Tagline: Sometimes finding the truth is easier than facing it.
In the Valley of Elah tells the story of a war veteran, his wife, and the search for their son, a soldier who recently returned from Iraq but has mysteriously gone missing, and the police detective who helps in the investigation.
In Monroe, Tennessee, Hank Deerfield, an aging warrior, gets a call that his son, just back from 18 months’ fighting in Iraq, is missing from his base. Hank drives to Fort Rudd, New Mexico, to search. Within a day, the charred and dismembered body of his son is found on the outskirts of town. Deerfield pushes himself into the investigation, marked by jurisdictional antagonism between the Army and local police. Working mostly with a new detective, Emily Sanders, Hank seems to close in on what happened. Major smuggling? A drug deal gone awry? Credit card slips, some photographs, and video clips from Iraq may hold the key. If Hank gets to the truth, what will it tell him?
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 his body is found, 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 Build Up
Following the success of “Crash” there was no shortage of source material for writer/director Paul Haggis to choose from for his next project; nevertheless he was up for a challenge. In meetings with his agents, Haggis recalls, “I said to them, anything that you know will never be made, that’s what I want.”
Shortly thereafter, he was sent a magazine article from Playboy Magazine written by Mark Boal called “Death and Dishonor.” “I was really moved by it,” says Haggis. “It’s a very tragic story and I said I really want to do this.”
“We’d been on the lookout for this kind of material for awhile,” concurs producer Laurence Becsey who has worked with Haggis for more than a decade. “Paul had an instant affinity to the subject matter,” he recalls. “It’s a powerful tale. When you read the article you realize it’s the platform to approach a subject that could resonate with everybody. What’s the right thing to do for justice? What do we do to take care of ourselves? What does everybody do to take care of the family?”
In shopping the idea around, Haggis took it to collaborator Clint Eastwood for whom he wrote the awardwinning “Million Dollar Baby,” “Flags of Our Fathers” and “Letters From Iwo Jima.” Eastwood in turn took it to Warner Bros. “Clint championed this for me and I really appreciate it,” says Haggis. “Back in 2003 it was a story no one wanted to hear, so it would’ve been very difficult to make without his support.”
“The more research I did, the more the story expanded,” he continues. “I ended up combining it with another true story, and fictionalized Hank’s journey to uncover the truth. Whether you’re for or against the war, we need to face what’s happening to the brave men and women we’re sending there. I wanted to tell the story of good people who have to make terrible decisions.”
The story Haggis arrived at is a murder mystery with broader implications at a time when so much attention is focused on our men and women in uniform. It’s the story of Hank Deerfield, a war veteran, his wife Joan, and police detective Emily Sanders, a civilian and struggling single mother, who joins forces with Hank to conduct the search for his missing son.
Academy Award-winning actor Tommy Lee Jones, who plays the role of Hank Deerfield says of the story, “You’d have to say that it concerns itself with what a war can do to people. I also think it indicates that blind, mindless patriotism is very dangerous.”
“No matter how you feel about the war or where your stance is politically, the one thing you can’t deny is that we’re sending young boys and girls out there who experience a lot of trauma,” says Academy Award-winning actor Charlize Theron who plays the struggling single mom, Police Detective Emily Sanders. “To bring them home, throw them back into this society and expect them to function as normal human beings is asking a lot of them. It’s a harsh reality and we really haven’t been very honest about it.”
“We see that the battlefield is divided up,” adds producer Becsey. “We can view it in the most caustic way, which is combat, but the other is the emotional war that goes on. We may understand the physical sacrifices but we’re not always really prepared for the emotional and psychological cost.”
Assembling the Troops
It took Haggis a year and a half to finish the script, but the casting was almost immediate. Haggis began with the Emily Sanders role. “I’d met Charlize before and I’d been telling her the story every time we bumped into each other,” says Haggis about getting her involved in the project. “I finally called her and said would you read it? That was a Thursday morning, Thursday night she read it and Friday morning she called and said, I’m in.”
“There are few actors who are true American icons,” explains Haggis about the decision to go after Jones for the role of Hank Deerfield. “Tommy Lee Jones is so much more than that. He’s one of our very best actors.”
Getting Tommy Lee Jones interested in the role took only a few days remembers Haggis, “He read it over the weekend; Monday he said I want to do it. I was thrilled.”
“I’m a huge fan of Paul’s work,” admits Theron. “I think he’s a great writer.” She first met Haggis when she was on the awards circuit for “North Country” and he for “Crash.” “Everywhere I went we’d end up at the same table or talking to each other and we really hit it off. I thought it would be really fascinating to go through some kind of working experience with him never knowing that he would actually offer me this part.”
“She’s one of a very few of these wonderful actresses who can morph from one role to the next,” says Haggis about his decision to cast Charlize in the role. “The role is that of a small town detective,” he continues, “so I didn’t want someone who looked like a glamorous Hollywood star. And while Charlize is all that, she also has the ability to completely disappear into a role, and that’s what she did here.”
“Emily Sanders is a single mom who is just really trying to survive,” says Theron of her character. “She wants to be good at her job and she wants to take care of her son.” While she’s a strong character who can stand up for herself and roll with the rigors of the job, she’s not a superwoman, just a human being.
“I like that Paul really celebrated that she’s incredibly flawed and that she doesn’t get everything right all the time,” comments Theron. While most of Emily’s days are fairly routine, the missing person’s case that comes her way has a profound effect on her. “She’s never had to deal with a case of this magnitude,” explains Theron. “She becomes emotionally involved in the case, and the job begins to affect her in a much more personal way than anything she’s done previously. I really liked that.”
Not only does Sanders begin to see her job differently as a result of the case, but the people she has to deal with seep into her life and affect her too. Theron found this aspect of the character fascinating as well. “A beautiful kind of odd relationship happens between Hank and Sanders,” she describes, “which is something that I’ve never done before. They are just two very different people stuck with each other, trying to figure out what happened to his son. He’s always one-upping her and it drives her insane but forces her to be more on top of her game.”
“There’s a great chemistry between the two of us,” she continues. “It’s sometimes incredibly humorous and sometimes incredibly emotional and touching.”
“He’s competitive with her and resentful,” explains Tommy Lee Jones about his character’s reaction to Charlize’s Emily Sanders. “He’s eager for her to accomplish her task and finally, is ultimately affectionate towards her because of her kindness and understanding.”
“Paul’s got a great instinct,” says Becsey about the decision to cast Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron in the key roles. “It’s a unique combination. They both have a brassy side to them which is so necessary for their parts.”
Another key role is that of Hank Deerfield’s wife, Joan. In typical Paul Haggis fashion, he sent the script to his first choice, Susan Sarandon, thinking you don’t know until you try. “She said she’d love to read it and she did,” recounts Haggis, ”and then she called and said, you know there’s really nothing here, is there?” Embarrassed, but conceding that she was right, Haggis looked at the script from the character of Joan’s point of view and set about making some changes. Remarks Haggis about sending her the rewrites, “She read the new pages right away and signed on. That was a pretty great day.”
Although the story unfolds in a small town from the civilian point of view, the backdrop for the drama is the military and many of the characters are in the armed services. This includes the four young platoon buddies of the missing soldier, Specialist Ennis Long, Specialist Gordon Bonner, Corporal Steve Penning and Private Robert Ortiez. Two of these roles, Bonner and Penning, went to young men who had served in the military.
The part of Specialist Gordon Bonner is played by Jake McLaughlin, a young Iraq war vet who is making his acting debut. “He has the skills of an actor without ever having acted before,” marvels Haggis.
As Jake sees it, his real life combat experience puts him about even with more experienced actors. “A lot of actors have to create a back story for their character, which is very easy for me to do because I was already over there,” explains McLaughlin. “In fact, I was in Iraq the same time as that soldier in the original story and in the same division. They were in the 1st Brigade and I was in the 2nd Brigade.”
Mehcad Brooks, a familiar face from the uplifting hit “Glory Road” and a series regular on “Desperate Housewives,” was cast as Specialist Ennis Long. About his character’s thought process for surviving combat, Brooks says, “It was kind of hard to understand because I have not been put in a kill or be killed situation and if you hold onto what society accepts as normal then you’re dead, so you have a lot of layers to these characters and the exploration of that as an actor was amazing.”
As with the other roles, Haggis knew exactly what he was looking for and the process for Brooks from audition to a job offer was very short.
Victor Wolf, who won the role of Private Robert Ortiez, sees his character as a lost soul. “Now that he’s home,” says Wolf of his character Ortiez, “ the only thing that makes sense was back in Iraq. I think it’s fascinating how this place, this war can change a person’s perspective on what’s normal.”
“It’s not just about these soldiers who come back and the horrors they’ve been through and seen,” says Wolf about what he sees in the story, “but it’s also about the parents and families of these soldiers, they’re never the same either and you see that it’s never over.”
About his attraction to the character he plays, Wolf explains, “These young boys are given the power of God in a way, taking lives as they see necessary and that really fascinated me about him.” Confident about the material and the inner workings of the character he wanted to play, Wolf ran into an unexpected roadblock. “I was really scared I wasn’t going to get the role because of my weight,” reveals Wolf. “But Paul believed. He said, you’re the kid and you can do it.” Wolf worked with a trainer and lost 30 pounds to play the part.
Once cast, Haggis sat the four young men down and instructed them to hang out together. “We spent every single minute with each other,” adds Wolf, “so we knew the good and the bad. We got on each other’s nerves sometimes but it totally shows when we’re together as though we’ve been to wars together.”
“He told us to get drunk together, love each other, hate each other, get in fights and know each other forwards and backwards and become real friends,” recounts Brooks. “And we did. So when we’re doing scenes together it’s not a stretch at all because we know each other.”
“In the military you get thrown together with a group of guys,” explains Chatham from previous experience. “With all the time you spend together and the things that you go through, you become more than friends – it’s almost like family. I think it was very important to Paul that we had that chemistry and you’d be able to see it coming through.”
About the relative inexperience of the actors who play the young soldiers, Haggis says, ”There’s an undeniable truth in someone who’s been to war. We were looking for actors who had that authenticity.”
Rounding out the cast are a collection of up and coming young actors and familiar faces. Jonathan Tucker plays the role of Mike Deerfield, the character whose plight sets all the action in motion, but is seen only in flashbacks. Jason Patric as Lt. Kirklander and James Franco as Sergeant Carnelli are Ft. Rudd personnel who report the disappearance, then try to control the access to evidence when the case leaves their jurisdiction. Josh Brolin plays Emily’s boss Chief Buchwald, the Bradford Chief of Police who tries to kick the case back to the military when it starts heating up. Evie, a topless waitress and one of the last people to see Mike before he disappears, is played by Frances Fisher.
Shock and Awe
On Paul’s previous directing venture, “Crash,” there was the luxury of an extensive rehearsal period. Because “In the Valley of Elah” came together so quickly, there was almost no time for the actors to rehearse and a much more spontaneous atmosphere was created on set. This made for a more stimulating working environment for the actors and director, and contributed to the heightened sense of camaraderie they all felt as the project went along.
“I like to see what the actors are going to bring,” explains Haggis, “and for the most part I like to be driven by that. If I only saw what I wrote I’d be terribly disappointed.”
“It’s very effortless,” says Theron about the creative process on set and the working relationship the actors developed with their director. “It just happens organically. He doesn’t give in to mediocre work, his writing is challenging and he’s constantly pushing the envelope, pushing you as an actor. I really can’t ask for more than that.”
The young ‘platoon buddies’ found their work experience equally rewarding and their director open and supportive at every turn. “He’s very open,” observes Mehcad Brooks about Haggis. “It’s been a real joy because he makes you feel like you’re working with him, not for him.”
“He’s very hands-on,” says McLaughlin matter-of-factly. “He knows exactly what he wants and that’s good.”
Wes Chatham concurs and adds, “He always knows what he wants but he knows how to take what you’ve done and nudge it to what he needs specifically for the scene. You trust that he knows how to make it all come together.”
“He’s really good at getting that human reaction,” says Victor Wolf about Paul’s directing style, “at finding the humanity in the most horrible circumstances and at leading you there, getting you to that place without trying so hard.” Wolf also has high praise for Paul Haggis the writer. “He’s phenomenal. His dialogue is right on but also it’s not only what you’re saying, it’s everything that’s behind the words. He’s so good at doing that.”
Haggis also has a real gift for putting the right mix of people together. “He really does an incredible job of finding people that he believes can bring what he wrote to life,” observes Theron. This process, whatever it is, is almost certain to bring about a great chemistry among the actors and a great working experience for them. The veterans and the recruits felt equally at home on the set and they all got on famously, although most expressed awe at being in the same film frame with the legendary Tommy Lee Jones.
“He’s a force to be reckoned with,” says Charlize Theron of her co-star. ”As an actor he’s incredibly talented.” Going into the project, she recalls, “I knew working opposite him I’d really have to stand tall, bring my game. I like when an actor does that and I have a huge amount of respect for him.”
As time went on their working relationship seemed to mirror that of Sanders and Hank. “There are moments where I’m incredibly intimidated and then moments where he just steals my heart,” Theron explains. “I really have a soft spot for him and I really enjoyed this experience with him.”
The often-reticent Tommy Lee Jones found the working experience with Charlize “wonderful.” “She’s very funny, a very fine actress, a good pal and a lot of fun to be around,” he continues about his co-star.
“I learned a lot by just watching her,” says Mehcad Brooks. “She uses the script like it’s a piece of music and she’s playing jazz all over it.”
But perhaps the biggest compliment from the group of young actors who were initially in awe of her was the recognition that, “she’s one of the guys and we fully accepted her into our little circle.”
“She has a personality that glows,” says Victor Wolf who had several scenes with her including a stuntfilled chase scene. “She’s so vibrant, it’s amazing to work with her.” Equally amazing for Wolf was working with Tommy Lee Jones. “I’ve had some deep scenes with him and he does so much without doing anything,” says Wolf with a tone of respect. In addition to the more emotional scenes, Wolf also had a fight scene with Jones. “That man is intense,” recalls Wolf. “He doesn’t hold back. He was hitting me with that flashlight and that image of him standing over me with that flashlight and with the fire in his eyes, wow!”
The Mission
Production began on December 4, 2006 in Albuquerque, NM where the crew shot in 28 locations in the Albuquerque area including the New Mexico State Fairgrounds, the VA Hospital, an assortment of bars and strip clubs, the Old County Courthouse and the vacant Social Security building. The production then moved to Whiteville, a small town near Memphis, TN to establish the Deerfield’s’ home in the small town where they lived. Following four days in Tennessee, the production moved to Morocco for the Iraq War lashback scenes where they completed principal photography.
Production Designer Laurence Bennett, who worked with Haggis previously on “Crash,” found the very ambitious schedule the toughest challenge for him. In considering the design, he took his cue from the character of Hank. Recalls Bennett, “The way the imagery for this film broke down for me was through Hank’s journey. He comes from a very safe place in Tennessee, which he’s very familiar with and goes out into the world and finds that society isn’t really what he remembered it to be and he realizes the world has changed in a way he doesn’t understand and doesn’t particularly like.”
“He’s a very still person,” observes Bennett about the lead character, “very contained, so his stillness within the context of strip clubs, bars, rather garish environments is an interesting juxtaposition.”
In considering the story for further indications about the direction the design should take, Bennett says, “I think the story operates on a lot of levels – it’s a mystery, it’s a story about a father and his son, it’s about things said and not said – but all contained in a fairly classic structure which led me to classicism, nothing terribly flashy and letting Hank’s story come through.”
“Crash” was about fluidity and connection,” says Haggis about the visual style of his previous film. “This is a piece of Americana and so I decided to shoot it in a very classic American way.” To achieve this classic look on film, Haggis called on acclaimed cinematographer Roger Deakins. “His eyes see the magic,” says producer Becsey of Deakins’ work. “He creates the magic with Paul.”
The Long Road Home
The title “In the Valley of Elah” refers to the spot in Israel as noted in the Bible (1st Samuel, chapter 17) where the battle of David and Goliath took place some 3000 years ago. Today, it’s a lesser-known tourist attraction at the junction of Route 38 and Route 375 near Elah Junction.
It conjures up a battle with impossible odds, and what becomes of those who beat the impossible odds and return home only to face coping with symptoms of PTSD and other stress-related disorders.
“I love the title as odd as it is,” explains Haggis, “because it embraces a lot of what the movie talks about. King Saul sent David into the Valley of Elah to fight Goliath, armed only with five stones. I asked myself, who would do that? Who would send a young man to fight a giant? This film addresses our responsibility in sending young men and women off to war….”
In the Valley of Elah (2007)
Directed by: Paul Haggis
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Susan Sarandon, Jason Patric, James Franco,Josh Brolin, Frances Fisher, Wes Chatham, Jake McLaughlin, Mehcad Brooks, Jonathan Tucker
Screenplay by: Paul Haggis
Production Design by: Laurence Bennett
Cinematography by: Roger Deakins
Film Editing by: Jo Francis
Costume Design by: Lisa Jensen
Set Decoration by: Shane Vieau
Art Direction byB Gregory S. Hooper
Music by: Mark Isham
MPAA Rating: R for violent and disturbing content, language and some sexuality/nudity.
Distributed by: Warner Independent
Release Date: September 14, 2007
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