In the Valley of Elah
| In the Valley of Elah | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Paul Haggis |
| Produced by | Patrick Wachsberger Steven Samuels Darlene Caamaño Loquet Paul Haggis Laurence Becsey |
| Screenplay by | Paul Haggis |
| Story by |
Mark Boal Paul Haggis |
| Starring |
Tommy Lee Jones Charlize Theron James Franco Jonathan Tucker Frances Fisher Josh Brolin Susan Sarandon |
| Music by | Mark Isham |
| Cinematography | Roger Deakins |
| Edited by | Jo Francis |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Warner Independent Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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121 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $23 million |
| Box office | $29.5 million |
In the Valley of Elah is a 2007 crime drama mystery 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 took 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, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following active combat, and the apportionment of blame for these denouements of war.
The film tells the story of military police 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 tells the police that although he suspects the soldiers are lying about something, he believes they could not have killed their comrade.
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Wikipedia