18 Years Ago, Charlize Theron and Tommy Lee Jones Teamed Up in This Crime Drama Based on a Devastating Real-Life Murder

As America entered the second half of the 2000s, Hollywood showed no fear of depicting the sensitive issues that surrounded the Iraq War. While films such as The Hurt Locker examined the lives of soldiers on the frontlines, other films like Brothers depicted the trauma that veterans faced in readjusting to home life after combat. Paul Haggis’ In the Valley of Elah, however, took a different path by depicting a true crime case of a slain combat veteran on the home front to push a compelling message against the war.

Released in 2007 while the Iraq War had intensified division in America, In the Valley of Elah explores the trauma of soldiers returning home from the war within the context of a crime drama. Titled after the David versus Goliath battleground depicted in the Bible, the Crash writer/director pulls back the heavy-handed approach he took on his Oscar-winning race relations film to tell a character-driven mystery tale inspired by the murder investigation of war veteran Richard T. Davis. The soldier’s story, documented by Mark Boal in his 2004 Playboy article “Death and Dishonor”, was dramatized while the facts of the case were largely retained. Even with such creative license, the emotions are as real as they come due to the strength of Oscar winners Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron.

What Is ‘In the Valley of Elah’ About?

Set in 2004 Tennessee, retired military MP-turned-gravel trucker Hank Deerfield (Jones) learns that his active soldier son Mike “Doc” Deerfield (Jonathan Tucker) has gone AWOL after returning from Iraq. He visits Mike’s base in New Mexico, where he finds his son’s cell phone with various videos of incidents in the army, including the death of an innocent Iraqi bystander. Soon, Hank turns to New Mexico Detective Emily Sanders (Theron) to relocate Mike.

After an exhausting search, Mike’s remains are found completely dismembered and charred. The military police suspect that Mike was killed as part of a drug smuggling scheme with a trio of his fellow officers, who they hold in custody. But Hank is not convinced that the story is that simple, and Emily faces obstruction from the military in her search for answers. What they uncover together speaks volumes about the disturbing nature of army culture and its psychological effects on the men.

‘In the Valley of Elah’ Makes a Powerful Anti-War Statement

There are two stories in play with In the Valley of Elah’s narrative. The first is the complex web of corruption and code of silence within the army’s failure to act. As Jones and Theron’s characters question the soldiers tied to Mike’s murder, there’s an exposure of their struggles stemming from service. One has turned to drug dealing as a means to an end, and another takes his own life after being questioned. Additionally, there’s the subplot of a soldier’s battered wife (Zoe Kazan), introduced as someone in need of Theron’s help before a tragic turn takes place. What Haggis does so effectively within the context of a mystery drama is show the repercussions of the mental health toll these brave men suffer from, rather than depict a clear-cut black and white characterization as seen in military thrillers like The General’s Daughter.

The other compelling aspect of In the Valley of Elah is the emotional pain that Jones and Theron’s characters endure. The role of Hank was originally intended for Clint Eastwood, who directed Haggis’ Oscar-winning script for Million Dollar Baby until he decided against acting in it. Though Eastwood would have excelled on the directing front, Jones brings a visceral resonance and restraint unlike anything he had done previously. On a surface level, his determination for the truth plays similarly to Sam Gerard in The Fugitive. But it’s the haunting moments that ring true in his performance. Moments from seeing his son’s autopsy to receiving a final gift from abroad, Jones holds back from pouring tears to depict a veteran trained to show none while his soul grieves more.

Similarly, Theron acts as the perfect generational representation of society’s frustrations with the war, as a counterpoint to Jones’s old-school attitude towards the military. Portrayed as a single mom dealing with sexism in her department, Theron’s Emily balances a stand-alone force pushing back against authority higher than her while revealing her own vulnerability as a mom not taking her child for granted. In essence, Theron symbolizes the anti-war mother who sees the hypocrisy of an institution that preaches supporting the troops while putting them in harm’s way by unjust means.

A financial flop upon release, In the Valley of Elah was lost by audiences due to the country’s need for more escapist entertainment like Superbad and Resident Evil: Extinction, providing a much-needed break from hourly coverage of the Iraq War. But the subject matter remains as timely today as it was then, creating an avenue for In the Valley of Elah to be rediscovered for the message it tried to convey about veterans.