In The Valley Of Elah Movie
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Storyline
TAGLINES
Sometimes finding the truth is easier than facing it.
When Hank Deerfield is told by the military that his son Mike, who only recently returned from a tour of duty in Iraq, has gone AWOL he travels to the military base to see if he can make any sense of the young man's disappearance. Hank is himself a retired military investigator and is frustrated by both the military and the civilian police's apparent lack of interest in the case. In the end he does manage to get help from Det. Emily Sanders and together they piece together the events that led to Mike's disappearance. In the end, this is a story of how war dehumanizes individuals to the point where the taking of life makes no sense and has no purpose
| Tommy Lee Jones | Hank Deerfield |
| Charlize Theron | Det. Emily Sanders |
| Jason Patric | Lt. Kirklander |
| Susan Sarandon | Joan Deerfield |
| James Franco | Sgt. Dan Carnelli |
| Barry Corbin | Arnold Bickman |
| Josh Brolin | Chief Buchwald |
| Frances Fisher | Evie |
| Wes Chatham | Corporal Steve Penning |
| Jake McLaughlin | Spc. Gordon Bonner |
| Mehcad Brooks | Spc. Ennis Long |
| Jonathan Tucker | Mike Deerfield |
| Wayne Duvall | Detective Nugent |
| Victor Wolf | Private Robert Ortiez |
| Brent Briscoe | Detective Hodge |
| Paul Haggis |
7.60 out of 10 (11984 votes)
Visitor Reviews
A compelling and moving film
posted on 28 Aug 2009Loosely based on the story of Richard Davis who was killed by fellow soldiers in Columbus, Georgia after returning from Iraq in 2003, In the Valley of Elah, Paul Haggis' first feature since his Oscar winner Crash is a poignant reminder of how war robs people of their humanity. In one of the best performances of his career, Tommy Lee Jones is Hank Deerfield, a career military man whose son Mike (Jonathan Tucker) is reported as AWOL from his New Mexico base after returning from eighteen months in Iraq. What Hank discovers in searching for Mike is enough to shake his faith in an institution that had nurtured him and threaten his entire world view.Though Deerfield is an ex-military man who knows the value of discipline and hyper-efficiency, he is a man who carries the scars of the death of his other son, killed in a military training accident. When he learns about Mike's disappearance, he tries to calm the fears of his wife Joan (Susan Sarandon), but one can sense in the lines of sadness etched in his worn face that he is very worried. In a very prophetic scene, as he sets out for the Army base to conduct his own investigation, he notices that an American flag is flying upside down, a symbol of international distress, and stops to teach the groundskeeper the difference.At the base, Deerfield is thwarted by the stonewalling of the military and the inept local police force and cannot get anywhere with Lt. Kirklander (Jason Patric) who is in charge of the missing person operation. Fortunately, he finds a detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron) who is assigned to the case. Taunted by chauvinist fellow detectives who think she slept her way onto the squad, she is eager to prove herself as capable as her detractors. When Deerfield's body is discovered, gruesomely cut up in an open field, Deerfield and Sanders work together to piece together the puzzle, suspecting the involvement of drugs and drug dealers. With the help of video left on Mike's cell phone, however, he discovers secrets that begin to shake his faith in American institutions though he never questions his son's actions.In one of the most moving sequences in the film, Hank tells Sanders little boy the biblical story of David who killed the giant Goliath with a slingshot in the valley of Elah. Deerfield soon understands, however, that it is not enough to fight your own fears in standing up to an adversary but it is necessary to treat the enemy as a human being while still doing your job. Mike and his fellow soldiers have been unable to erase the ugly violence they perpetrated on civilians in Iraq and have brought this self hatred home. In spite of a too literal ending that robs us of the power of our imagination and borders on the polemic, In the Valley of Elah is a compelling and moving film that makes certain we do not forget what the war in Iraq has done not only to our soldier's bodies but to their minds and souls as well.
In the Valley of Elah is CRAP
posted on 26 Aug 2009I view myself as a fairly socially liberal person. I spent 8 years in Army Special Operations, and all I can say about this movie is that it full of factual BS. Obviously this has to be treated for what it is, a movie, but the film starts out with the "based on actual events" disclaimer. It starts off respectfully enough but soon degrades into a pathetic attempt at disguising an anti-war film. Sacrificing artistic integrity for political correctness makes you look like a douche. He was one of my favorite directors until he did this crap. Among my favorites was the torturing of an Iraqi civilian that had nil sh*t to do with the plot. Here's an idea, make a movie based on what you want instead of what you think will be popular!?
Not memorable
posted on 18 Aug 2009I was sort of glad when this movie ended, and I refer to it just as a "movie." Not a great work of "art," and only my second outing with Paul Haggis. I have never seen "Crash" and I'm one of those viewers who howled at "Million Dollar Baby," one of the trashiest movies that I've ever seen. The trailer (I miss 'previews') for Elah looked like it would be potent. It's not a flop, and the only pleasure that I derived from the movie is the performance of Tommy Lee Jones. I find that Charlize Theron is just a mediocre talent and it is unfortunate that the great Susan Sarandon was hardly used in the movie.Haggis doesn't seem to know if he wanted to make a "political" movie, a crime drama movie (something you can see on television every night of the week,) or a pretentious, symbolically Biblical parable (think "Babel," without a plausible script.) I think that he did better with the crime drama part of the movie than he did with the political or biblical.The "politics" of this movie pales in comparison to "No End in Sight," which I saw last week and which was riveting. Interesting that Haggis is so much a part of Hollywood that his take on tragedy is so tinsel town.
Sophomore Haggis
posted on 18 Aug 2009In his second directorial (full length) movie as a director, Paul Haggis shows that he isn't a fluke. Of course you know that he made/wrote great scripts (like the Million Dollar Baby to name but one of the many), but that doesn't necessarily mean, that he had it in him to be a good director.Well as in his first movie, there are many things that lie beneath the surface, many little (character) details, that make a great whole. Like Charlize Therons relationship with another character. It is hinted as a joke from her co-workers and you think it is just a prejudice against her, but it turns out there is more to that (I won't go into that one tiny piece of the movie, because I don't want to spoiler anything) ... And many (viewers) didn't even realize that, because it is just a small thing. But so greatly achieved, that if you pick up on it, you will amazed at how nuanced all the characters and performances are.Speaking of performances, if there wasn't Daniel Day Lewis (or There will be Blood for that matter), Tommy Lee Jones would have been a sure bet! His stoic performance, his charisma and his strong will carry you through the movie. And while this movie isn't entirely a criticism on the Iraq conflict, it does show some clear effects war can have on people ... At the end you're going to see a ... "change", but I'll leave that for you to watch and come up with your own conclusion, what the movie tries to tell you
Man Hating Film
posted on 14 Aug 2009One of the most obvious man-hating films I have ever seen. This film It is not an ant-war film, it is an ant-male film. It takes every stereotype of a radical feminism and plays it out as all men are uncontrollable beasts that are batterers or at least condone the behavior.Watch this film and you walk away with the feeling that all men are indoctrinated from their Fathers from a tender age to become batterers. Of course the fact that the film misses as its radical feminist agenda always misses is that , all men are not bad, the freedoms that we enjoy come from the heroism of men that they malign. Pathetic
Devastating
posted on 06 Aug 2009I cried through half of it. It wasn't what I expected, but I believe that was completely intentional - you're sure that some dark conspiracy will be revealed, but of course the truth is so much simpler and so much darker than you could have imagined. No one suffers a bullet wound or a IED attack . . . instead the movie focuses on the brutal psychological toll that war, especially this war, takes on the people involved. The movie's message sneaks up on you - you're trying to solve the mystery, determine the red herrings, discern the clues, but it's all misdirection. By the end, you've gotten the message quite thoroughly, and it's about how participating in war destroys the spirit of even decent people. The title refers to the place where David fought Goliath, but anyone who thinks this is about the triumph of the little guy over larger forces has completely missed the point.It's all very well done. Of course the movie belongs to Tommy Lee Jones, and he's terrific, as everyone says, but truly, it's the women who give this movie its heart. Susan Sarandon is only in a couple of scenes, but her impact is substantial. And Charlize Theron is amazing, totally amazing. She can act. And she really grounds this movie - it would be a different, less rich experience, without her.You have to be up for it, it's a damn hard movie to watch, but it's worth the effort.
David and Goliath?
posted on 06 Aug 2009This would be no more than a fair detective story of a murder case if an outside element weren't always present: Irak or better, the situation created there by its invasion and the war episodes and its consequences in the minds of people, changing normal citizens into monsters, zombies or just plain criminals, a condition that lasts after their return home. A father doesn't recognize his son (the fact is that this one is murdered after his return without having met the former) in the past stories that come popping up along the unfolding of the movie underlined and revealed by the terrible images that were sent to him by e-mail by his soon while in Iraq. One question can be put in the end to you the future viewers of the movie like a quiz: what the fight between David and Goliah in the Valley of Ellah has to do with all this? Try to answer. Will the final scene when the father hoists the United States flag upside down near his home be of any help?
One of the best movies that tell what war is !
posted on 06 Aug 2009I've seen many anti-war movies, but yet this one goes beyonds borders and almost without showing the war, tells all about the naked truth. What we did ? That must be the question to be asked for. And the best reply is this movie I presume. Dedicated to the children, the children of Iraq as well as the children of USA or any country who puts her children to war ! About 1.000.000 people died in Iraq, as well as thousands of US soldiers. For what ? Are the children sent to Iraq are the same when they come back ? With the extraordinary cast and play by Tommy Lee Jones & Charlize Theron ( Susan Sarandon takes a small part but also really deals with it ) and the dramatic music Mark Isham put in, Paul Haggis captured a rhythm & rhyme no one would dare. This movie is much much better than "No Country For Old Man" and that makes me really wonder how the Oscars are dealt.Now you can imagine how great a poem is "Imagine" & how great a poet is "John Lennon" back in 1960's.
Nice counterpoint to "No Country For Old Men"
posted on 02 Aug 2009Tommy Lee Jones plays a no-nonsense retired military officer who drives from Tennessee to New Mexico to investigate the disappearance and murder of his son (who recently returned from a tour of duty in Iraq). With the help of a local detective and his son's video phone, Jones stumbles into a world of drugs, cover-ups, and post-traumatic stress disorder, all of which expose the ugly truth behind American's most recent Mesopotamian misadventure.The film, directed by Paul Haggis, oozes Biblical metaphors and subtle moralising, all of which work, aside for some horrible flag waving and a tacky musical score played during the final 5 minutes. Thematically, the film works best as a counterpoint to the Coen brothers' "No Country For Old Men." Both films star Tommy Lee Jones, and both rely on (or play against) his all American lawman persona. Here Tommy Lee Jones is turned into a symbol of a country in a state of political disenchantment. Tommy wades his way through corruption, ineptness and cover-ups as he confronts the ugliness of his country. A country he proudly helped defend and fight for, as a young man. "No Country for Old Men", in contrast, is the ultimate expression of post 9/11 apathy. Like "Elah", the film invites us to identify with Tommy Lee, but unlike "Elah" it ensures that he doesn't do much to investigate his crime. It insures that by the end, he is completely powerless and does nothing at all. Not only is he powerless, but he fears action. Action, he knows, would lead to him losing his life. He's content to merely mumble about how hollow and pointless things are. He knows the "truth" to an extent, but doesn't care. To care, would mean to die. "No Country" is the perfect movie for the establishment. Empty, yet it anesthetizes the audience into identifying with powerlessness and disenfranchisement. Do not question your country, it will beat you down. Provoke it, and it will kill you. Step back and let things carry on. You have no say, no choice and no power. You are small. Better to let things be.Paul Haggis, at least, seeks to challenge. To anger. To ruffle feathers. His film is too flawed to be important or memorable, but it means well. In defense of the Coens, they're absurdists and are smart enough to know how ineffectual something like "Elah" really is.7.9/10- Worth one viewing.
Thought provoking steamroller
posted on 02 Aug 2009This is one of the most heart-wrenching, thought-provoking films I have ever seen on this topic. While keeping astride a specific stance on the Iraq war itself, the film shows the changes that occur to men in war, and some of the consequences (murder, violence, drugs, alcohol, etc.).War costs lives, costs money, but this movie shows that it costs character and integrity -- which the veterans are willing to give up. I've seen that mentioned as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder -- it is simply shown here as a sublimation of the things that make us human. No compassion, no judgement, follow orders and do as you're told.Not only did Tommy Lee Jones' character's son lose his life, he lost his humanity. We've all lost our dignity. I do not know how more touching the sacrifice of families could be made clear, than the ultimate sacrifice made here, twice over (2 sons' dead while serving in the military), and the military not really caring about the truth.I am sure this movie will weigh on me for days to come and highly recommend this thought-provoking work. The more you think about it, the more you'll feel the urge to hug your children, kiss your spouse, and hopefully realize how precious the time we have together really is. Time and experience change all of us.
Captivating tale of a father looking for his AWOL son just back from Iraq.
posted on 02 Aug 2009First, the movie's title. In the Biblical story of David and Goliath, their battle was fought in the Valley of Elah, a real place so named for the Elah trees that are prominent there, similar to what many of us know as an Oak tree.Tommy Lee Jones received a Best Actor nomination for his role here as Hank Deerfield, retired military man who still lives his life in a military manner. He receives word that his Army son, recently returned from a tour of duty in Iraq, is absent, AWOL. They are wondering if his family have heard from him.Hank decides to drive to his son's base to see if he can help locate him. Soon after he gets there remains of charred body parts are found in a remote area, about 30 minutes from the base, and they turn out to be his son's. After the initial grief, Hank sticks around to help solve the mystery of his son's death, while the Army and the local police argue over jurisdiction. It turns out neither of them really want to investigate.Charlize Theron is local police Det. Emily Sanders, and she also doesn't want to get involved, but eventually does as she realizes what Hank is trying to do. She is single but has a young son, and one evening when Hank is visiting, he tells the story of David, and his mention of the 'Valley of Elah' is where the title comes from.By way of coincidence, this is the second movie in a row that I have seen that has actors Barry Corbin, Josh Brolin, and Tommy Lee Jones. The other is 'No Country for Old Men.' This is a very good movie, my wife and I both thought so. It is the type of movie that grabs your attention and keeps it for the whole two hours. Much of that are the fine jobs by Jones and Theron.MAJOR SPOILERS: After a couple of false leads, it turns out that the son was killed by one of his own friends, someone who he had served with in Iraq. Perhaps the moral is that war changes people, and they sometimes will do things as a result that they never would have been capable of before.
Powerful and well written, despite some classic bits of Haggis ham
posted on 25 Jul 2009Paul Haggis' followup to his Best Picture winning Crash is certainly a bit of an improvement. I'm not a Crash hater, but I'm the first to admit it's far too heavy-handed and sloppy to be considered to be a great movie. And honestly, at its worst, you can feel that old Haggis hackery popping up in Elah more than a few times, most notably in that final shot, which is the worst final shot of a film since John Sayles' Silver City. I also have to giggle at the lame Biblical allegory from which the film gets its title (Elah was the valley in which David fought Goliath), which, try as I might, I cannot get to fit any possible scenario in the film's story. For the most part, though, In the Valley of Elah is an intriguing mystery and a powerful story. Tommy Lee Jones plays a Vietnam vet whose son has gone AWOL. He drives two days to the Army base in hopes of quelling the situation before it gets any worse. Unfortunately, the reason his son is AWOL is because he has been murdered, which is discovered shortly after Jones arrives. Both the military police and the local police (led by Jason Patrick and Charlize Theron respectively) are on the case, but Jones, himself a former MP, decides to do his own detective work. The mystery is well crafted by Haggis and his co-screenwriter, Mark Boal. It is true that, after parts of the mystery are revealed, some parts that you learned earlier don't make much sense. But that's pretty common in mysteries in general, and I didn't feel like Haggis had cheated, although it's entirely possible he's just kind of stupid. There are several very moving moments in the film. Susan Sarandon plays Jones' wife, and, while I usually dislike her as an actress, she brought me to tears in the scene where she learns of her son's death. Jones' performance was nominated for an Oscar, and it's well deserved (although I would have rather seen him get one for No Country for Old Men, where he was even better). I like how Haggis makes him rather unsympathetic at times. Theron is also very good.
War and the descent into madness
posted on 11 Jul 2009This was a wonderfully handled film by director Paul Haggis. His style is so natural you're hardly aware that its just a movie your watching and not real-life. The film is also a reminder that you don't need a massive budget, and loads of special effects to produce excitement and suspense. This was just as much edge-of-seat stuff as any action blockbuster.As far as the performances go, a mesmerising, under-stated performance from one of may favourite actors,Tommy Lee Jones, who seems to improve with age rather like a good wine. You can hardly tell Charlize Theron is not American, so effectively does she fill her roles in recent outings.As far as the subject matter goes, I would say it reminded me of The Thin Red Line and Apocalypse Now in terms of its message of the traumas of war precipitating a descent into insanity and murder.
I saw it different than Eruanion did
posted on 11 Jul 2009I just saw this on DVD tonight for the first time. It sure did look like a typical Hollywood crime thriller to me. I kept thinking to myself that I was watching an episode of CSI or Law & Order or any of those shows that most of America seems to love, based on their ratings. I also did see it as a propaganda piece from the Hollywood left. It made things look hopeless in Iraq. Granted, things aren't rosy over there, but there is some good being done. You wouldn't know that by watching the news on TV. I did enjoy Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron's performances, as I usually do with those two actors. The reference to David and Goliath was sort of incomplete. David was not afraid of Goliath. He wondered what all the fuss was about. David knew that Goliath was only one man. He knew that he had God on his side, and approached Goliath with faith that he would be victorious, and that it was God working through David that deserved the praise.
David is not US GI
posted on 07 Jul 2009The film does not want to demonstrate anything about any war in particular. It is just a silly "accident" in which three GIs back from Iraq gets to fists and blows with a fourth one on some Saturday night in the city where they are stationed. The fourth one is killed, then burned and dismembered, or vice versa, and the pieces are scattered in some open waste land. Then they go to some diner's and have fried chicken and pay under the signature (fake of course) of the dead one. The father comes and tries to find out the truth. It takes time to make up what happened and lead the three killers to confessing their crime. But that's obviously not the only interest of this particular film. The father wants to know and understand why they did that. He himself is a veteran who fought in Vietnam, whose elder son was accidentally killed in Fort Bragg and whose younger son just disappeared. And there comes the picture of a war in our modern world, an ugly war that has no justification and in which young people are thrown, innocent, virginal and dumb like silly teenagers. They are bored and frightened and they have the power of weapons and uniforms. They abuse that power and then they misuse that power only because they are frightened and they shoot first a long time before ever imagining they could have asked a question first. But in what language? Then they get bored they have to find some entertainment and killing some innocent child or torturing a wounded prisoner is funny like hell in a hell of a war. And no remorse about the prisoner and his being tortured since eventually he will be killed or forced to die in a way or another not to tell anyone. That could be called military eugenics or wartime house husbandry or cleaning up warfare. If we reduce that horror to only Iraq we will not understand some moment in the film when the father explains, for example, to a young child how David vanquished Goliath because he was able to understand that his being afraid is the very effect the bully Goliath wants to create and if one is not afraid of the bully then the bully does not know what to do and you can then take advantage of this moment to push him aside in a way or another, even only with a simple slingshot and a small stone. A big bully is used to people being afraid of him, not of people not being afraid and using miserable weapons against him. That's the Valley of Elah. That moment is not a justification of war but a complete denunciation of the use of force by the more powerful party against the weaker party which creates a lot of fear and will be answered with a lot of unpredictable unmilitary small actions that will sting and hurt even if it does not win the war, but it will create fear among the powerful, and that the powerful don't know how to cope with it.Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne, University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines, CEGID
Being a patriot doesn't not mean to be in support of the war
posted on 29 Jun 2009After the soldier Mike (Jonathan Tucker) return to North America from Iraq, he is reported as missing. His father Hank (Tommy Lee Jones), who is an ex-military sergeant, is trying to find his missing son. He will count with the help of Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron), a police detective that, together with Hank, will find the terrible truth, a consequence of the war.This is the plot of this terrific film that i rank, without a doubt, in the bests films of 2007. The story line is great, first it seems to be just a crime mystery and sometimes is very slow but still is interesting, but later the story is very strong showing a consequence of the war in an American family. And not only that, it also show the hell of the war with those videos of the cell phone and how the hell doesn't end when the soldiers return to home. And with the specific case of the father who was a military once and very patriot, who suffers the consequences of the war first when he support his son for joining the army and second when he knows the truth about his son.About the cast: is great, Tommy Lee Jones is as great as in "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" and "No Country for Old Men" that are amazing films that he has made in a very short time. But for me is Charlize Theron who steals the film in another powerful role that just confirm the great actress she is. The rest of the cast is goo, including Susan Sarandon, James Franco and Josh Brolin. And the director Paul Haggis making his return since his Oscar winning film "Crash", is really good and for me is one of the bests directors/writers working in North America right now; is not easy to make a film after a total success but for me this is much better than "Crash" in the way that i find it more honest and more simple to make a comment that all the people in the world must hear.Conclusion: i really recommend this film to anyone, i think is just a simple story showing, in an honest way for me, a family suffering for the war and the soldiers being victims of the same thing. 9.5 out of 10
A few minor questions in a great film
posted on 29 Jun 2009First of all, the film is not set in Iraq. It's set (for the most part) in New Mexico. And if you have not seen it and plan to, please don't read any further.For much of the film, I thought the solution to the mystery was that Mike Deerfield was going to disclose some awful atrocity, and that he was killed with the complicity of the military in order to keep it quiet--a conspiracy theory solution. Well, there certainly was at least one atrocity, but what was even more shocking is that such atrocities (according to the film) were routine--in fact, they were the obvious result of standing orders.When intentionally running over a child becomes no more serious than accidentally hitting a dog, it is no wonder than murder becomes commonplace.I don't know about the psychology here: does PTSD so desensitize a soldier that the murder of a fellow soldier becomes no big deal? Such that after butchering and burning the body, they can go out for a meal and use the dead man's credit card? Maybe so, but I was not totally persuaded.I am also not sure about the justification for the red herrings: why would the Army swoop in and take over the investigation, on jurisdictional grounds based on a recent real estate transaction, when it was not clear at that time that a soldier had been involved? Other than to make it appear that the Army had launched a cover-up based on advance knowledge, I don't know what the reason would be.And Ortiz: he goes AWOL, ultimately not for self-preservation and not out of guilt, and not really for any other reason. Just a wild hair. He says he wants to go back to Iraq.The cell phone was very convenient. It was obviously not working, because Mike would probably have had it with him. Why didn't Mike throw it away? And if the photographs and camera were officially sanitized, why would the officials leave the cell phone behind? These questions keep me from giving it a 10, but the film is exceptionally well-acted (expect Oscar nominations), very well-paced, and on the whole, it is very restrained in light of the ultimate point that it makes.
Powerful
posted on 23 Jun 2009Hank Deerfield (Jones) knows his son returned from Iraq, but is reported to be AWOL. Hank goes to the base to find his son.This film gives most of us a better idea of what the troops in Iraq are forced to do, and endure without question. What makes this film so powerful is that everything is understated to such a point that when you finally understand what it is all about, you cannot help but become angry. The director leads you step by step, almost in slow motion, so you fully understand what is really going on. And, then it hits you. This was, perhaps, the best way to get the point across and it worked. Very powerful. Tommy Lee Jones received a Best Actor nomination for this film -- didn't get it, but he could have. I think any movie Tommy Lee Jones is in pulls up the rest of the cast whether they need it or not. The film could have been nominated for Best Picture, but wasn't. The cast performances were all excellent. They made Charlize Theron look like a too-plain, non-descript clerk, but she is still beautiful no matter what they do to her; and she did an excellent job as well.Towards the end of the film, there are some anti climatic moments. When you think it's over, it's not, and that's okay. I think the very last scene in the film sums up the entire film, story, and the Iraq War. Yes, this film should have been nominated for Best Picture. Violence: Yes, Sex: No, Nudity: Yes, Language: Yes
Iraq and how Jones finds out it's no place for young men.
posted on 17 Jun 2009Cramming just enough emotion into this film as he did with Crash makes Paul Haggis latest success one that even rivals January 08 strongest "No Country For Old Men" Patient viewers won be bothered by the slow pacing. But it's easy to see why some can get annoyed by this. For those who can see past this however will be in for a emotional journey without equal. You can tell Jones is having a good year. First "No Country" and now this. It's hard to fault his performance in this more that his past films since he himself gives the film its emotional edge, him and his better half Susan Sarandon who's performance is effortless.Aeon Flux was a mistake, we know it and I'm sure Theron k knows it especially after her benchmark performance in "Monster" in 2004.I think it's safe to say Charlize Theron is back where she belongs giving a beautiful performance as an underrated police officer. Both Jones and Theron sympathies deeply with each other and it's reassuring for the audience to know this. The question on whether this is better than Haggises last outing is a tough one. Both soar when it comes to emotional depth, characterization and acting. Both stumble with pacing and selling their views. But Crash fails to ask questions unlike "Elah" an although I'm probably against the majority here I think In The Valley of Elah is more of an emotional journey though Crash is very good, this is better.When a model soldier who recently returned to the U.S. from the front lines of Iraq goes AWOL, his veteran father enlists the aid of a dedicated police detective in seeking out the true fate of his son. Haggis' fictionalized version of the actual events stars Tommy Lee Jones as the concerned father, Susan Sarandon as his wife, and Charlize Theron as the detective who vows to uncover the truth behind the Iraq War veteran's strange disappearance. Will it win an Oscar? Though In the valley of Elah is very good it's up against some real contenders this year (No Country, There will be blood, Atonement) the best picture seems miles away.Crash was brilliant, In the valley of Elah is even better. It never compromises anything for its emotional effect. Which will please those who were expecting a true deep story but will anger those looking for a massive amount of action? With magnificent leads and even better characterization there only one thing that brings it down, pacing and that will only annoy those who are unable to sit through two hours of emotional triumph.Though the best picture may as i said "seem miles away" there is still hope for its cast. What with it being the most assembled cast of 2008 so far it would be a crime if neither Jones, Sarandon nor Theron won anything for their performances.
Feel-Good Flick for the Blame-America-First Crowd
posted on 30 Aug 2009I caught this on cable and had absolutely no preconceptions or expectations, having never read a review or checking IMDb. I saw it had Tommy Lee Jones in the cast, and that made it a must-watch movie for me. At first, it seemed like a gripping crime drama, but quickly started showing its true colours. This is a movie about, not the U.S. Army, but the Hollywood Army; that is, the Army as Hollywood has seen it since the 60's. It takes the stereotypical, screwed-up Viet Nam vet, and puts him on steroids for the new century. Having spend 28 years in the Air Force, and having friends serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other fun spots, I have some idea what I'm talking about. Here's what I learned about the "new" Hollywood Army (HA), as opposed to the real, U.S. Army (USA).- When you retire from HA, if you were a military cop, they let you keep your badge. And active duty ID card. In the USA, they take the badge and give you a retiree card. - Having spent a career as an HA cop, if you're chasing a Hispanic suspect, you will shout every racial epithet you can think of and then beat him senseless as soon as you catch him. The USA hasn't eliminated prejudice from the ranks, but has done a pretty darn good job of trying. Unless you lived through the barracks riots and de facto segregation of the 60's and 70's, and seen the difference now, you really can't believe how far we've come. - In the HA, power corrupts, but Army power corrupts absolutely. The HA, realizing there's no easy way to take Nintendo-generation kids and turn them into effective soldiers, strips away their humanity and turns them into stone-cold emotionless killers. So much so any soldier can take a good friend, chop him into little pieces, burn the pieces, and then go out for a bite of fried chicken. The USA is a far cry from the Boy Scouts, but I guarantee that your average soldier has a far straighter moral compass than your man-on-the-street American. Yes, Abu Ghraib happened, but it was an anomaly, not business as usual. - HA soldiers do drugs. Every last darn one of 'em. It's considered odd to expect that anyone doesn't. They try to avoid hard drugs, at least when outside of a war zone, but otherwise, jokin' and tokin' is de rigeur. In the USA, there are still drugs, but there is on-going program of random testing, and if you do drugs you *will* get caught. - Returning HA soldiers are ticking time-bombs, just waiting to go off. It's not a question of "if", it's "when". In the USA, there is indeed post-traumatic stress and its consequences, but it's a problem that's treated, not ignored or swept under the rug.I could go on, but that gives you the gist. On the plus side, Tommy Lee Jones gives a tremendous performance, and for the first time I realized just how good of an actress Charlize Theron truly is. Susan Sarandon is thankfully relegated to a minor role with minimal screen time. The overall message here, however, is despicable. It's an anti-Army, hate America kind of movie. It's amazing that so many reviewers here think this reflects reality. They obviously haven't been in the military, and are probably the kind of people who would cross the street rather than say "good morning" to somebody in uniform. Jihadists everywhere will love it; anyone with a shred of patriotism will find it to be total crap.