The Iraq War is the basis for many new movies, and the current film, “In the Valley of Elah” we see fiction imitating reality. Directed by Paul Haggis, who wrote the screenplay for Million Dollar Baby, Crash, and Casino Royale, Paul Haggis definitely brings experience and expertise to the viewers with In the Valley of Elah.
In the Valley of Elah features an all-star cast including Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Susan Sarandon, Jonathan Tucker, James Franco, Frances Fisher, Tim McGraw, Jason Patric, and Mehcad Brooks.
The movie is based upon the true story of Specialist Richard R. Davis. After returning home from Iraq, Specialist Davis and four of his friends went out. Specialist Davis never made it back. He was stabled thirty three times and then his body was burned. Two of his friends later confessed to the crime.
In the Valley of Elah tells the story of Mike Deerfield who ends up missing and goes AWOL. Tommy Lee Jones plays his father, and Susan Sarandon plays his mother. Charlize Theron plays a police detective who tries to unravel the mystery.
One thing is certain; many people will play close attention to In the Valley of Elah due to the notoriety of Paul Haggis. With so many outstanding films, people expect this one to do well, however, it should be stated that the U.S. Military has not endorsed the film.
The movie does cause great concerns regarding how the war will impact the troops in the long run. It is very sad and a stark reality that war is one of the world’s greatest atrocities, and our troops are not being spared any of the horrors. We know that our troops are dealing with lifelong disabilities, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Depression, and Suicide. Now, we are looking at the consequences of war on personalities that may have already had serious emotional and psychological flaws.
That is the question that people are asking, as it appears that many of our troops are exhibiting signs of anti social personality disorder and are acting out in increasingly violent ways.
You’ll find that after In the Valley of Elah hits the screens, that more of these questions will surface in conversation. People want to know what the effects of the war will have on the troops and citizens in the long run, and there really is no way to predict the future. All we can do is wait until all of our troops return home to find out what the major effects will be.
How do you feel about the latest war films? It does seem as though more people are dealing with the war through film. It may be that thanks to sites like You Tube and My Space, people are already viewing numerous movies and clips from the Iraq conflict. Today, media is readily available in all forms. Do you think this is good or bad? What are your views of seeing a movie about the war while we are still in war? Typically, it seems that movies are only released after the war is over. The movie is getting favorable reviews from soldiers who have stated that it is very realistic. In the Valley of Elah will be released on September 21, 2007.
General Blog
I saw “in the Valley of Elah” and I was bothered by the scene where soldiers mow down a child in the street in Iraq because of orders “not to stop under any circumstance” and then the soldier stops and gets out and takes a picture of the body!
I asked Haggis about it at a press event and he said that scene was based on a different incident that a soldier told him about…so what’s actually true to the SPC Davis murder in the movie and what just was good to throw in to drive a political point home? Just wondering…
And how do we have a serious discussion about the effects of the war based on a fictionalized film based on a true story with bits of other stories thrown in?
And how heavy handed is it to have 2 (overly telegraphed) shots of the upside down flag — I know Haggis is Canadian, but does he really think we Americans don’t realize we’re in a state of distress over this war?
We need to examine this war and the effects on our troops and our society and what we’re doing in the world — but do we need to vilify our troops to do it?
I just don’t like the idea of the return of the steely-eyed babykiller stereotype of our military — we’ve seen what it did to our troops returning from Vietnam…