This is Jones' show and he makes you feel a father's fear and loss in ways that are subtly heartbreaking, never melodramatic.
In the Valley of Elah
Sometimes finding the truth is easier than facing it.
2007 · 2h 4m · R
Crime, Drama, History, Mystery, Thriller
Directed by
Paul Haggis
Free account saves your watchlist and ratings.
In the Valley of Elah
Overview
A career officer and his wife work with a police detective to uncover the truth behind their son's disappearance following his return from a tour of duty in Iraq.
Director and cast
- Paul Haggis Director
- Tommy Lee Jones as Hank Deerfield
- Charlize Theron as Detective Emily Sanders
- Susan Sarandon as Joan Deerfield
- Frances Fisher as Evie
- James Franco as Sergeant Carnelli
- Jonathan Tucker as Mike Deerfield
- Jason Patric as Lieutenant Kirklander
- Josh Brolin as Chief Buchwald
- Wes Chatham as Corporal Penning
- Jake McLaughlin as Specialist Gordon Bonner
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
The movie isn't nearly as obvious or redundant as writer-director Paul Haggis's previous film, the Oscar-winning Crash, but it still feels like the work of someone trying too hard to enlighten you.
The failure to avoid pat answers and cheap grandstanding dogs Haggis here as surely as it did in the overrated Crash, and robs In the Valley of Elah of much of its power.
In the Valley of Elah is another in a long line of great Tommy Lee Jones performances.
[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.
More films
All Good Things (2010)
Mystery · Romance · Thriller · R
Newly-discovered facts, court records and speculation are used to elaborate the true love story and murder mystery of the most notorious unsolved murder case in New York history.
- Runtime
- 1h 41m
- Director
- Andrew Jarecki
- Cast
- Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst, Frank Langella
Snow (1963)
Documentary · N/A
Comprising train and track footage quickly shot just before a heavy winter's snowfall was melting, the multi-award-winning classic that emerged from the cutting-room compresses British Rail's dedication to blizzard-battling into a thrilling eight-minute montage cut to music. Tough-as-boots workers struggling to keep the line clear are ...
- Runtime
- 8m
- Director
- Geoffrey Jones
Rail (1967)
Documentary · N/A
"Rail" captures British Railways at a major turning-point in its history. In certain respects, this was a period of considerable upheaval and loss. There was a facing-up to the increasing need for a big modernisation drive. Full and speedy electrification, or the wider promotion of diesel-power on remaining lines, became a matter of to...
- Runtime
- 14m
- Director
- Geoffrey Jones











Comments
Talk about the film with other members