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STUDIO: Warner Home Video
MSRP: $27.98
RATED: R
RUNNING TIME: 121 minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES:
• In the Valley of Elah: After Iraq
• In the Valley of Elah: Coming Home
• Additional Scene

The Pitch

"Tommy Lee Jones takes on Uncle Sam."

The Humans

Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Jason Patric, Susan Sarandon, James Franco

The Nutshell

Hank Deerfield (Tommy Lee Jones), a retired military officer, gets a call that his son Mike (Jonathan Tucker), who is back on base in Texas after 18 months of serving in Iraq, has not reported in and is now considered AWOL. Hank begins to do his own investigation into the whereabouts of his son.

The Lowdown

When Hank first hears of Mike's disappearance his first thought is his son has shacked up with a woman. The last thing in Hank's mind is his son could be having problems or could be involved in something that strays from the military's code of conduct. In Hank's world the thought of Mike being anything less than a top gun could never happen. Hank made a career in the military (now retired) and in his world men dealt with whatever orders were given to them with honor and dignity. This code also applied to when he was not wearing a uniform and this was something Hank had always taught his son. What Hank uncovers while searching for answers opens his eyes to another side of the military that goes against everything he believes in. Watching Hank go from just being concerned to a determined father who only wants answers that no one in the military or law enforcement care to give is at the core of this movie and is what makes for a compelling one. The only one who seems to give a damn is Hank and the further he investigates the more it becomes apparent that he will never get closure on what has happened to Mike.

The strength of In The Valley of Elah is Hank's story and I realize that in order to understand Mike's situation there has to be time spent in explaining what led up to his disappearance, and yet in telling this part of the story I was taken out of the film and it is when it felt as though I was watching a television movie of the week feature, not a major motion picture. Another reason to watch this film is to just study how Hank conducts his investigation and how he handles going to places his son frequented - in these visits Hank learns more about a son he thought he knew (like most fathers). There is a scene where Hank is alone in a bar all alone and just sitting there thinking. This particular scene was the most touching because it is when Hank showed, by just sitting there looking at his glass of beer, the toll this ordeal had taken on him.

The one and only reason to watch In The Valley of Elah is Tommy Lee Jones. He is the strength of an otherwise decent film and every accolade he received for this performance was well deserved. It is good to see him back to working on films where his performance is beyond "I'm just here to get a paycheck" he had been doing (Men in Black II, Man of the House) the last few years. Jones is a strong actor and it was refreshing to see that part of his talent finally showcased. Susan Sarandon (Joan Deerfield) turns in a good performance but it is not the kind, or anyone else (including Charlize Theron and Jason Patric) for that matter except for Jones  who you'll remember after the movie ends.

I was told by some friends that they did not like this movie because it was too heavy handed in sending a message about the Iraq war. I had this thought going into the film and after watching it all I have to say is my friends are full of shit because the only message I got out of this film was when a person wants the truth, they have to fight like hell to get it. The thing about a movie like this, that is based on a true story, is Mike did not have to be in the military and director Paul Haggis could have set Mike's career in something else (law enforcement, legal profession) and it would have still worked. 

The Package

The extras offer a nice addition to the feature but don't let the titles of these extras fool you into believing there is going to be some insightful documentaries about the Iraq war - they are not. Both extras are the making of type that you would see on HBO extras. Neither one adds anything to the movie.

7.0 out of 10