In the Valley of Elah

Paul Haggis is a talented filmmaker and he makes the most of a superlative cast working at their peak, but the screenplay is a tad manipulative and obvious. Roger Deakins' images and Mark Isham's music are superb, too. ... Full Review

The special features include: In The Valley of Elah: After Iraq; In The Valley of Elah: Coming Home, and; Additional Scene (deleted scene from movie). He visits the local police station and a detective played by Charlize Theron tells him his problems are with the military not the civilians. ... Full Review

Good movie if you agree with its politics. Hank Deerfield (Tommy Lee Jones) is a retired Military policeman, who lost a son in an accident years before. ... Full Review

Paul Haggis's In the Valley of Elah explores the consequences of a tough patrimony, which is all the more desolate for being nobly intended. Asked for a bedtime story by Theron's young son, Hank tells him the legend of David and Goliath who fought in the Valley of Elah and impresses the kid so deeply that he later asks his mom for a slingshot. ... Full Review

At any rate, he delivers a superb performance, particularly when giving the film's explanatory central speech about the Valley of Elah (the site of the battle between David and Goliath). In short, In the Valley of Elah is an engaging and provocative thriller that's worth seeing for the superb performances from its two leads. ... Full Review

A great film is undoubtedly bubbling under the surface. Admittedly, such a narrative device would have bowed down to the generic conventions of the 'whodunnit' film, yet it feels like this avenue was sadly underused. ... Full Review

And I think that would have made the movie more interesting. You're nothing but a cold-blooded, dirty murderer. Jones catches up to Ortiez first and beats him to a bloody pulp with a tire iron. ... Full Review

And while some might wish that IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH would have been a bit more combative in its visual and musical approaches, the end result is still one of heart-wrenching compassion, especially in terms of Isham's score. Now with their even more elegiac follow-up IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH , Haggis and Isham bring social matters to an unbearable boil. ... Full Review

Paul Haggis, the Oscar winning screenwriter of Crash and Million Dollar Baby, co-wrote and directs yet another compelling, relevant and poignant screenplay, In the Valley of Elah. In the Valley of Elah, Vietnam veteran and former military police, Hank Deerfield (Tommy Lee Jones) finds that his routine existence in Tennessee is suddenly disturbed by a phone call from Fort Rudd. ... Full Review

Paul Haggis has, over the last few years, become the go-to guy for excellence in screenwriting, mostly thanks to his association with Clint Eastwood.....I'm glad that Haggis chose not to beat the audience over the head with his agenda overall.... ... Full Review