In the Valley of Elah Review

Director Paul Haggis had himself during the 78th Academy Awards. His film Crash won Best Picture over Steven Spielberg's Munich and Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain. This year, his film In the Valley of Elah is nominated for one award- Best Actor for Tommy Lee Jones. Could this independent film come away with an upset as well?

The film follows a father(Jones) and a police detective(Charlize Theron) as they hunt for his awol son who just returned from Iraq. Things turn out to be much more sinister than first seems.

Once again, I am blown away by a film's ensemble cast and chemistry. Jones is terriffic here and maybe my second favorite lead performance this year aside from Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood and Casey Affleck in Gone Baby Gone. Theron give a good supporting performance, as does Susan Sarandon in the role of Jones' character's wife.

So, why didn't this movie get a wide release? Well, it is a very touchy movie that explores some dark themes that really reflect America's condition right now. The themes regard fear and heroism. The film's title comes straight from the Bible: The Valley of Elah is where David fights Goliath. There is an absolutely hypnotic scene where Jones tells a little boy the story of David and Goliath to help him overcome his fear of the dark. Our hero must face his own fears as he follows the tracks in what becomes a very god mystery.

The film's premise looks like setup for an anti-war movie, but do not fret. It is FAR from an anti-war movie. Sure, it shows the gigantic mess that our troops are in as well as the condition of America. However, it paints a wonderful picture of true heroism. Morality is still alive in cinema. The classic hero still exists. It's a breath of fresh air in a year rife with anti-heroes and corruptible protagonists. It made me feel like I could go out and change the world for good. The film is full of such powerful and moving images.

Negatives...well, the film, like most, has a couple "coincidences"(codename for plot devices) that move the story along, but probably would never happen in the real world or during a real investigative process. But how can i fault a film on this? It's almost impossible to write a film with zero plot devices or mcguffins or deus ex machinas. This film uses them well, and Paul Haggis shows his mastership at his craft. Somehow, I can't help feel a little bit manipulated, though.

I was thoroughly engrossed and mesmerized by this movie. It's the perfect length- long enough to feel fully fleshed out but not so long that it feels tedious. I didn't want it to end.

91/100