- 10
...exactly the sort of movie America needs right now -- a lacerating, bone-deep inquiry into the war in Iraq, one that struggles to find meaning in the very chaos of that conflict.
—Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly
- 9
...a riveting, heartbreaking story that had to be told; and it's being told with honor and intelligence in a stirring film that will haunt you long after seeing it.
—Pete Hammond Maxim
- 9
...built on Tommy Lee Jones' persona, and that is why it works so well.
—Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times
- 8
...timely and devastating...
—Lou Lumenick New York Post
- 8
A lot of very good films have a distinct drop-off point, usually occasioned when the gods of character are shoved aside for the gods of plot. In the Valley of Elah is one of those very good pictures.
—Michael Phillips Chicago Tribune
- 8
Sure, it's good and everything, but you can almost hear Academy members sharpening their ballot pencils in anticipation. Start engraving those trophies now.
—Matt Stevens E!
- 8
...the first truly great narrative film about the Iraq War...
—Chris Barsanti filmcritic.com
- 7
... a mournful, politically charged character study that benefits from some of the sober gravity that director Clint Eastwood brought to Million Dollar Baby and Letters From Iwo Jima.
—Nathan Rabin Onion AV Club
- 7
The haunting, heart-piercing Elah isn't perfect. It's something better: essential.
—Peter Travers Rolling Stone
- 7
...the film's concerns are painfully timely and forcefully articulated.
—Maitland McDonagh TV Guide
- 6
...innately powerful...
—Peter Rainer Christian Science Monitor
- 6
Underneath its deceptively quiet surface is a raw, angry, earnest attempt to grasp the moral consequences of the war in Iraq, and to stare without blinking into the chasm that divides those who are fighting it from their families, their fellow citizens and one another.
—A. O. Scott New York Times
- 6
...a wildly uneven but brave foray into the dark side of posttraumatic stress disorder...
—Ella Taylor Village Voice
- 6
...wildly uneven...
—Ella Taylor LA Weekly
- 5
The characters in this somber film have the glum look of individuals delivering a Very Important Message to the world. And though this film in fact does have something crucial to convey, this is not the way to go about it.
—Kenneth Turan Los Angeles Times
- 5
Jones' terrific performance is the only real reason to visit this Valley, but that might not be reason enough.
—Pam Grady Reel
- 5
...shows off Haggis's storytelling chops with none of the spot-on-pontificating that made Crash so squirm-worthy.
—Glenn Kenny Premiere
- 3
It's so predictable you'd think Haggis would have avoided visualizing it -- but there it is, stinking up the screen and further confirming Haggis's warped sense of reality.
—Ed Gonzalez Slant Magazine