In the Valley of Elah
Encyclopedia
In the Valley of Elah is a 2007 film
written and directed by Paul Haggis
, starring Tommy Lee Jones
, Charlize Theron
, and Susan Sarandon
. The film’s title refers to the Biblical valley
where the battle between David
and Goliath is said to have taken place.
Paul Haggis's In The Valley of Elah is based on actual events, although the characters' names and locations have been changed. The screenplay was inspired by journalist
Mark Boal
's "Death and Dishonor," an article about the murder case published in Playboy
magazine in 2004.
It portrays a military father's search for his son and, after finding his body, subsequent hunt for his son's killers. The film explores themes including the Iraq war, abuse of prisoners, and post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) following active combat.
), his wife Joan (Susan Sarandon
) and their search for their son Mike (Jonathan Tucker
). A soldier recently returned from Iraq
, Mike has suddenly gone missing. Deerfield's investigation is aided by a police detective (Charlize Theron
), who becomes personally involved in the case.
They find Mike's body, mutilated and burned. Military officials initially attempt to block the police investigation; they suggest Mike's death was due to drug-related violence. His platoon mates who last saw him lie to Deerfield and the police. Deerfield, a former military police officer (MPO), tells the police that although he suspects the soldiers are lying about something, he believes they could not have killed their comrade.
It turns out that Deerfield is wrong. The soldiers had killed and dismembered Mike after a seemingly insignificant quarrel. The soldier who confesses to Deerfield and the police seems emotionally detached from his words and actions, apparently to suggest he suffers post-traumatic stress disorder
from events of the war.
of Baker Company, 1-15 IN. He was an Iraq War veteran who was murdered soon after his return home in 2003. Richard Davis' father, Lanny Davis, was a former military police officer. He mounted his own investigation into the crime, as did the character played by Jones in the film. Davis commented, "It's a strong movie and a good movie. And it's going to make a lot of people think."
In 2004, freelance journalist Mark Boal
wrote an article about Richard Davis' murder, entitled "Death and Dishonor," published in Playboy
. This inspired Haggis, who adapted the account for his screenplay.
Davis' story was told in a 2006 episode, "Duty, Death and Dishonor," of the CBS News
program 48 Hours Mystery.
A non-fiction book about the murder case, by author Cilla McCain, titled Murder in Baker Company: How Four American Soldiers Killed One Of Their Own was published in 2009 by Chicago Review Press.
The Richard Davis Foundation for Peace works on issues related to Davis' murder, such as improved screening of military recruits and help for veterans' returning from war. It is compiling a list of suicides and murders connected to the Iraq War for a memorial.
to play the part of Hank Deerfield, which Haggis had written for him. Eastwood declined the opportunity because he was involved with other projects.
and was later shown at the Toronto International Film Festival
. It opened in a somewhat limited release
in the United States
on September 14, 2007, eventually grossing $6.5 million domestically in theatrical rentals, making it a box office disappointment. It cost a reported $23 million to make. It opened in the United Kingdom
on January 18, 2008.
, 71% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 139 reviews. On Metacritic
, the film had an average score of 64 out of 100, based on 25 reviews.
Time
magazine's Richard Corliss
named the film one of the Top 10 Movies of 2007, ranking it at #8. In his review, Corliss praised the film as an improvement on Paul Haggis' Oscar-winning Crash
, calling it "strong in the sleuthing, sobering in its political conclusions." Corliss singled out Tommy Lee Jones' performance, saying his "drained humanity anchors this excellent drama." Time critic Richard Schickel
also ranked the film #8 on his own Top 10 list, saying that the film "is a spare, taciturn, devastating account of what happens to the souls of soldiers forced to fight wars for which not even phony or temporary justifications are offered them."
The film was criticized by some as having a heavy-handed approach. Stephen Hunter
of The Washington Post
wrote, "Haggis also appears to have no respect for his audience. At its crudest, the film settles for agitprop
." Kenneth Turan
of the Los Angeles Times
said that "the characters in this somber film have the glum look of individuals delivering a Very Important Message to the world. And though this film in fact does have something crucial to convey, this is not the way to go about it." Conversely, Stephanie Zacharek of Salon
was critical of the film for not going far enough, saying that it "chickens out."
at the 2007 Venice Film Festival
, where the film was in contention for the Golden Lion
. Tommy Lee Jones was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor
.
2007 in film
This is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...
written and directed by Paul Haggis
Paul Haggis
Paul Edward Haggis is a Canadian screenwriter, producer, and director. He spent his early career producing and directing various American and Canadian television network series.-Early life and education:...
, starring Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones is an American actor and film director. He has received three Academy Award nominations, winning one as Best Supporting Actor for the 1993 thriller film The Fugitive....
, Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron is a South African actress, film producer and former fashion model.She rose to fame in the late 1990s following her roles in 2 Days in the Valley, Mighty Joe Young, The Devil's Advocate and The Cider House Rules...
, and Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon is an American actress. She has worked in films and television since 1969, and won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 1995 film Dead Man Walking. She had also been nominated for the award for four films before that and has received other recognition for her...
. The film’s title refers to the Biblical valley
Valley of Elah
The Valley of Elah, "the valley of the oak or terebinth" , best known as the place described in the Bible where the Israelites were encamped when David fought Goliath . It was near Azekah and Socho...
where the battle between David
David
David was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary...
and Goliath is said to have taken place.
Paul Haggis's In The Valley of Elah is based on actual events, although the characters' names and locations have been changed. The screenplay was inspired by journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
Mark Boal
Mark Boal
Mark Boal is an American journalist, screenwriter and film producer. He won Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture for The Hurt Locker . His screenplay won six other major awards as well.-Early life and education:...
's "Death and Dishonor," an article about the murder case published in Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
magazine in 2004.
It portrays a military father's search for his son and, after finding his body, subsequent hunt for his son's killers. The film explores themes including the Iraq war, abuse of prisoners, and post-traumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Posttraumaticstress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity,...
(PTSD) following active combat.
Plot
The film tells the story of war veteran Hank Deerfield (Tommy Lee JonesTommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones is an American actor and film director. He has received three Academy Award nominations, winning one as Best Supporting Actor for the 1993 thriller film The Fugitive....
), his wife Joan (Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon is an American actress. She has worked in films and television since 1969, and won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 1995 film Dead Man Walking. She had also been nominated for the award for four films before that and has received other recognition for her...
) and their search for their son Mike (Jonathan Tucker
Jonathan Tucker
Jonathan Moss Tucker is an American film and television actor, best known for his roles in the movies The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hostage, In the Valley of Elah and The Ruins, and The Black Donnellys on television....
). A soldier recently returned from Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Mike has suddenly gone missing. Deerfield's investigation is aided by a police detective (Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron is a South African actress, film producer and former fashion model.She rose to fame in the late 1990s following her roles in 2 Days in the Valley, Mighty Joe Young, The Devil's Advocate and The Cider House Rules...
), who becomes personally involved in the case.
They find Mike's body, mutilated and burned. Military officials initially attempt to block the police investigation; they suggest Mike's death was due to drug-related violence. His platoon mates who last saw him lie to Deerfield and the police. Deerfield, a former military police officer (MPO), tells the police that although he suspects the soldiers are lying about something, he believes they could not have killed their comrade.
It turns out that Deerfield is wrong. The soldiers had killed and dismembered Mike after a seemingly insignificant quarrel. The soldier who confesses to Deerfield and the police seems emotionally detached from his words and actions, apparently to suggest he suffers post-traumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Posttraumaticstress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity,...
from events of the war.
Cast
- Tommy Lee JonesTommy Lee JonesTommy Lee Jones is an American actor and film director. He has received three Academy Award nominations, winning one as Best Supporting Actor for the 1993 thriller film The Fugitive....
as Hank Deerfield - Jonathan TuckerJonathan TuckerJonathan Moss Tucker is an American film and television actor, best known for his roles in the movies The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hostage, In the Valley of Elah and The Ruins, and The Black Donnellys on television....
as SPC Mike "Doc" Deerfield - Charlize TheronCharlize TheronCharlize Theron is a South African actress, film producer and former fashion model.She rose to fame in the late 1990s following her roles in 2 Days in the Valley, Mighty Joe Young, The Devil's Advocate and The Cider House Rules...
as Det. Emily Sanders - Susan SarandonSusan SarandonSusan Sarandon is an American actress. She has worked in films and television since 1969, and won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 1995 film Dead Man Walking. She had also been nominated for the award for four films before that and has received other recognition for her...
as Joan Deerfield - Frances FisherFrances FisherFrances Fisher is a British actress. She is known for her work on television, in theater and in films, including roles as Strawberry Alice, the madame prostitute in Unforgiven , and Ruth DeWitt Bukater, the mother of Kate Winslet's character in Titanic .- Early life and education :Fisher was born...
as Eve - Wayne DuvallWayne DuvallWayne Duvall is an American actor, known for playing Homer Stokes in O Brother Where Art Thou?, Coach Ferguson in "Leatherheads" and Ned Guston in "Duplicity". On television he is best known for playing Sgt. Phil Brander on The District . In 2002, he married Denise Guillet...
as Det. Nugent - Jason PatricJason PatricJason Patric is an American film, television and stage actor. He may be best-known for his roles in the films The Lost Boys, Sleepers, Your Friends & Neighbors, Narc, The Losers and Speed 2: Cruise Control. His father was actor/playwright Jason Miller...
as 1st Lt. Kirklander - Victor Wolf as PV2 Robert Ortiez
- Brent BriscoeBrent BriscoeBrent Briscoe is an American actor and screenwriter.Briscoe was born in Moberly, Missouri. After finishing his education at the University of Missouri, Briscoe launched his career as a theater actor. He then segued into screenwriting and acting in feature films...
as Det. Hodge - James FrancoJames FrancoJames Edward Franco is an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author, painter, performance artist and instructor at New York University. He left college in order to pursue acting and started off his career by making guest appearances on television series in the 1990s...
as SFC Dan Carnelli - Greg SeranoGreg SeranoGreg Serano is an American actor. He was most known for his role of Pablo Betart on Wildfire.-Filmography:*Undocumented *Felon .... Officer Diaz*Beer For My Horses .... Tito Garza...
as Det. Manny Nuñez - Barry CorbinBarry CorbinLeonard Barrie Corbin, known as Barry Corbin , is an American actor with more than one hundred film, television and video game credits.-Early life:...
as Arnold Bickman - Brent Sexton as Lt. Burke
- Josh BrolinJosh BrolinJosh James Brolin is an American actor. He has acted in theater, film and television roles since 1985, and won acting awards for his roles in the films W., No Country for Old Men, Milk and True Grit.-Early life:...
as Chief Buchwald - Devin Brochu as David Sanders
- Zoe KazanZoe Kazan-Early life and education:Kazan was born in Los Angeles, the daughter of screenwriters Nicholas Kazan and Robin Swicord, and the granddaughter of film and theatre director Elia Kazan...
as Angie - Wes Chatham as CPL Steve Penning
- Glenn TarantoGlenn TarantoGlenn Taranto is an American actor and screenwriter, perhaps best known for his role as Gomez on The New Addams Family....
as Det. Wayne - Jake McLaughlin as SPC Gordon Bonner
- Sean Huze as Captain Jim Osher
- Mehcad BrooksMehcad BrooksMehcad Jason McKinley Brooks is an American actor and former fashion model.-Early life:Brooks was born and raised in Austin, Texas, where he attended L.C. Anderson High School...
as SPC Ennis Long - Pierre Barrera as TD's bartender
Factual basis
Although the film story is fictional, with the names and locations changed, it is based on the facts of the murder case of Richard T. DavisRichard T. Davis
Specialist Richard T. Davis was an Infantryman in the United States Army. The son of two US Army veterans, Lanny and Remy Davis, he was born on an Army base in Germany...
of Baker Company, 1-15 IN. He was an Iraq War veteran who was murdered soon after his return home in 2003. Richard Davis' father, Lanny Davis, was a former military police officer. He mounted his own investigation into the crime, as did the character played by Jones in the film. Davis commented, "It's a strong movie and a good movie. And it's going to make a lot of people think."
In 2004, freelance journalist Mark Boal
Mark Boal
Mark Boal is an American journalist, screenwriter and film producer. He won Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture for The Hurt Locker . His screenplay won six other major awards as well.-Early life and education:...
wrote an article about Richard Davis' murder, entitled "Death and Dishonor," published in Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
. This inspired Haggis, who adapted the account for his screenplay.
Davis' story was told in a 2006 episode, "Duty, Death and Dishonor," of the CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
program 48 Hours Mystery.
A non-fiction book about the murder case, by author Cilla McCain, titled Murder in Baker Company: How Four American Soldiers Killed One Of Their Own was published in 2009 by Chicago Review Press.
The Richard Davis Foundation for Peace works on issues related to Davis' murder, such as improved screening of military recruits and help for veterans' returning from war. It is compiling a list of suicides and murders connected to the Iraq War for a memorial.
Screenplay and casting
Haggis initially approached Clint EastwoodClint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
to play the part of Hank Deerfield, which Haggis had written for him. Eastwood declined the opportunity because he was involved with other projects.
Release
The film premiered September 1, 2007, at the Venice Film FestivalVenice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
and was later shown at the Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
. It opened in a somewhat limited release
Limited release
Limited release is a term in the American motion picture industry for a motion picture that is playing in a select few theaters across the country ....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on September 14, 2007, eventually grossing $6.5 million domestically in theatrical rentals, making it a box office disappointment. It cost a reported $23 million to make. It opened in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on January 18, 2008.
Critical reception
As of February 20, 2008, on the review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, 71% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 139 reviews. On Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, the film had an average score of 64 out of 100, based on 25 reviews.
Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine's Richard Corliss
Richard Corliss
Richard Nelson Corliss is a writer for Time magazine who focuses on movies, with the occasional article on music or sports. Corliss is the former editor-in-chief of Film Comment...
named the film one of the Top 10 Movies of 2007, ranking it at #8. In his review, Corliss praised the film as an improvement on Paul Haggis' Oscar-winning Crash
Crash (2004 film)
Crash is a 2004 American drama film co-written, produced, and directed by Paul Haggis. The film is about racial and social tensions in Los Angeles, California. A self-described "passion piece" for Haggis, Crash was inspired by a real life incident in which his Porsche was carjacked outside a video...
, calling it "strong in the sleuthing, sobering in its political conclusions." Corliss singled out Tommy Lee Jones' performance, saying his "drained humanity anchors this excellent drama." Time critic Richard Schickel
Richard Schickel
Richard Warren Schickel is an American author, journalist, and documentary filmmaker. He is a film critic for Time magazine, having also written for Life magazine and the Los Angeles Times Book Review....
also ranked the film #8 on his own Top 10 list, saying that the film "is a spare, taciturn, devastating account of what happens to the souls of soldiers forced to fight wars for which not even phony or temporary justifications are offered them."
The film was criticized by some as having a heavy-handed approach. Stephen Hunter
Stephen Hunter
Stephen Hunter is an American novelist, essayist, and Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic.-Life and career:Stephen Hunter was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and grew up in Evanston, Illinois. His father was Charles Francis Hunter, a Northwestern University speech professor who was killed in 1975....
of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
wrote, "Haggis also appears to have no respect for his audience. At its crudest, the film settles for agitprop
Agitprop
Agitprop is derived from agitation and propaganda, and describes stage plays, pamphlets, motion pictures and other art forms with an explicitly political message....
." Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan is an American film critic and Lecturer in the Master of Professional Writing Program at the University of Southern California.-Background:...
of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
said that "the characters in this somber film have the glum look of individuals delivering a Very Important Message to the world. And though this film in fact does have something crucial to convey, this is not the way to go about it." Conversely, Stephanie Zacharek of Salon
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
was critical of the film for not going far enough, saying that it "chickens out."
Awards and nominations
Haggis won an award given by the SIGNISSIGNIS
SIGNIS is a Roman Catholic lay ecclesial movement for professionals in the communication media, including radio, television, cinema, video, media education, Internet and new technology. It is a non-profit organization with representation from over 140 countries...
at the 2007 Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
, where the film was in contention for the Golden Lion
Golden Lion
Il Leone d’Oro is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most distinguished prizes...
. Tommy Lee Jones was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor
Academy Award for Best Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
.