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* WhatMightHaveBeen: The role of Hank was written with Creator/ClintEastwood in mind, but Eastwood didn't want to act in somebody else's movie and recommended Creator/TommyLeeJones for the part instead.
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* WhatMightHaveBeen: WhatCouldHaveBeen: The role of Hank was written with Creator/ClintEastwood in mind, but Eastwood didn't want to act in somebody else's movie and recommended Creator/TommyLeeJones for the part instead.
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* ObligatoryWarCrimeScene: [[spoiler:Hank's son is shown torturing a captured Iraqi, apparently just to blow off steam]].
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''In the Valley of Elah'' is a 2007 drama written and directed by Paul Haggis and starring Creator/TommyLeeJones, Creator/CharlizeTheron, and Creator/SusanSarandon. The film follows Hank Deerfield (Jones), a former MP whose son goes AWOL shortly after his company returns from Iraq. Knowing how much stress his son was under, Hank decides to drive to the base and try to find his son himself. Not long afterwards, however, he discovers his son has been murdered, and finds himself working with a local police officer (Theron) to investigate.
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''In the Valley of Elah'' is a 2007 drama written and directed by Paul Haggis Creator/PaulHaggis and starring Creator/TommyLeeJones, Creator/CharlizeTheron, and Creator/SusanSarandon. The film follows Hank Deerfield (Jones), a former MP whose son goes AWOL shortly after his company returns from Iraq. Knowing how much stress his son was under, Hank decides to drive to the base and try to find his son himself. Not long afterwards, however, he discovers his son has been murdered, and finds himself working with a local police officer (Theron) to investigate.
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Now a Useful Note, which cannot be listed as a trope.
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* TheWarOnTerror
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Wrong use of Trivia
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* TheWarOnTerror
* YouLookFamiliar: The film shares several cast members with ''Film/NoCountryForOldMen'', and both films were also shot by Roger Deakins.
* YouLookFamiliar: The film shares several cast members with ''Film/NoCountryForOldMen'', and both films were also shot by Roger Deakins.
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* TheWarOnTerror
* YouLookFamiliar: The film shares several cast members with ''Film/NoCountryForOldMen'', and both films were also shot by Roger Deakins.TheWarOnTerror
* YouLookFamiliar: The film shares several cast members with ''Film/NoCountryForOldMen'', and both films were also shot by Roger Deakins.
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''In the Valley of Elah'' is a 2007 drama written and directed by Paul Haggis and starring Creator/TommyLeeJones, Creator/CharlizeTheron, and Creator/SusanSarandon. The film follows Hank Deerfield (Jones), a former MP whose son goes AWOL shorty after his company returns from Iraq. Knowing how much stress his son was under, Hank decides to drive to the base and try to find his son himself. Not long afterwards, however, he discovers his son has been murdered, and finds himself working with a local police officer (Theron) to investigate.
to:
''In the Valley of Elah'' is a 2007 drama written and directed by Paul Haggis and starring Creator/TommyLeeJones, Creator/CharlizeTheron, and Creator/SusanSarandon. The film follows Hank Deerfield (Jones), a former MP whose son goes AWOL shorty shortly after his company returns from Iraq. Knowing how much stress his son was under, Hank decides to drive to the base and try to find his son himself. Not long afterwards, however, he discovers his son has been murdered, and finds himself working with a local police officer (Theron) to investigate.
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* YouLookFamiliar: The film shares several cast members with ''NoCountryForOldMen'', and both films were also shot by Roger Deakins.
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* YouLookFamiliar: The film shares several cast members with ''NoCountryForOldMen'', ''Film/NoCountryForOldMen'', and both films were also shot by Roger Deakins.
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Could someone validate that?
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* BasedOnATrueStory / RippedFromTheHeadlines
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* BasedOnATrueStory / RippedFromTheHeadlinesBasedOnATrueStory: Four years prior to the film and its fiction, the body of a soldier recently assigned to Fort Benning from Iraq was found[[spoiler: cut to pieces, burnt, and partially-devoured by animals]]. The perpetrators in the film imitate those convicted of the crime in real life.
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* RetiredBadass: Hank
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* RetiredBadass: Hank[[spoiler:Hank plays a vital part in capturing a young, very strong suspect during a chase from police.]]
* RippedFromTheHeadlines: The story imitates a real life crime four years prior to the fiction of the film.
* RippedFromTheHeadlines: The story imitates a real life crime four years prior to the fiction of the film.
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* TheStoic: Hank, again.
* TatteredFlag: See BookEnds above.
* TatteredFlag: See BookEnds above.
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* TheStoic: Hank, again.
Once told of his son's death, Hank spares no time to mourn: he immediately involves himself with the investigation of his son's murder.
* TatteredFlag:See BookEnds above.[[spoiler:The final shot of the film is of the flag of the U.S., upside-down and ripped.]]
* TatteredFlag:
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Do not spoiler tag trope names on work pages or the names of works on trope pages; please see Handling Spoilers for more information.
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* [[spoiler:TheresNoKillLikeOverkill]]: [[spoiler: Hank's son is stabbed ''more than fifty times''. That they can ''tell''. And that's ''before'' his body was set on fire.]]
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* [[spoiler:TheresNoKillLikeOverkill]]: TheresNoKillLikeOverkill: [[spoiler: Hank's son is stabbed ''more than fifty times''. That they can ''tell''. And that's ''before'' his body was set on fire.]]
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Despite strong reviews and an AcademyAward nomination for TommyLeeJones, the film was a financial disappointment, due mostly to the fact that, at the time, films about TheWarOnTerror were still considered to be an AudienceAlienatingPremise. Also notable is the [[FlameBait incredibly controversial]] final shot of the film, which is arguably more infamous than the film itself.
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No spoiler tags in the description. See Handling Spoilers for more information.
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''In the Valley of Elah'' is a 2007 drama written and directed by Paul Haggis and starring Creator/TommyLeeJones, Creator/CharlizeTheron, and Susan Sarandon. The film follows Hank Deerfield (Jones), a former MP whose son goes AWOL shorty after his company returns from Iraq. Knowing how much stress his son was under, Hank decides to drive to the base and try to find his son himself. Not long afterwards, however, he discovers [[spoiler:his son has been murdered]], and finds himself working with a local police officer (Theron) to investigate.
to:
''In the Valley of Elah'' is a 2007 drama written and directed by Paul Haggis and starring Creator/TommyLeeJones, Creator/CharlizeTheron, and Susan Sarandon.Creator/SusanSarandon. The film follows Hank Deerfield (Jones), a former MP whose son goes AWOL shorty after his company returns from Iraq. Knowing how much stress his son was under, Hank decides to drive to the base and try to find his son himself. Not long afterwards, however, he discovers [[spoiler:his his son has been murdered]], murdered, and finds himself working with a local police officer (Theron) to investigate.
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No Circular Links, please.
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''Film/InTheValleyOfElah'' is a 2007 drama written and directed by Paul Haggis and starring Creator/TommyLeeJones, Creator/CharlizeTheron, and Susan Sarandon. The film follows Hank Deerfield (Jones), a former MP whose son goes AWOL shorty after his company returns from Iraq. Knowing how much stress his son was under, Hank decides to drive to the base and try to find his son himself. Not long afterwards, however, he discovers [[spoiler:his son has been murdered]], and finds himself working with a local police officer (Theron) to investigate.
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!'''This Film Contains examples of:'''
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* TheKoreanWar: Where Hank served.
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* TheKoreanWar: UsefulNotes/TheKoreanWar: Where Hank served.
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''Film/InTheValleyOfElah'' is a 2007 drama written and directed by Paul Haggis and starring Creator/TommyLeeJones, CharlizeTheron, and Susan Sarandon. The film follows Hank Deerfield (Jones), a former MP whose son goes AWOL shorty after his company returns from Iraq. Knowing how much stress his son was under, Hank decides to drive to the base and try to find his son himself. Not long afterwards, however, he discovers [[spoiler:his son has been murdered]], and finds himself working with a local police officer (Theron) to investigate.
to:
''Film/InTheValleyOfElah'' is a 2007 drama written and directed by Paul Haggis and starring Creator/TommyLeeJones, CharlizeTheron, Creator/CharlizeTheron, and Susan Sarandon. The film follows Hank Deerfield (Jones), a former MP whose son goes AWOL shorty after his company returns from Iraq. Knowing how much stress his son was under, Hank decides to drive to the base and try to find his son himself. Not long afterwards, however, he discovers [[spoiler:his son has been murdered]], and finds himself working with a local police officer (Theron) to investigate.
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* BookEnds: [[spoiler: Hank helping a groundskeeper to raise a flag. At the beginning, it's a flag in good working order that's been mistakenly displayed upside down, as in the International Symbol of Distress. At the end, a tattered flag is hung upside down ''on purpose''.]]
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* BookEnds: [[spoiler: Hank helping a groundskeeper to raise a flag. At the beginning, it's a flag in good working order that's been mistakenly displayed upside down, as in the International Symbol of Distress. At the end, a tattered flag TatteredFlag is hung upside down ''on purpose''.]]
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* TatteredFlag: See BookEnds above.
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* {{Determinator}}: Hank WILL find out what happened to his son, and lord help you if you get in his way.
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new examples posted and typo corrected
* BookEnds: [[spoiler: Hank helping a groundskeeper to raise a flag. At the beginning, it's a flag in good working order that's been mistakenly displayed upside down, as in the International Symbol of Distress. At the end, a tattered flag is hung upside down ''on purpose''.]]
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* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Hank spouts some rather derogatory statements at Ortiez, but that could just be simply because he was mad at him rather than true bigotry.
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* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Hank spouts some rather derogatory statements at Ortiez, Ortiz, but that could just be simply because he was mad at him rather than true bigotry.bigotry.
* RedHerring: [[spoiler: alleged Mexican drug traffickers may have been trying to silence Hank's son. Hank even blames one of the guys in Mike's outfit.]]
* RedHerring: [[spoiler: alleged Mexican drug traffickers may have been trying to silence Hank's son. Hank even blames one of the guys in Mike's outfit.]]
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* RetroactiveRecognition: Mark Boal, who gets story credit (and who also wrote the article upon which the screenplay was based) would later become an acclaimed screenwriter in his own right, writing ''TheHurtLocker'' and ''Film/ZeroDarkThirty''.
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* TheReveal: Two fold: [[spoiler:who killed Hank's son]] and [[spoiler:what was on his son's phone]].
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* BasedOnATrueStory
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* BasedOnATrueStoryBasedOnATrueStory / RippedFromTheHeadlines
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* RetroactiveRecognition: Mark Boal, who gets story credit (and who also wrote the article upon which the screenplay was based) would later become an acclaimed screenwriter in his own right, writing ''Film/TheHurtLocker'' and ''Film/ZeroDarkThirty''.
to:
* RetroactiveRecognition: Mark Boal, who gets story credit (and who also wrote the article upon which the screenplay was based) would later become an acclaimed screenwriter in his own right, writing ''Film/TheHurtLocker'' ''TheHurtLocker'' and ''Film/ZeroDarkThirty''.
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[[quoteright:200:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/in-the-valley-of-elah-movie-poster-2007-1010439669_3748.jpg]]
''Film/InTheValleyOfElah'' is a 2007 drama written and directed by Paul Haggis and starring Creator/TommyLeeJones, CharlizeTheron, and Susan Sarandon. The film follows Hank Deerfield (Jones), a former MP whose son goes AWOL shorty after his company returns from Iraq. Knowing how much stress his son was under, Hank decides to drive to the base and try to find his son himself. Not long afterwards, however, he discovers [[spoiler:his son has been murdered]], and finds himself working with a local police officer (Theron) to investigate.
Despite strong reviews and an AcademyAward nomination for TommyLeeJones, the film was a financial disappointment, due mostly to the fact that, at the time, films about TheWarOnTerror were still considered to be an AudienceAlienatingPremise. Also notable is the [[FlameBait incredibly controversial]] final shot of the film, which is arguably more infamous than the film itself.
----
!'''This Film Contains examples of:'''
* BasedOnATrueStory
* ChekhovsGun: [[spoiler:The package Hank's son sent home]].
* ChekhovsGunman: In an absolute {{Tearjerker}} of an example, [[spoiler:the nervous woman who Sanders brushes off early in the movie is later murdered by her husband]].
* DaChief: Chief Buchwald
* TheCSIEffect: Invoked; When Hank starts hanging around crime scenes and asking questions, Detective Sanders asks Hank if really knows anything about police work, or if he just watches a lot of crime shows. He replies that he's a retired Military Police.
* EnhanceButton: A variation. Hank gives his son's cell phone to a local tech wiz so he can help restore some of the corrupted video files.
* FriendOnTheForce: Sanders becomes this to Hank.
* HeroicBSOD: Joan [[spoiler:when she's informed of her son's death]]. Hank, too, albiet [[TheStoic in a more subdued fashion]].
* TheKoreanWar: Where Hank served.
* MetaCasting: Several of the actors who played soldiers in the film had served in Iraq themselves.
* NeverTrustATrailer: The trailers made the film out to look like a military conspiracy thriller rather than a low-key murder mystery/drama.
* ObligatoryWarCrimeScene: [[spoiler:Hank's son is shown torturing a captured Iraqi, apparently just to blow off steam]].
* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Hank spouts some rather derogatory statements at Ortiez, but that could just be simply because he was mad at him rather than true bigotry.
* RetiredBadass: Hank
* RetroactiveRecognition: Mark Boal, who gets story credit (and who also wrote the article upon which the screenplay was based) would later become an acclaimed screenwriter in his own right, writing ''Film/TheHurtLocker'' and ''Film/ZeroDarkThirty''.
* ShellShockedVeteran: Most of the military characters, and arguably Hank, too.
* SherlockScan: Hank is considerably more competent at crime scene investigation than most of the local police.
* TheStoic: Hank, again.
* [[spoiler:TheresNoKillLikeOverkill]]: [[spoiler: Hank's son is stabbed ''more than fifty times''. That they can ''tell''. And that's ''before'' his body was set on fire.]]
* TitleDrop: When Hank tells Sanders' son the story of David and Goliath.
* UnresolvedSexualTension: Between Sanders and Buchwald.
* WarIsHell: And it doesn't stop when you get home.
* WhatMightHaveBeen: The role of Hank was written with Creator/ClintEastwood in mind, but Eastwood didn't want to act in somebody else's movie and recommended Creator/TommyLeeJones for the part instead.
* TheWarOnTerror
* YouLookFamiliar: The film shares several cast members with ''NoCountryForOldMen'', and both films were also shot by Roger Deakins.
''Film/InTheValleyOfElah'' is a 2007 drama written and directed by Paul Haggis and starring Creator/TommyLeeJones, CharlizeTheron, and Susan Sarandon. The film follows Hank Deerfield (Jones), a former MP whose son goes AWOL shorty after his company returns from Iraq. Knowing how much stress his son was under, Hank decides to drive to the base and try to find his son himself. Not long afterwards, however, he discovers [[spoiler:his son has been murdered]], and finds himself working with a local police officer (Theron) to investigate.
Despite strong reviews and an AcademyAward nomination for TommyLeeJones, the film was a financial disappointment, due mostly to the fact that, at the time, films about TheWarOnTerror were still considered to be an AudienceAlienatingPremise. Also notable is the [[FlameBait incredibly controversial]] final shot of the film, which is arguably more infamous than the film itself.
----
!'''This Film Contains examples of:'''
* BasedOnATrueStory
* ChekhovsGun: [[spoiler:The package Hank's son sent home]].
* ChekhovsGunman: In an absolute {{Tearjerker}} of an example, [[spoiler:the nervous woman who Sanders brushes off early in the movie is later murdered by her husband]].
* DaChief: Chief Buchwald
* TheCSIEffect: Invoked; When Hank starts hanging around crime scenes and asking questions, Detective Sanders asks Hank if really knows anything about police work, or if he just watches a lot of crime shows. He replies that he's a retired Military Police.
* EnhanceButton: A variation. Hank gives his son's cell phone to a local tech wiz so he can help restore some of the corrupted video files.
* FriendOnTheForce: Sanders becomes this to Hank.
* HeroicBSOD: Joan [[spoiler:when she's informed of her son's death]]. Hank, too, albiet [[TheStoic in a more subdued fashion]].
* TheKoreanWar: Where Hank served.
* MetaCasting: Several of the actors who played soldiers in the film had served in Iraq themselves.
* NeverTrustATrailer: The trailers made the film out to look like a military conspiracy thriller rather than a low-key murder mystery/drama.
* ObligatoryWarCrimeScene: [[spoiler:Hank's son is shown torturing a captured Iraqi, apparently just to blow off steam]].
* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Hank spouts some rather derogatory statements at Ortiez, but that could just be simply because he was mad at him rather than true bigotry.
* RetiredBadass: Hank
* RetroactiveRecognition: Mark Boal, who gets story credit (and who also wrote the article upon which the screenplay was based) would later become an acclaimed screenwriter in his own right, writing ''Film/TheHurtLocker'' and ''Film/ZeroDarkThirty''.
* ShellShockedVeteran: Most of the military characters, and arguably Hank, too.
* SherlockScan: Hank is considerably more competent at crime scene investigation than most of the local police.
* TheStoic: Hank, again.
* [[spoiler:TheresNoKillLikeOverkill]]: [[spoiler: Hank's son is stabbed ''more than fifty times''. That they can ''tell''. And that's ''before'' his body was set on fire.]]
* TitleDrop: When Hank tells Sanders' son the story of David and Goliath.
* UnresolvedSexualTension: Between Sanders and Buchwald.
* WarIsHell: And it doesn't stop when you get home.
* WhatMightHaveBeen: The role of Hank was written with Creator/ClintEastwood in mind, but Eastwood didn't want to act in somebody else's movie and recommended Creator/TommyLeeJones for the part instead.
* TheWarOnTerror
* YouLookFamiliar: The film shares several cast members with ''NoCountryForOldMen'', and both films were also shot by Roger Deakins.
