DVD Review

In the Valley of Elah (2008)

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James Franco and Tommy Lee Jones

Lorey Sebastian

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Credits

Rated: R; DVD Release Date: Feb 19, 2008; Genres: Drama, War; With: Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron; Distributor: Warner Independent Pictures

By Tim Purtell

With his rhinoceros-hide mug and no-frills acting, Tommy Lee Jones thoroughly inhabits the role of an ex-MP investigating his son's mysterious death. His Oscar-nominated turn irons out some allegorical and dramatic bumps in Paul Haggis' Iraq-themed procedural, steering an exploration of the war's toll on its troops into something stinging and mournful. A flop in theaters, In the Valley of Elah deserves a second chance on DVD. EXTRAS A pair of making-ofs include unsettling interviews with the parents of Richard Thomas Davis, a murdered GI   whose case inspired Haggis' script.

Posted Feb 29, 2008

More

The Q&A Tommy Lee Jones: Oscar talk (Sep 14, 2007) | Dave Karger
Movie Review In the Valley of Elah (Sep 14, 2007) | Owen Gleiberman
The Q&A Roger Deakins on his big 2007 (Sep 14, 2007) | Steve Daly
Movie Commentary The year war movies flopped (Sep 14, 2007) | Adam B. Vary
Movie News Politically-charged film failures (Jun 22, 2007) | Jeff Labrecque
Movie News Hollywood conjures the Middle East (Sep 14, 2007) | Youyoung Lee

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