Main specs
Actor(s): Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, James Franco, Charlize Theron, Jason Patric, Frances Fisher, Susan Sarandon
Director(s): Paul Haggis
Genre: Drama
Classification: 15 years and over
Production Year: 2007
Official Website: http://wip.warnerbros.com/inthevalleyofelah/
Consumer Advice: Contains strong language, moderate grisly images and nudity
Video Category: Feature Film
Country Of Origin: United States of America
Plot: Tommy Lee Jones plays Hank Deerfield, a retired military man investigating the mysterious disappearance of his soldier son, Mike. Charlize Theron is the civilian homicide cop in the small town near the base where Mike recently returned from a term of combat in Iraq. When this unlikely pair ends up investigating the mystery together, they encounter some suspicious covering-up from the army. Deerfield gets access to his son’s camera phone which contains startling video footage from combat overseas
Release details
DVD Region: Region 2 (Europe)
Studio(s): OPTIMUM HOME ENTERTAINMENT; ELEVATION SALES; TECHNICOLOR DISTRIBUTION SERVICES
Languages
Main Language: English
Technical information
Special Features: Featurette: After Iraq, Featurette: Coming Home, UK Exclusive Interview with Paul Haggis, Additional Scenes, Trailer
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound: Dolby Digital
Professional reviews
Review: The haunting, heart-piercing [IN THE VALLEY OF] ELAH isn't perfect. It's something better: essential (Rolling Stone, 23/11/2007)
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DVD Description
Tommy Lee Jones plays Hank Deerfield, a retired military man investigating the mysterious disappearance of his soldier son, Mike, in this sombre mystery-drama from director Paul Haggis (CRASH). Charlize Theron is the civilian homicide cop in the small town near the base where Mike recently returned from a term of combat in Iraq. When this unlikely pair ends up investigating the mystery together, they encounter some suspicious covering-up from the army. Deerfield gets access to his son’s camera phone which contains startling video footage from combat overseas.
Using a muted palette of military browns and greens, Haggis shows the same sharp eye for humanistic detail that served him so well in CRASH, infusing desolate scenes of civilian life--sterile concrete barracks, sleazy strip clubs, homey but empty diners, drugs, fast food joints, and ghostly motels--with vivid detail. Performances are all Oscar-worthy: Jones's craggy, weather-beaten face hiding grief and anguish beneath a steely facade until they threatens to boil over. His mug becomes a symbol for an America with no other choice but to confront its own grave flaws if it's ever to find any answers. Susan Sarandon bring the pain to the surface as the anguished mother waiting at home, and Theron is strong and sure, as a single mother who bravely faces, among other challenges, harassment in the workplace. Josh Brolin is her ex, the chief of police, and Jason Patric and James Franco are among the impassive faces of the military.
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