping in mind her physical transformation for that role), and also bearing in mind her usual public persona as a beautiful woman gracing the red carpet in a slinky gown, it would be easy to dismiss her as a one-hit wonder who got lucky a couple of years ago.
  
  This movie disproves that idea. Though she doesn't transform herself as grotesquely for this role, it's actually a much more subtle and sublime transformation, which in my opinion makes her success in the role even more difficult. Where in "Monster" she could hide herself behind the grotesquery of the physical transformation, in this movie she simply makes herself...... plain.
  
  How much harder it is to be a distinctive blade of grass than it is to be a toadstool.
  
  I can't believe she wasn't nominated again for this role.
  
  ANYway.... I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, especially for that performance, but it also worked very well on all levels.
  
  
  
  
  
• Misrepresentation
  By AKQ1RRXE7QFZG on 2008-04-05
  I'm getting tired of blasts toward the US military, which does a fantastic job of protecting us and our freedoms.
  
  
• Anti-Military Propaganda
  By A2T1B8LGQRYCEA on 2008-05-21
  How disappointing. "In the Valley of Elah" turned out to be a piece of anti-military propaganda. The message is that the military takes sweet young men and turns them into drug-addicted, torturing, cold-blooded murders, and then covers it up. Tommy Lee Jones can sure act...I just wish he wouldn't waste his chops on films like this.
  
  
• Tommy Lee Jones truly needs to retire!
  By AES9E1NFL9Y1T on 2007-09-15
  Tommy Lee Jones is way, way past his prime and probably should consider retirement. I'm not saying it's his age as much as I am so sick of seeing this no talent bore play the same dull character in film after film. Save your time and money and skip this and most anything Hollywood or Jones does these days.
  
  
• Another anti-war movie
  By A1KXTOOI7ZA5RR on 2008-03-12
  Really good performances here. Tommy, Charlize and briefly, Susan Sarandon, my favorite left-wing liberal cuckoo girl! The story isn't all that much. Nothing really original here. Most of the recent spate of "anti-war" movies aren't really anti-war at all, because liberals have never actually cared about Americans dying in a foreign country for no real reason, which is what is happening now in Afghanistan and Iraq. These liberal made movies are really about the fact that there is a Republican in the White House and they want one of their own, which they will surely have for better or worse, by next year. This is really a B-grade movie, except for the star power. I will watch just about anything with a combo like Tommy Lee and Charlize. Too bad they didn't have something better to work with.
  
  
• Anti military
  By A2TNL4TVI4Z8QS on 2008-04-04
  This movie has some good performances but it is very difficult to watch. If you are looking for insights on wars effects on people skip this movie. It is a very one-sided view that all soldiers are monsters and that the army is the devil. It was a little hard to buy Theron as a cop.
  
  
• Unclear
  By A1PPIFR51T81IK on 2008-05-17
  This is a dishonest film that suggests all military in combat can return home, still kill someone and, immediately after the deed, satisfy a hungry stomach. It makes no attempt to convey the idea that most combat service people, dealing with serious emotional issues, don't embrace this sort of attitude and conduct. The film also suggests that this is an issue unique to the situation in Iraq. All military, in all countries, in all wars have members who committed such acts. If you're going to protest the war in Iraq, through a screenplay, do so addressing the issues pertaining to this war. If you feel that the soldiers are victims, say it more clearly than how it is done in this screenplay. I say this as a Liberal Democrat. "In the Valley of Elah" is as narrow and dishonest, in its information, as John Wayne's Right Wing "The Green Beret." The war in Iraq is too complex to try to squeeze your opposition to it into a script about a homicide investigation.
  
  
• Unexpected
  By A9LAPV8XNKZVZ on 2008-02-17
  Here we go places we didn't expect. The real villian is not this war, but war. This war is just where it happens. The cost of this war will be calculated over the future decades. Forces us to look at what we don't want to see. Well acted.
  
  
• The Bigger They Are, the Harder It Is to Make Them Fall
  By AAOF195P95ZVC on 2008-02-28
  You can't go wrong with Tommy Lee Jones in a title role. He perfectly plays the father of the Iraq war vet who returns home and vanishes. No histrionics, no hysterics, no tears, but that craggy old face of his tells all. Jones as Hank Deerfield sets out to find out what happened to his son, and ends up discovering a lot more than he might have wanted to.
  
  His son has returned from Iraq a changed man, and not for the better. He was ordered to run down an Iraqi child (which has really happened, according to some vets) and tries to communicate to his father, through his tears, that he'd done something terribly wrong. Deerfield throughout the movie repeatedly hears his son's agonized "dad....daddy" in his dreams and only at the end do we see how he dismissed his son's anguish. The latter eventually cracks up, torturing wounded Iraqis and treating women like dirt.
  
  Indeed, many of the featured returning vets have become twisted in some way by their experiences in Iraq, which is no doubt a major point of the film and all too frequently accurate. The film likely overplays this facet a bit, which is why it gets four, not five stars from me.
  
  Because this film otherwise has superb acting and plot, with a combination of murder mystery, young men warped by war, and decent folks trying to sort it all out. An emaciated Charlize Theron plays the detective who reluctantly helps out Deerfield in his own informal investigation and must put up with his gruff insults. She downplays her good looks with a severe hairdo and a pencil-thin body--somebody needs to get her some beef fat and chicken soup immediately.
  
  Susan Sarandon perfectly portrays the worried, then grief-stricken mother, although the old standby retort "you don't have any children, do you" has gotten awfully stale through overuse over the years. Nonetheless, the scene in which Jones breaks the news to her of their son's ghastly death is one of the most heart-wrenching pictures of sorrow and anguish I've ever seen on the screen. This is fine acting which cuts close to the bone without ever threatening to go over the top.
  
  Also moving was the quiet way Hank Deerfield's father's love for his son is shown, as contrasted to his wife's motherly heartbreak. It's a nicely nuanced and effective approach the director and writers took
  
  The valley of Elah refers to where David slew Goliath, where the courage of the weak overcame the strength of the mighty. Unfortunately for the Deerfields the powerful continue on their course in Iraq and elsewhere. Paul Haggis and company found out the same when this movie bombed at the box office, despite being a better than average show. It might be decades before this kind of look at the Iraq war will shine through the miasma we face now.
  
  At the end, in complete reverse of the beginning, Hank Deerfield instructs the local school custodian to hang the American flag--one which his son sent to him from Iraq--upside down, the universal signal of distress.
  
  
• A Must See
  By AUXCWBJAUOFK8 on 2007-10-30
  This is a very tough movie to watch. It is heart wrenching, frustrating, and completely devastating. Anyone that believes in the Iraq war should see this movie, and realize what is happening to our children that are fighting over there. Wonderful performances by everyone involved. Please, I urge you to see this movie.
  
  
• The murder of Specialist Richard Davis and Elah
  By A24LIRW75I6S6B on 2008-02-20
  I have been writing the comprehensive true story behind the murder of Richard Davis titled "Murder In Baker Company, the forgotten soldier." I've seen the film several times and even though it is fictionalized, I never cease to be amazed at the thread of truth which runs through Elah from beginning to end. The script was actually written before any major details of the case were available; the trials had not taken place. Yet Paul Haggis instinctively had his finger on the pulse of this tragedy and the far-reaching effects of THIS war. It's absolutely uncanny when I stop to think about Elah's prophetic substance. And whether planned or not, Tommy Lee Jones' performance eerily captures the essence of Lanny Davis right to the core. The film is a labor of love for everyone involved.
  
  This war is different, as they all are. There are very specific issues behind the dramatic increase in PTSD and the violence following our men and women home. Issues that could be avoided if it were not for the profiteering, apathetic system of government in charge of our troops. Everything that is wrong with this war played a role in the events leading to Army Specialist Richard Davis' murder. It is a horrific tragedy that unfortunately serves as a beacon for the truth.
  
  
  www.theliterarygroup.com
  
  www.richarddavisforpeace.com
  
  
  
• A brilliant film about what CAN happen, not what MUST happen.
  By A1SAZB83QFR0W2 on 2008-03-03
  This film's title does not have a Biblical reference for nothing. In fact, the title points to the main theme of the film. Elah is the place that brave young King David slew the sociopathic brutish Goliath--and the story is specifically mentioned by Tommy Lee Jones in one scene of the movie. For those who think this film creates a distortion of the effects of war on G.I.'s, try using your higher mental faculties. It doesn't suggest that what happens in this story is what is the norm, but it suggests what CAN happen. It's also a movie. Get it? Such simple minded criticism could be applied to any movie. A movie tells ONE story, and does not represent ALL stories. That said, the movie raises one of the most troubling issues of American militarism: can our belief that America is a brave 'David' in a world of so-called megalomaniacs (Goliaths) be sustained if we become like Goliath? Tommy Lee Jones' character, a Vietnam Vet, lives with the traditional view of heroic America. Suddenly booted into the present -- 40 years after Vietnam -- he is faced with having to understand that America has changed. This is not a left vs. right issue, or a liberal vs. conservative issue. This is a human issue. And if you're attitude is that this excellent film is 'propaganda' or 'distorted', I'm afraid you may have taken the first step on the road to Goliathville. As the straightlaced, proud military man & father, as played by Jones, slowly learns of the fate of his son, he does not blame or deny or ignore. He ponders and tries to understand. This is what a 'REAL' man does.
  
  
• Fantastic Story of Repercussions of War and Innocence
  By A1U360OMVQRPUB on 2008-03-09
  Tommy Lee Jones delivers an outstanding performance as a father searching for his missing son in the movie IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH. I was pulled into the mystery of what happened to Hank Deerfield's son from that first phone call at the beginning of the movie. As a father myself, I've occasionally wondered how my grown children were and if they were all right. With the Iraq War going on and so many soldiers over there, that phone call from the military is the last thing any of them want to deal with.
  
  As it turns out, Deerfield's son Michael is AWOL, away without leave. The military is looking for him. Deerfield says that if his son was in the United States, he would have known about it.
  
  The calm, cool, collected way the movie goes about introducing the characters and the problem in the opening minutes of the film are amazing. Everything is understated. Jones shows his concern through his actions, quiet and controlled, rather than with further dialogue with anyone. Susan Sarandon portrays Deerfield's wife, and their relationship's deepness and emotional complexity is played out in a few short scenes and sparse, meaningful dialogue that never overstates the worry. You can see it in the characters, and that's the best way on film.
  
  From the beginning, Deerfield comes across as Joe American. He stops on the way out of town to help a school janitor to properly display the American flag. His simple gesture, in the presence of his own crisis, really touched me. And the movie continues to do that all the way through.
  
  At Fort Rudd, the viewer learns that Deerfield isn't just an ex-military guy. He was Army CID, part of the criminal investigation division. That caught my attention immediately and amped up the interest. Deerfield wasn't going to be easily taken advantage of. You can almost feel the storm looming on the horizon.
  
  I was thoroughly irritated at how quickly the military blew Deerfield's concern off. However, I can see how this can sometimes be the case. Still, Deerfield is slyer than anyone thinks, and quickly manages to get his son's cell phone from his things when the sergeant isn't looking.
  
  I enjoyed how Deerfield, though at least fifteen years away from his past as CID and technologically challenged, picked up the reins on his own investigation so quickly. Everything started falling back into place for him, and his insight into the military mind was great to watch. Especially after the interaction with the local police began.
  
  Charlize Theron enters the story when Deerfield goes to the police for help. She plays Emily Sanders, the only female detective on the squad, and takes a lot of crap about her gender and her relationship with their boss. She's a single mom trying to find her way, and the last thing she needs is to get tied up with Deerfield's problems - especially with the US Army waiting to shut the investigation down at any moment.
  
  The movie took some surprising twists and turns along the way to the solution of Michael's disappearance and who was actually involved. I loved the way Deerfield broke his "cover" as a quiet, concerned father and became a crusading investigator, and I also feared for him when he lost control and endangered the case and their pursuit of the truth.
  
  Throughout the film, no one ever loses sight of the characters. As much time is given to the development of the characters as to the development of the investigation. Deerfield's character was great, and Jones played him to a T. There's one scene in the laundry where Deerfield is washing his clothes that my wife didn't understand. Deerfield was sitting in his undershirt waiting for his clothes to dry and spots Emily coming to talk to him. He hurriedly gets up and pulls a wet shirt out of the dryer and puts it on. I had to explain to my wife that the kind of man Deerfield was wouldn't allow himself to be seen in his undershirt by a woman not his wife.
  
  The Blu-ray disc is packed full of extras relating to the movie as PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). If you've got loved ones overseas, this movie can be hard to view on several levels. However, it might also give you a deep appreciation for what they're doing and what the real cost of the war is going to be.
  
  One of the best scenes in the movie is when Deerfield is telling Emily's son the story of David and Goliath, to let him know where his name came from. Later, at the end of the movie, Emily is telling her son the same story because he wants to hear it again. This time her son asks her why all the soldiers let a boy go fight their war for them. After everything that's been revealed in the movie, that question resonates for a long time.
  
  This is a fantastic film and has tremendous acting. Paul Haggis CRASH, FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, CASINO ROYALE) wrote and directed.
  
  
  

• Michael Clayton (Widescreen Edition)
• No Country for Old Men
• American Gangster (2-Disc Unrated Extended Edition)
• Gone Baby Gone
• The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford