Customer Reviews
Whodunit and whytheydunit - By: Charles Vasey, 18 Oct 2008 
This is an interesting film; a good solid whodunit combined with a bit of Americans-in-combat-angst. Usually such a mixture would resultin a mess, butin this case they fit together wonderfully well. There are lots of good performances linked to two main ones from the female cop (Charlize Theron) & Tommy Lee Jones as the institutionalised ex-military policeman. If the film has a theme (other than just a damned good plot) it is to do with the lack of male communication. This is admirably communicated by Jonesin his at times robotic performance. Is it grief at the death of his son or is a life of polishing shoes & creasing trousers just ingrained, the story does not feel the need to tell us; which is very much part of the theme? But Jones suggests both; such that an apology or compliment from him is a high featurein the character development. The film lacks easy villains (though it tempts you to believein them before removing the rug from beneath your feet). There are a number of times where the story looks to be over most tidily only for it to kick off again. Most films cannot manage one good ending, this one manages several.
Super - By: J. N. Melone, 17 Oct 2008 I loved this film,in spite of its depressing, nihilistic story. Perhaps it's a story that needed telling, but what I loved was the acting, directing & dialogues. A number of scenes were like stand-alone set-pieces which you could just follow from beginning to end, & at the end breath "wow"! Tommy Lee Jones gave a master-classin restrained, emotional acting, Susan Sarandon had a smallish part but was totally believablein it, & Charlize Theron, an actress I knew little of, beautifully portrayed a character gradually emerging throughout the film. All the supporting cast were excellent & I just couldn't take my eyes off it from beginning to end. Another triumph for writer director Haggis.
War...whats it good for ? Absolutely nothing . - By: russell clarke, 01 Oct 2008 
Anyone who has seen director Paul Haggis Oscar winning movie Crash [2004] [2005] ( a worthy but heavy handed drama on race relations for those that haven't seen it) would be forgiven for expecting more of the same from In The Valley Of Elah. However writer & director Haggis has delivered a far more subtle examination of war & it's effects on those who have to fight them. In this he is helped considerably by terrific performances from a stellar cast.
Retired army officer Hank Deerfield ( Tommy Lee Jones) receives a phone call to tell him that his son recently returned from a tour of dutyin Iraq has gone AWOL from his army base. Leaving his wife Joan (Susan Sarandon) behind this stoical man sets offin his pick up to see if he can shed any light on his sons disappearance. Has the lad just gone off with a woman for the weekend ? , has he actually done a bunk or is there something more sinister behind it?
When a dismembered & badly burnt corpse is discovered near the base a laborious & meticulous investigation begins with Hank eliciting the help of local law enforcement officer Det Emily Saunders ( Charlize Theron ) a single mother also struggling with the endemic sexism of her workplace & the jurisdictional politics of the case.
Here we have a film with an agenda but this gradually unfurls as Hank clinically discovers his sons fate. We see this through his eyes as he views mobile phone footage from Iraq & discovers that the system & life he has admired & followed all his adult life ( its pertinent that we see him still carry out his army rituals - creasing trousers, tuckingin his bedding etc) is implicitin his sons fate. Thatin fighting a stupid war thousands of miles away America is f***king up a generation of young men .(several of the young men playing soldiersin the film had actually servedin Iraq)
Many will find In The Valley Of Elah far too ponderous . The film like it's main character takes its timein getting where it is going . Neither is Hank the most engaging character but Tommy Lee Jones gives a superbly nuanced & reinedin performance ,his craggy visage rarely betraying too much .Lee does his acting with his eyes & it is especially effectivein the scenes where Hank discovers shocking truths or has to confront the consequences of his sons fate head on
Okay the symbolism is a little too heavy handed at times -and the David & Goliath metaphor left me a little puzzled -something about facing up to monsters? But the final conclusion that a nation cannot expect to send young men off to war to do & see horrible things & then accept them back into normal society with no recriminations is difficult to argue with , especially as this film is based on a true incident.
The effects of war - By: O. Doyle, 05 Sep 2008 Hank Deerfield (played by Tommy Lee Jones) is a retired veteran & military police officer searching for his son who has gone AWOL. Detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron) becomes interestedin the case & starts helping Hank outside of her job. When Hank's son's body is found, the search suddenly turns into a search for the murderer.
Tommy Lee Jones gives one of his best performances as a relentless, humourless driven father, who has not been the best father, but doesn't rest until he finds the closure he desperately needs on the matter of the murder of his son.
Susan Sarandon was totally underusedin the part of Hanks wife, but the little we are shown of her is riveting.
Charlize Theron plays down her beauty & gives what we've come to expect from her - a great performance.
But "In the Valley of Elah" isn't an action packed, fast paced search for a killer. Instead it's a deep & meaningful look at the effect that the warin Iraq is having on the soldiers it sends back home. In that regard it's not for everyone. Its not an easy film to watch, & perhaps it shouldn't be. Although it works as a mystery, the movie is much more a character drama. Paul Haggis has followed his Oscar winner "Crash" with another film similarin tone. Both are concerned with violence & humanity, but "Elah" does not use any of its characters as "Crash" seemed to.
"a real grown up movie" - By: Mr. Douglas P. Taylor, 09 Aug 2008 There are plenty of reviews regarding this fabulous film so I'll keep it short. Proof that real grown up movies are still madein the west. Tommy Lee Jones & Charlize Theron are superb. Buy it!!
