+ 3rd Best Movie of the Year
+ Best Political Movie of the Year + Best Crime Drama of the Year + Best True-Story Movie of the Year
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| Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron look distraught before a huge US flag, (which is not upside down as in the film), on this poster for Paul Haggis' In the Valley of Elah |
A young soldier returned from duty in Iraq disappears. His father, himself a retired sergeant, starts his own investigation, and soon the police uncover his son, who has been burned, stabbed and dismembered.
In the Valley of Elah is the third theatrical feature written and directed by great Canadian filmmaker Paul Haggis (Red Hot (1993)). It is inspired by the true story of the death of Iraq veteran Richard Davis in 2003 as described in the Playboy article Death and Dishonor (2004) by Mark Boal (Detroit (2017), screenplay).
This is a deeply disturbing story. It tells of the muzzy sense of humanity that is a frequent side effect of being a soldier at war.
Tommy Lee Jones (Just Getting Started (2017)) underplays the part of the investigating, unsettled father with credibility, adding much to the film's gripping nature. He is well-matched by Charlize Theron (The Cider House Rules (1999)) as the police detective who involves herself in the case. In the Valley of Elah, - which takes its title from the valley known from the Biblical story of the battle between David and Goliath, - also has stellar supporting actors such as James Franco (Yosemite (2015)), Josh Brolin (Men in Black 3 (2012)) and especially Susan Sarandon (Mr. Woodcock (2007)), who is positively awe-inspiring as Jones' wife, yet some of the best parts are acted by acting amateurs, ex-soldiers.
SPOILER The ending with the upside-turned US flag is right on point; it points to the film's implicit societal critique of US war and veteran policies, which is simultaneously quiet and deafening.
Related post:
Paul Haggis: 2007 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2007 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
Flags of Our Fathers (2006) - Eastwood's Iwo Jima portrayal is captivating and profoundly moving (co-writer)
Watch Theron talk of her involvement with the film here
Cost: 23 mil. $
Box office: 29.5 mil. $
= Big flop (returned 1.28 times the cost)
[In the Valley of Elah premiered 1 September (Venice Film Festival, Italy) and runs 121 minutes. Haggis wrote the script with Clint Eastwood in mind for the lead, but Eastwood was busy on other projects. He liked the script, though, suggested Jones for the part instead and reportedly helped get the film green-lit. Shooting took place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Tennessee and in Morocco from December 2006 - ?. The film opened #35 to a 133k $ first weekend in 9 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #14 and in 978 theaters (different weeks) and grossed disappointing 6.7 mil. $ (22.7 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Spain and France, both with 3 mil. $ each (10.2 %). Lanny Davis, the father who Jones' character was based on, has commented in favor of the film. Roger Ebert gave it a 4/4 star review, translating to a notch better than this one. It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor (Jones), losing to Daniel Day-Lewis in Paul Thomas Anderson's masterpiece There Will Be Blood. It was also nominated for a David di Donatello award, won a National Board of Review award and 1/2 Venice award nominations. Haggis returned with We Are the World 25 for Haiti (2010, video documentary) and theatrically with The Next Three Days (2010). Jones returned in great thriller In the Electric Mist (2007). Theron returned in Battle in Seattle (2007). Sarandon returned in Mr. Woodcock (2007). In the Valley of Elah is fresh at 73 % with a 7/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
What do you think of In the Valley of Elah?
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