In the Valley of Elah

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

"In the Valley of Elah" is a magnificently acted film worthy of your attention and viewing., 2008-12-02
This film speaks volumes through Tommy Lee Jones's eyes and not through excessive dialogue on his part. br / br /In short, due to Amazon's decent synopsis and other high quality reviews that reveal much of the plot, perhaps too much, I will simply say that this film is about the aftermath of war when a vet comes home, disillusionment, family love, and government bureaucracies as a father goes in search of his AWOL son who recently returned from a harrowing tour of duty in Iraq. He quickly discovers that his son was murdered and that between government agencies either shirking their responsibilities and others all gung ho to put their "case closed" stamp on the file he isn't getting the answers he needs or is entitled to get. br / br /Although this is a murder mystery, it is a terrific character study as well with Tommy Lee Jones giving nearly his best performance in his career. We slowly watch him break down inch by inch from the spit and polish ex-MP to the devastated father trying to make sense out of the senseless loss of his son when he was supposed to be "safe" at home. Also, as with all Paul Haggis films, Million Dollar Baby, Crash, and others, this film also tries to look at the universal themes I've already noted earlier. Fortunately, Haggis decides to let the actors' expressions and eyes tell the story more than his usual heavy-handed screenplay for which he as often be accused of being to preachy or sentimental (both avoided here). br / br /The Hits: br / br /(1) Magnificent acting by all. Jones is in top form and was worthy of another Oscar for this film (he won for The Fugitive). Charlize Theron, an Oscar-winner for Monster, is occasionally guilty of over-acting here, but is very good nevertheless, and a woefully underused Susan Sarandon, Oscar-winner for Dead Man Walking, is terrific in the limited screen time she is given. br / br /(2) The plot is deceptively simple and not burdened with Haggis's usual heavy-handed preaching whether as director or writer. I love his movies, but I have to admit that his critics are mostly correct regarding this aspect of his films. br / br /(3) Nice use of universal themes. As an English teacher I really like it when a film isn't pigeoned-holed into one genre so tightly that there isn't any breathing room. Like I said before, this film is "deceptively simple" as it is a military murder mystery, but its exploration of themes that we can all relate to make it so much more than that. br / br /(4) I love symbolism in films as longer as they aren't silly or over-the-top and both Lee's character obsessed with order to the point that he unnecessarily makes his hotel bed as if he's still in the military or the two key scenes regarding the upside down American flag (be sure to pay attention to those moments) are excellent examples of symbolisms in film that work and quietly so. br / br /The Misses: br / br /(1) As I said before, Theron is very good, but she's is a bit hammy in a few places in this film. The whole scene near the end where she's knocking papers off a bureaucrat's desk is just not convincing to me and nor are her exaggerated facial expression at times. While an excellent dramatic actress most of the time, she seems a bit out of place in this film and not at the top of her game. br / br /(2) Susan Sarandon has earned more screen time than she was given. I honestly don't know how I would have added to her role, but surely more scenes with her as the angry, grieving parent mad at her son's gruesome and senseless murder and her husband for either pushing her kids overtly or by silent expectation into the military. br / br /(3) There is a totally unnecessary topless bar scene in the film with the rather stunning Francis Fisher, Rose's mom in Titanic. Yeah, I get the point in that Lee's character treats her with respect in spite of her "job" and is unflinching to her nudity, but it just wasn't necessary in this film in my view. I'm no prude by any means, but I just don't like gratuitous nudity in films that feel they must earn their "R" rating somehow. br / br / br /I think this is a film that will require multiple viewings to get the full depth of the story. I look forward to watching it again as it has earned a place on my DVD library.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Dehumanizing effect of the Iraq war, 2008-11-10
War is always ugly. It does not matter where it is fought or by whom. Soldiers are active participants in surival games that require them to kill with or without reason in order to preserve their won life or the lives of the people around them. This story is a story of the current generation of young people going to Iraq. They are used to video cameras, simple comforts of every day life, while long stays in a third world country like Iraq are having lasting effects on their psyche. Tommy Lee Jones plays a father whose sons goes AWOL. He is convinced that if his son is missing, there must be a valid reason and decides to launch his own investigation. When a body was found just outside of the city and identified as remains of his son, he is determined to find a person that committed the crime. Local police and military police fight over jurisdiction and the right to investigate the crime. Is it that military wants to keep this hush-hush, or that the local police does not want another murder on their worksheet? Caught in the battle are the grief stricken father and a female police officer, herself a victim of endless sexist torture at the workplace. What is mesmerizing is the way that a young man was killed (over 40 stab wounds with the knife, body cut up in pieces and burned). Even more troubling is the discovery that it was his military buddies who did it. What sort of experience do these young men go through to be able to kill in the most gruesome way one of their own? Are they sociopaths enabled even more by their participation in a war where killing is a part of the daily life, or just irrevocably damaged goods with no shred of consience left? Tommy Lee Jones is so good in this role. This film will make one think abour consequences of war and its affect on people for a long time. It redefines humanity and what it means to different people.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

GOOD PERFOMANCES CAN'T SAVE THIS OVERLY LONG DRAMA!, 2008-11-09
'In The Valley Of Elah is an interesting story with good perfomances by Jones, Sarandon and Theron, but the film's snail pace had me wanting to fast forward at times. Although the story is interesting and sad, showing that war destroys more than the obvious. It's not like we haven't seen this stuff before and I felt like I knew where it was going long before the end of the movie. It's an OK watch about a 2 1/2 star rating, but it's really nothing new.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

Typical Anti-war, Anti-American, Hollywood Communist Crap, 2008-11-09
Well, the liberals in Hollywood have produced another anti-American propaganda film. To be certain, all war is hell, rotten, miserable, Godless, and ashamedly horrible. Man's inhumanity to man began in the Garden of Eden not the Valley of Elah. And, by the way, the liberal atheist commies couldn't get the battle of David and Goliath correct...no mention of Yahweh, the God of Israel; no mention of who David is; no mention of the insult of the Philistine's against the true God of Israel (the liberals mention that this is not a true story)...truly typical of the commie liberal Hollywood elites. br / br /Prepare to see more and more US flags hung upside-down, and worse than that, God Himself lied about and distorted. Satan sure is having a 'field-day'. br / br /If you want to feel miserable about who you are and the lousy wars of American history, and the Republican government; then watch this crappy communist propaganda film and enjoy what little time we all have left.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

An Important Movie....., 2008-10-26
I have only a few words to say about "In The Valley of Elah". This is a movie that EVERYONE should watch. Not just for the fact that it is a good movie, but as a reminder of what our men and women are having to go through in the service of our country. Anyone that has a son or daughter or relative that is considering going into the service should highly consider watching this movie with that person before enlisting.