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In the Valley of Elah (2007)

R   |    |  Crime, Drama, Mystery

In the Valley of Elah (2007) Poster

A retired military investigator works with a police detective to uncover the truth behind his son's disappearance following his return from a tour of duty in Iraq.

7.1/10
69,519
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65 Metascore

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  • Charlize Theron at an event for In the Valley of Elah (2007)
  • Charlize Theron at an event for In the Valley of Elah (2007)
  • Charlize Theron and Paul Haggis at an event for In the Valley of Elah (2007)
  • Charlize Theron and Paul Haggis in In the Valley of Elah (2007)
  • Paul Haggis in In the Valley of Elah (2007)
  • Charlize Theron at an event for In the Valley of Elah (2007)

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Cast & Crew

Top Billed Cast

Director:

Paul Haggis

Writers:

Paul Haggis (screenplay), Mark Boal (story), Paul Haggis (story)
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Awards

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Another 3 wins & 20 nominations.

Reviews & Commentary

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User Reviews
30 September 2007 | Movie-Jay
10
| Surprisingly Poetic and Not Very Political.
This movie is just about perfect. I love how it starts as a genre movie and then transcends into something deeper and soul-searching. Some people just don't like Paul Haggis, but I'm not one of them. I think he's very smart here; he has no political point of view, he handles Charlize Theron perfectly, and the movie forces everybody to think about the troops in a way that isn't simply political rhetoric. I love that Tommy Lee Jones feels the way so many dads do. He's never been better. Watching the police work happen is interesting on it's own, but I like that Charlize Theron is just out to do the job correctly and just shrugs off the chauvinism coming at her from her department. The movie could've gone somewhere with that, but instead just quietly lets us in on it and moves on.

There have been many very good movies the last few years about Iraq-related themes, but I don't think there is a film that captures the feeling of the national mood as good as this one. It's drained of melodrama and just sort of moves forward on really good performances of the whole cast, who all act according to their natures instead of because of stupid plot requirements.

Metacritic Reviews

Critic Reviews

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film cast includes three Oscar winners: Tommy Lee Jones, Susan Sarandon and Charlize Theron; and one Oscar nominee: Josh Brolin.

Quotes

Spc. Gordon Bonner: What are you doing? Get back in the fucking vehicle man! Mike, get back in the fucking vehicle. Let's go, Mike, now!

Goofs

The position of Sanders' arms and the way she is carrying the Bible change between shots as she says goodbye to Deerfield.

Crazy Credits

Jason Patric does not appear at all in the end credits. Since he plays a pivotal role in the film and is seen in many of the scenes, it seems odd that he is uncredited for this role in this film.

Soundtracks

Rock Like This
Written by Anthony Urbano and Ray Urbano
Performed by Stratjic
Courtesy of Nuthin 2 Lose Records

Storyline

Plot Summary

Synopsis (WARNING: Spoilers)

Genres

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Details

Release Date:

28 September 2007

Language

English

Country of Origin

USA

Filming Locations

USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$133,557 16 September 2007

Gross USA:

$6,777,741

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$29,541,790

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