In The Valley of Elah
Rated: R
Runtime: 2 hours, 5 minutes
Directed by: Paul Haggis
Starring:
Tommy Lee Jones - Hank Deerfield
Charlize Theron - Det. Emily Sanders
Susan Sarandon - Joan Deerfield
Josh Brolin - Chief Buchwald
James Franco - Sgt. Dan Carnelli
Jason Patric - Lt. Kirklander
Sean Huze - Capt. Jim Osher
Mechad Brooks - Specialist Ennis Long
Wes Chatham - Sgt. Penning
Jake McLaughlin - Gordon Bonner
We’ve all seen those magnetic bumper stickers of yellow ribbons with the message, “Support Our Troops!” It’s an empty slogan since supporting our troops would be making sure they have access to the best care and the best lives possible. In The Valley of Elah is a “Support Our Troops” bumper sticker in the form of a two hour movie.
Hank Deerfield’s (Tommy Lee Jones) son has gone AWOL after returning from Iraq. When Hank discovers that his son has been murdered and his remains brutally mutilated, he goes on a search for the truth in his son’s life and what may have led to his murder. With the help of a smart-but-underappreciated detective (Charlize Theron) the two begin to discover the grisly truth behind the younger Deerfield’s murder.
Unfortunately, writer/director Paul Haggis (Crash) is so concerned with making A STATEMENT that he’s ended up making a two-hour procedural for a murder-mystery that Law & Order would bang out in thirty minutes. In an interview, Haggis said he wanted to transform the film in its last act from a murder-mystery to a moral mystery but he doesn’t break the case wide open enough for us to forget the whodunnit and instead focus on the whydidthey. Haggis is trying to make a statement on how war changes the lives of young men, but he doesn’t seem to fully grasp Iraq or show how it’s different from past wars. I think this movie could have taken place during Vietnam but Haggis says (not in the movie, but to me) that Iraq is an “urban” war and there’s the question of civilians, but that problem still existed in Vietnam. Perhaps not as much, but guerilla warfare certainly changed the rules and Haggis’ refusal to acknowledge other wars and our place in them hollows his message and his film. Even the simple argument of better diagnosis of PTSD doesn’t work because the soldiers in this film have only been back for four days and haven’t even had a chance to speak with a psychologist.
The performances are the best part of this film and it’s usually because Jones and Theron can convey so much without Haggis’ dialogue and overwrought scenarios. They carry this film as much as possible, but not even they’re strong enough to carry In The Valley of Elah out of its tedious and confused commentary.
Words by
Matt Goldberg
8.28.07