In the Valley of Elah Information

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.

Plot

The film tells the story of war veteran Hank Deerfield (Tommy Lee Jones), 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, dismembered 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.

Cast

• Tommy Lee Jones as Hank Deerfield
• Jonathan Tucker as Specialist Mike "Doc" Deerfield
• Charlize Theron as Detective Emily Sanders
• Susan Sarandon as Joan Deerfield
• Frances Fisher as Eve
• Wayne Duvall as Detective Nugent
• Jason Patric as First Lieutenant Kirklander
• Victor Wolf as Private Robert Ortiz
• Brent Briscoe as Detective Hodge
• James Franco as Sergeant First Class Dan Carnelli
• Greg Serano as Detective Manny Nuñez
• Barry Corbin as Arnold Bickman
• Brent Sexton as Lieutenant Burke
• Josh Brolin as Sheriff Buchwald
• Devin Brochu as David Sanders
• Zoe Kazan as Angie
• Wes Chatham as Corporal Steve Penning
• Glenn Taranto as Detective Wayne
• Jake McLaughlin as Specialist Gordon Bonner
• Sean Huze as Captain Jim Osher
• Mehcad Brooks as Specialist Ennis Long
• Pierre Barrera as TD's bartender
• Rick Gonzalez as Phone Technician

Production

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. Davis 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.

Screenplay and casting

Haggis initially approached Clint Eastwood 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 Festival 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.

Critical reception

As of February 20, 2008, on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 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."

Awards and nominations

Haggis won an award given by the SIGNIS 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.