Written by: Dominick at 10:13 pm
Filed under: Miscellaneous
Writer: Paul Haggis
Director: Paul Haggis
Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Jason Patric, Susan Sarandon, James Franco, Barry Corbin, Josh Brolin, Wes Chatham, Jake McLaughlin, Mehcad Brooks, Jonathan Tucker, Wayne Duvall, Victor Wolf
Rating: R
Studio: Warner Home Video
strong>Release Date: February 19, 2008
I like to watch movies that move me. I like to feel some sort of emotional connection with the action on the screen and with characters in the story. Those directors and writers who wield a screenplay and film so excellently as to pass thoughts and emotions on to the intended audience are the ones who are successful in their craft. Whether it is a movie that makes me feel good or one that makes me think, these type of movies are the ones I enjoy watching the most.
In the Valley of Elah is a movie that made me think. It has a haunting message. It tells a tragic story. It looks at realistic horrors and addresses a truth we as Americans have long since denied. At the same time, In the Valley of Elah does not preach its message. It is a no-nonsense portrayal of one man’s journey from naivety to reality. As the times change, so to does his opinions, thoughts, and feelings. Where once he felt patriotic and proud, he still feels patriotic, but he also feels distress and not pride at the problems addressed in this movie. These are real problems affecting our American troops.
Release Information:
In the Valley of Elah premiered at the Venice Film Festival on September 1, 2007. It also played at the Toronto Film Festival (September 10, 2007) and the San Sebastián Film Festival (September 22, 2007). In the Valley of Elah enjoyed a limited movie theater release in the USA on September 14, 2007. It has premiered in multiple other countries since then including Italy, France, Israel, Taiwan, Greece, Latvia, Fiji, Singapore, the UK, Spain, Germany, Iceland and Japan.
Warner Home Video is behind the distribution of In the Valley of Elah, which was released on February 19, 2008. The DVD is available in a standard edition (which was used for this review), a Blu-Ray edition, and an HD/Standard edition DVD combo. At Amazon, the price for the standard DVD is $19.99 USD. The Blu-Ray and HD Combo will both run you $24.95 USD. Either way, this movie is worth the purchase. You can also find In the Valley of Elah at offline retailers that offer DVDs.
The In the Valley of Elah Plot
In the Valley of Elah was written and directed by Paul Haggis. You might recognize the name from other brilliant scripts he has written in the past, including Crash, Million Dollar Baby, Flags of Our Fathers, and Letters from Iwo Jima. Haggis wrote the part of Hank Deerfield for his good friend, Clint Eastwood, but Clint has no desire to act anymore. He turned the role down and it went to Tommy Lee Jones. Frankly, I love Clint, but I can’t imagine anyone else playing Hank but Tommy Lee. He really stole the role and made it his own.
In the Valley of Elah is more than just a story about the mental state of American soldiers and one man’s quest to find his missing son. It is also the journey of Hank Deerfield, from idealistic, all-American patriot to wounded, tortured, distressed Hank Deerfield. The pain felt by Hank is awe-inspiring because Tommy Lee is able to express it in such a way that it breaks your heart just by watching him. I’ve never thought of Tommy Lee as an emotional actor, but he nailed this role and played it perfectly.
The movie starts with Hank Deerfield receiving a phone call from the military base. They want to know where his son, Mike is. He has gone AWOL. Deerfield and his wife, Joan (Susan Sarandon) have not heard from their son, who has just returned from Iraq. They didn’t even know he had returned. It is unlike Mike not to contact them, so Hank, a retired army sergeant (and former member of the military police) heads to the same base where he served, several hours drive from his house.
It isn’t long before the character and type of person Hank Deerfield is, is shown. Along the way, he sees an American flag hanging upside down on a flagpole. The patriotic Hank shows the caretaker of the flagpole, a man from El Salvador, how to properly raise an American flag. When hung upside down, the flag is a sign of international distress. The idealistic Hank doesn’t believe the country is in distress. At least not with America’s brave soldiers protecting and serving. Both his boys served. His eldest had died in an on-base accident, and now his youngest is missing.
At the base, Hank meets with the man who called him. He asks to see his son’s barracks. Along the way, he meets men who have served with his son in combat including Corporal Steve Penning (Wes Chatham), Spc. Gordon Bonner (Jake McLaughlin), Spc. Ennis Long (Mehcad Brooks), and Private Robert Ortiez (Victor Wolf). Surprised by the fact his son’s barracks are so bare, considering he sent many pictures home to his father, from Iraq, he manages to sneak Mike’s cell phone into his pocket. He takes it to someone who can get all the numbers off his address book. He also plans to email Hank the media (movies) Mike has recorded on his phone.
Equipped with the information that Mike has been hanging out at a club, Hank goes to the local joint, which turns out to be a titty bar. The shocked Hank, pushes back all inhibitions as he shows the bartender, and some of the girls his son’s picture, though with the base so close by, no one recognizes Mike. Hank also learns that everyone he worked with on base has long since retired, making it impossible for him to find out anything from within the base. At one point, Hank has to question whether his son is into drugs, merely because, everyone seems to use them, to help cope with what happened in Iraq.
With the military police too busy to really investigate anything, Hank goes to the police. While he is there, a woman is begging the detective he will talk to, Detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron), to help her. She is crying about her husband, who has recently returned from Iraq. He has strangled their dog, put it in the bathtub, and killed the poor Labrador. While he has not hurt her or their children, she is terrified that he is going to do something bad, especially to himself.
Emily tells her she cannot help her. She must go to the VA. The woman has said she’s tried, but her husband won’t consent to getting help. The police are her and his last chance. As she speaks to the detective, the other police officers bark, to taunt her in the background, which really peeves Emily off.
After the woman is put out of the station, Hank meets with Emily, but she cannot help him. The military police have to do it, which means Hank will be investigating his son’s disappearance on his own. This is actually good. Since Hank is former military police, he knows what to look for and can see things most people miss. In the meantime, we learn that Emily has a young son of her own. She’s a single mother, and it is implied she might have gotten promoted by questionable means, which is why the men on the force rag her so much.
When a dismembered, burned body is discovered in a field. Emily’s life is turned upside down, and her path eventually re-crosses with Hanks as he tries to find out where his son is, what has happened to him, if anything, and what happened while he was in Iraq. Based on a true story, I can only imagine what the parents of the soldier on whom this story was based felt as they waited anxiously for news on their son’s disappearance.
All of the elements, acting, directing, the plot, the story, come together perfectly. Melded to perfection, the final result is In the Valley of Elah, one man’s journey from an Elah-ish existence (where people fight by conquering fear) to a realistic view of our flawed society. This flawed society prominently exposes the mental stress placed on young men and women who are doing a thankless job in a place that doesn’t want their assistance so they try to get rid of the troops by killing them and dragging out a war to bleed the U.S. of money and resources, so all Americans will suffer. Sadly, some of the greatest individuals suffering are those who have served, as they return home to a place where the government has forgotten and excluded them, all while ignoring their mental and physical needs.
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Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:
Audio/Visual:
The visual quality is stunning. I’m so glad those responsible for transferring the video to DVD for In the Valley of Elah enhanced the quality with an anamorphic widescreen transfer at an aspect ratio of 2.40:1. The colors are vibrant and sharp. Everything is crystal clear. There is no grain, compression artifacts, or edge enhancements. It’s absolutely gorgeous. I couldn’t ask for a better visual quality if I transferred the video myself.
In the Valley of Elah has an exceptional audio track. I should actually say tracks because the sound is available in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound in French, Spanish and English. Subtitles are available in all three languages and closed captioning is available for the hearing impaired. The sound is balanced well with dialogue at the front and music/sound effects near the back, though booming through both. There is a nice balance between all of the sounds and there is absolutely no toggling necessary, with he volume.
Visual:
Audio:
Bonus Features:
In the Valley of Elah isn’t teeming with extras, but I found what is available to be incredibly worthwhile. I loved watching the deleted scene. Not even a scene that wasn’t put in the movie was bad. I could easily see how it fit right back into the movie perfectly and have to wonder why it was cut. I’m assuming it was based on time constraints and nothing else.
The other two bonus features are featurettes. There is “In the Valley of Elah: After Iraq” and “In the Valley of Elah: Coming Home”. Both are informative. One is a behind the scenes look at the making of In the Valley of Elah. The other is kind of an actors/filmmakers exposé that features their feelings on the war in Iraq. This also looks at a couple who lost their son after he returned from Iraq. The story is the basis for In the Valley of Elah. I don’t wish to say any more on this featurette because I don’t want to spoil the movie. In the Valley of Elah is a must see movie, but not if you know what’s going to happen.
Bonus Features:
Bottom Line:
In the Valley of Elah is heart-wrenching, beautifully flawed, and perfectly executed. It is one of the most amazing films I’ve seen this year. It is also on my list of the top ten films of 2007. I can’t imagine anyone playing the lead in this movie but Tommy Lee Jones. If Daniel Day Lewis had not been up for an Oscar, I truly believe the award would have gone to Jones.
In the Valley of Elah is a film every American needs to see, listen to, get the message, and try to do something to change what is happening to our soldiers. If anything, In the Valley of Elah is pro-soldiers. It stresses the importance of caring for them and ensuring their mental and physical well being once they return home from a place that can only be described as hell. This DVD is a necessity for everyone in this country. Buy it. Watch it. Learn from it.
Overall Rating:
Technorati Tags: In the Valley of Elah, Warner Bros, DVD Review
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Written by Dominick - Visit Website
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Dominick Evans is in his late 20's. He spends his days working as a full time writer/editor and a part time musician/composer. His passions in life include music, directing films, watching movies, reading books, watching sports, wheelchair football, politics and spending time with his family (fiancée Ashtyn, son Robert, and shih-tzu Oliver). Other interests include being an advocate for the disability and GLBT communities.
