In the Valley of Elah is a film that could have easily been bad. It could have been hysterical where it decides to go quiet. It could have been heroic where it decides to go grim. It could have been a rant instead of a still study. And the decisions were chosen wisely.
Some right-wingers derided it as an anti-Iraq war film. And if had made other choices, it could have been (not that there is anything wrong with that). But this movie is not just about Iraq, it is about war, and the effects of war long after the fighting is done.
Tommy Lee Jones is right for this role, his craggy features registering determination and an aching world-weary sadness. He hurts, deep inside, but also has a pride as he searches for the truth of what happened to his son who had just returned from Iraq. The pain seeps from his pores.
It is a sad tale. And there is little to brighten it, except for the pride. The pride of the father in finding the truth. The pride of the detective, masterfully underplayed by Charlize Theron, in overcoming the beligerence within her own department.
Somehow these subdued performances (with Theron not being sexy at all, but just normal) capture the script perfectly. It is a very well made film. Anti-Iraq? No. Anti war? Yes, I think it does speak out against the traumas that we put people through in this abomination called war.
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