The Valley Of Elah Review
by Steve Rhodes (steve DOT rhodes AT internetreviews DOT com)September 13th, 2007
IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2007 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ***
IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH, written and directed by Paul Haggis, is completely different in one significant way from his previous film, the Oscar-winning CRASH. His latest movie is paced methodically with never a rushed moment. Don't get me wrong; it is absolutely fascinating, but it does not share CRASH's frantic pacing and structure. In fact, a point made repeatedly in IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH is that the military moves slowly and with its own rhythm, regardless of what outsiders might want and expect. The movie itself follows the same pace.
The setup for the story, which is said to have been "inspired by true events," is that a soldier named Mike, who has just arrived stateside from Iraq, has mysteriously gone missing. Hank Deerfield (Tommy Lee Jones), Mike's dad, goes looking for his boy. A career soldier who worked as a military police investigator, Hank hauls gravel for a living now.
Hank's granite face has a thousand lines, and each one of them cries out with its own set of worries about what has happened to his only living son. His other son died in a helicopter accident while on duty in the service, so Hank is beginning to fear that Mike may have perished as well.
In short order, Hank's worst fears are confirmed. Mike's body turns up, chopped up into pieces and burnt to a crisp. Detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron) has the case initially, but, when it is determined that Mike's body was just over the line where the military base begins, the military takes control of the case.
In a story in which nothing ever seems to quite add up, the more Hank and Detective Sanders learn about exactly what happened, the more unanswered questions they discover. Since the military throws up every roadblock they can in making progress on the investigation, it seems that something is being covered-up, but what and why?
The very serious story, which is not afraid to be funny as it moves along, is as sad as it is fascinating. We are given so few hints about the story's mysteries that it keeps us guessing and curious.
The cinematography, with its color palette of dull grays and drab greens, paints a suitably morose mood. And the sets perfectly capture a sense of place, with its feeling of a small, dusty military town in the south.
Jones is terrific, as is a barely recognizable Theron, who has her hair pulled back so severely that it looks like it would hurt. As Mike's mother, Susan Sarandon, who sometimes overplays her parts, gives a poignant portrayal of a mother in anguish.
My only complaint about the film is an awkwardly tacked on subplot that implies our soldiers in Iraq are sadists and psychopaths, who capriciously hurt their captives and are trained to run over children in the streets if they get in the way. It's best to just ignore this section of the movie.
IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH runs 2:01. It is rated R for "violent and disturbing content, language and some sexuality/nudity" and would be acceptable for teenagers.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, September 14, 2007. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the Century theaters and the Camera Cinemas.
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Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com
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