In the Valley of Elah

In the Valley of Elah_720p(480P)

source: In the Valley of Elah

The many moviegoers who didn't see this film unknowingly lucked out. The story of Jones's character investigating the disappearance of his son, on leave from deployment in Iraq, is supposedly based on a true story. I know nothing of those facts, so my opinion is based on the film alone. Jones' character, Hank Deerfield, is a detail-obsessed Vietnam war veteran, who feels the police and MP are not doing enough to solve the murder of his son. We know he is detail-obsessed because right away he is shown correcting a hapless Central American school custodian who's been unwittingly hanging the American flag upside down! He also one-ups the police who are looking for a suspect with a green car. Deerfield tells them the suspect would be driving a BLUE car, because at night blue under a yellow light looks green. (I just hope they didn't rule out anyone with a green car, since I imagine green cars also look green under a yellow light.) But all this happened while the movie was still interesting. But the next 90 minutes of distractions and red herrings undo all that. A partial list of time-wasters that actually have nothing to do with the conclusion: a crack pipe, a stolen watch, a hit-and-run death in Iraq, a hanging, a mystery package, a Mexican ex-con, a bedtime tale of David and Goliath, a dead dog and debates over police vs MP jurisdiction. It turns out the son was murdered by his soldier pals in the aftermath of a barroom argument, no reason given, but nonetheless stabbed 48 times. So on a scale of 0 to 10: LIKELIHOOD OF ME RECOMMENDING THIS MOVIE: 0 LIKELIHOOD OF EVER WANTING TO WATCH IT AGAIN: 0 LIKELIHOOD OF FINDING FRIED CHICKEN AT 1:30am: 1 LIKELIHOOD OF TOMMY LEE JONES AGAIN PLAYING A DOUR PURSUER OF JUSTICE WITH NO EMOTIONAL RANGE: 10 .

This movie is very compelling, but I'm sad to say after going through all that ... for 2 hours it was disappointing. The story was clear, and straightly told. According to the movie this was "based" on a true story ... God knows what this means anymore. I see it that there was some story that is maybe something like this story that writers got a hold of and politicized. This was my problem with the movie. The feel of the movie was very good. The acting excellent. Theron is a world class talent. Tommy Lee Jones channels himself like a champ, although it appears he got his baggy eyes deflated or something. He looked old and tired, but he was full of grit and middle American vinegar. Sarandon plays her usual political self ... well. Her cries as a mother facing the death of her last son are heart wrenching. The movie's political message comes at you like a ton of bricks in the last few minutes of the movie. It is a movie that says this war ... and they mean Iraq ... turns men into monsters. I have to give the movie a 5 but it is totally out of respect to the actors and the direction. The writers and producers deserve to be whacked for turning the movie into a cheap and absurd sermon at the end. Our boys and soldiers are way better than this and I was angry and insulted at the end of the movie because someone had a story about something here and the Hollywood writers decided to make it all about them. All about how bad this war is, and with snippets of some of George Bush's rambling comments sprinkled through the background noise. Tommy Lee Jones will just hold up forever, and Charlise Theron is the quintessential American woman with brains, heart and beauty - even with a broken nose. The rest of the acting crew was excellent as well. I'm sorry I cannot recommend this because of the ending and its blatant political propaganda.

A gung-ho ex military man gets word that his son, a soldier in Iraq, has gone AWOL. The film's plot follows the father, played by Tommy Lee Jones, as he sets about trying to find out what happened. Most of the characters here are either military people or local cops. The story is heavy on mystery and investigation. The father's research skills are more potent than those of some local cops. Subtle plot twists and red herrings throughout keep the story's outcome uncertain until the end. Based very loosely on a real-life event in 2003, the film's back-story pertains to the war in Iraq. Because of the controversial nature of this war, some viewers will read into the film a nefarious political agenda, dismissing it as propaganda. In point of fact, the motivation that led to the real-life event is, to this day, still shrouded in mystery. Production values are generally high. The film has terrific, detailed production design. Sound quality is near perfect, which, when combined with the absence of background music in some scenes, enhances a sense of realism. Film editing is reasonably good, though a number of scenes could have been edited out, as they are either unnecessary or a tad confusing. If one is not privy to the film's point of view, the ending is slightly ambiguous, especially with regard to motivations of certain characters. An added line or two of dialogue could have added clarification. Acting is wonderful. Tommy Lee Jones, with his weather-beaten face, is convincing as a tough, patriotic American military dad. Charlize Theron is satisfying as a frustrated local cop. Even minor roles are well cast. Kathy Lamkin, in a small role, couldn't be any more realistic as the impersonal, haggard manager of a fast-food restaurant. I found "In The Valley Of Elah" entertaining as a mystery. The terrific casting and acting, along with high production values, render a film that is both realistic and highly believable.

I found this movie a letdown. The acting was pale at best. The plot was not sound. The overt political themes weighed the whole thing to a standstill. The last quarter of the movie was just agonizingly drawn out. After four different characters are "fingered" for the murder, one begins to recall old "who-dun-it" films and wonder when Mrs. Marple will be announced. TLJ portrayal as a retired Army career man was sad. Jones attempts to walk the walk with the stiff behavior and several buzz phrases. Just doesn't pull it off. Active duty military personnel don't "fix" their beds compulsively! (perhaps it is hard to believe, but most are just every day folks.) It was a bad prop used to attempt to craft a character. And it was a silly one to use. Sad, I say, because I honestly believe TLJ is a much better actor than that. Sometimes, you can't put enough talent into a bad script I guess. Theron's role of the detective is noteworthy. I liked the stance she seemed to make, not calling out her co-workers for obvious sexism, but measuring her disdain for their behavior by the bucket load. But overboard, in my opinion was the tension developed between the law enforcement officers and the military. There is always some degree of friction, but to have some long standing resentment as seen in the movie would require a long established history of issues. We don't see that or even get hints at it here. Lastly, disgusting is the portrayal of practically every soldier in the movie as some drugged out, burned out, stressed out product of the war. I've served in the military and been to the places mentioned in the movie. Less than one half of one half of a percent of the soldiers I've served and worked with would fit as characters in this movie. Could there not be a single redeeming figure among them? Why did every one of them have to be "criminal" in some way? Finally, when the end did come, like some tooth extraction visit to a low rate dentist, we are inflicted with the image of TLJ raising a flag upside down, and duct taping the lanyard to the staff. The line, if I recall right, was "Oh, that makes it easy." Flabbergasting....

I have watched this movie about 3 times in the past 2 years, the first time was while I was in Iraq for my second time. This movie has motivated me to get onto the Internet, come here, register, and post this. This movie is such an insult to me by the way it depicts the U.S. Army. The ice cold barracks, the fellow soldiers you cannot trust or respect, the unchecked sadistic nature of these soldiers. It's war hating, soldier disrespecting propaganda. It was bad enough without the upside down American flag. Yes, if the state of U.S. Army was actually as it is displayed in this movie, then yes that scene would be fitting, but this is not true. While active duty in the Army for over 5 years, a junior enlisted to sergeant in the ranks, in the 3rd infantry division, and 2 year+ deployments to central Iraq under my belt I think this movie is a pure crock of you know what. And no, I'm not a right wing bush voting war monger. Was this movie dramatic enough to hold my interest? Yes. But for this bleak world around a military base to be depicted as truth and honestly is absolute crap. I have never seen so much dreariness anywhere in the U.S. Army. I don't know how to go on with words, I Just want to put the word out there that fictional depictions of life, like portrayed in this movie, do far more harm than good. Post traumatic stress does exist, it has taken a while for me to stop missing being deployed, I missed the camaraderie, my buddies, and the excitement of deployment life, and no it was not about baby killing and slaughter. The issues that this movie is supposed to represent should be out there, and they are, but this ridiculous portrayal is a disgrace to those who serve, and care, and try to be honorable on a daily basis.

And with the war still on, the theme of PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - is topical and relevant. Shell shock, they used to call it. It is more than shells these days, of course - it is the killing of children and innocents which has an appalling and destabilizing effect on the young U.S. men and women soldiers engaged in Iraq. Paul Haggis who has made Crash amongst other good films, tackles this difficult subject with sensitivity depicting the dehumanization of the soldiers who come home to an indifferent populace. Hank Deerfield (played by Tommy Lee Jones) is a retired Vietnam veteran who investigates the disappearance of his son and comes up against the brick wall of military police. A sympathetic detective, Emily Sanders (played by Charlize Theron) slowly takes an interest in the case and negotiates with her superior officer to take the case back from the military police who want to brush it under the rug. When Mike Deerfield is found, dismembered and scattered, Hank commits himself to getting at the truth. This film is not an anti-war effort but rather the facts are all presented, and one is left to come to one's own conclusions. Tommy Lee Jones gives one of his best performances here, a relentless, humourless driven father, who has not been the best father, but doesn't rest until he finds the closure he desperately needs on the matter of the murder of his son. Susan Sarandon was totally underused in the part of the mother of Mike, but the little we are shown of her is riveting. Charlize Theron plays down her beauty to the degree that she wears bandages and bruises on her face through many of the scenes and ignores the rampant sexism of her unit. A great performance. I didn't care for the Valley of Elah metaphor which is at the core of the movie itself. The David and Goliath story did not have a relevance to a story of PTSD and the horrific effects it has on both perpetrators and victims. So I am left puzzled at this symbolism. A little guy taking on a giant? Who would be the little guy? The Iraqis? However, that vexation aside, for overall tension and the sheer watchability of Mr. Jones in a meaty role, this movie gets an 8 out of 10 from me. .

Loosely based on the story of Richard Davis who was killed by fellow soldiers in Columbus, Georgia after returning from Iraq in 2003, In the Valley of Elah, Paul Haggis' first feature since his Oscar winner Crash is a poignant reminder of how war robs people of their humanity. In one of the best performances of his career, Tommy Lee Jones is Hank Deerfield, a career military man whose son Mike (Jonathan Tucker) is reported as AWOL from his New Mexico base after returning from eighteen months in Iraq. What Hank discovers in searching for Mike is enough to shake his faith in an institution that had nurtured him and threaten his entire world view. Though Deerfield is an ex-military man who knows the value of discipline and hyper-efficiency, he is a man who carries the scars of the death of his other son, killed in a military training accident. When he learns about Mike's disappearance, he tries to calm the fears of his wife Joan (Susan Sarandon), but one can sense in the lines of sadness etched in his worn face that he is very worried. In a very prophetic scene, as he sets out for the Army base to conduct his own investigation, he notices that an American flag is flying upside down, a symbol of international distress, and stops to teach the groundskeeper the difference. At the base, Deerfield is thwarted by the stonewalling of the military and the inept local police force and cannot get anywhere with Lt. Kirklander (Jason Patric) who is in charge of the missing person operation. Fortunately, he finds a detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron) who is assigned to the case. Taunted by chauvinist fellow detectives who think she slept her way onto the squad, she is eager to prove herself as capable as her detractors. When Deerfield's body is discovered, gruesomely cut up in an open field, Deerfield and Sanders work together to piece together the puzzle, suspecting the involvement of drugs and drug dealers. With the help of video left on Mike's cell phone, however, he discovers secrets that begin to shake his faith in American institutions though he never questions his son's actions. In one of the most moving sequences in the film, Hank tells Sanders little boy the biblical story of David who killed the giant Goliath with a slingshot in the valley of Elah. Deerfield soon understands, however, that it is not enough to fight your own fears in standing up to an adversary but it is necessary to treat the enemy as a human being while still doing your job. Mike and his fellow soldiers have been unable to erase the ugly violence they perpetrated on civilians in Iraq and have brought this self hatred home. In spite of a too literal ending that robs us of the power of our imagination and borders on the polemic, In the Valley of Elah is a compelling and moving film that makes certain we do not forget what the war in Iraq has done not only to our soldier's bodies but to their minds and souls as well.

Paul Hagas's "In the Valley of Elah" follows carefully and closely all the long held and well affirmed standards of any good murder mystery. For anyone who really enjoys this Genre you won't be disappointed. That being said I believe the performances also strengthen this story. Tommy Lee Jones hands in a subdued yet internally complex performance the like I've never seen him do before. He is tough and yet has the sensitivity necessary to drive the character along to where it needs to go. Susan Sarandon gives a strong performance as the mother of a missing soldier. She is placed in the position of an actress having to create a great role from a small part and pulls it off by tapping what must be very heartfelt emotions. Ms. Theron is good and carries off her part well. She is once again not afraid to look bad in order to carry a role. It is a good performance...that's all. I'm not writing home to Mom over it though. The rest of the cast is very strong and gives me great hope for the future of Film making in this country. The cast works well together and makes a compelling story. The part of this film that is the Star and center piece is Paul Hagas's script. He sets up the characters and situations in a direct and fast manner. The storyline is consistent and flows well and as I mentioned he follows the correct direction that any good murder mystery should. He also makes us aware of the growing struggles of our soldiers and what is going on as a result of this war in Iraq. Please see this film and look at it for what it is...a good mystery with great performances.