UK Edition
Feeds
Screenwriter: Paul Haggis
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Susan Sarandon
Running time: 121 mins
Certificate: 15
War. What is it good for? Providing the backbone for heaps of movies 'inspired by actual events' of course. In The Valley Of Elah takes a very personal look at the emotional repercussions of young men returning from a tour of duty in Iraq, but despite noble intentions and fine performances it feels rather muddled and lacking in cohesion. Certainly, more was expected from filmmaker Paul Haggis in the aftermath of his Oscar-clinching Crash.
The languidly paced story follows the quest of former army man Hank Deerfield's (Tommy Lee Jones) attempts to track down his AWOL son after he returns from Iraq to a military base in Elah. Turning to local policewoman Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron) for help after his efforts are hindered by the military, Hank soon learns that a mutilated, charred body has been found. A debate rages between the police and military regarding whose jurisdiction the case falls under, but, with the help of videos from his son's mobile phone, Hank embarks on his own quest to learn more about the circumstances leading to his son's brutal demise.
In The Valley Of Elah flits between murder mystery, character study and a meditation on war - without ever fully satisfying any of them. It comes closest to achieving a poignant resonance through Tommy Lee Jones' portrayal of the aggrieved father, struggling to deal with the less-than-flattering information he uncovers about his son. It's an acting masterclass in powerful understatement and honesty, managing to exude both impotence and repressed anger as Hank.
Bathed in dignity, his journey is a lonely one that places him in the alien environment of the younger, technological generation. At one point, he asks an old military colleague whether any of his old colleagues are still around. They're not. It's not only his son that's lost.
At regular intervals, Hank is emailed clips from his son's mobile phone that have been 'uncorrupted' by a techno-geek. We assume that the clips will gradually unmask cryptic clues about the circumstances of his son's tragic ending, but this is not the case. Admittedly, such a narrative device would have bowed down to the generic conventions of the 'whodunnit' film, yet it feels like this avenue was sadly underused.
In a similar vein to Hank's 'fish out of water' predicament, Theron's caring copper Emily finds herself in a working environment populated by misogynistic males keen to cut down her efforts. Theron again opts to skip the make-up in order to give more integrity to an unstarry part, although the role is poorly written at times. There's an overriding sense that Emily functions as a mere cipher at times, with speeches about "doing the right thing" descending into movie cliché territory.
Nonetheless, there are times when the characters, themes and narrative do converge together and pack a powerful punch. The interaction between Hank and his distraught wife Joan (Susan Sarandon) feel suitably naturalistic and real, while the scenes where Hank turns into a sleuth, probing the murder scene, are gripping.
A great film is undoubtedly bubbling under the surface. If only In The Valley Of Elah had certain dramatic elements spruced up then it may well have proved to be compulsive viewing over its two hour length. Although the story fizzles out, the one consistently brilliant component of the film is Tommy Lee Jones' performance.
