September 30, 2007 -- This film about the effects of war on young men can be seen as a cautionary tale about the untold toll of war on a civilian population. It is a very sad story that is played out daily in America as battle-hardened troops return home from Iraq and Afghanistan. It plays out in a steep rise in the nation's murder rate since the beginning of the war. It plays out in the overburdened VA hospitals and overwhelmed psychological care system for veterans. This film is a perfect compliment to a recent documentary about Iraq War veterans readjusting to civilian life, “The Ground Truth: After the Killing Ends.” In fact the inspiration for the story of “In the Valley of Elah” was based on actual events told in the magazine article “Death and Dishonor” written by Mark Boal.

Tommy Lee Jones (“The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada”) stars as Hank Deerfield, a former military policeman who drives to his son's military base to find out what became of him after he is reported absent without leave. Deerfield's son, Mike (Jonathan Tucker) had just returned from Iraq and was out on the town with his friends when he disappeared. Deerfield, knowing he would get no help from the military, goes to the civilian police in a town next to the base, where he meets Det. Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron of “North Country”). When Mike Deerfield's body turns up, dismembered and burned, Hank turns his efforts towards solving the murder. The crime scene is on military property, so there is a dispute over jurisdictions. Deefield solemly carries on his own investigation. Sanders learns to rely on his judgement as he starts turning up clues everyone else has missed.

The investigation is complicated, but Deerfield's dogged determination inspires Sanders to think harder about the case and try harder to solve it. The military police would just as soon sweep the whole affair under the rug, but Deerfield and Sanders persist, following the clues wherever they lead. The civilian police, aside from Deerfield, are not much help either. The police chief Buchwald (Josh Brolin of “Grindhouse”) doesn't want the case. Because it is so difficult, he is afraid another unsolved murder would look bad on his record. The clues lead to twists and turns. The outcome is sad and unsatisfying for everyone. Along the way, Deerfield finds out that the war changed his son for the worse, making him callous, moody and indifferent. He abandoned his old beliefs and values in order to survive in the hostile environment of Iraq, as did everyone else in his unit.

The difficult relationship between Deerfield and his wife, Joan (Susan Sarandon of “Shall We Dance?”) comes to a head during a phone call in which Joan learns of Mike's death. She bitterly accuses her husband of influencing their two sons into joining the military. Both sons died in the military. The phone conversation is devastating to both husband and wife. Saddest of all, Deerfield learns that the modern military is not the one he remembers with pride. It has all changed since the days he served, and not for the better. The investigation into his son's death challenges his preconceptions. At one point, he thinks he has caught the bad guy, supposedly a member of a Mexican gang. It turns out he was wrong, another myth shattered. This ties in with another recent film that Tommy Lee Jones starred in, “The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada.” In both films, the practice of scapegoating Latinos for all the nation's ills is debunked.

This film has a lot to say about war and its effect on soldiers and about our society as a whole. Much of the power of this story arises from the great performances by Tommy Lee Jones, Charlise Theron and Susan Sarandon. These three fine performers really light up the screen. The screenplay, by writer-director Paul Haggis (“Crash”) is meticulously crafted. This is a story that most people don't want to see, but it needed to be done. My only complaint was that it was too slow-moving, which made it seem overly long. This film rates a B.

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Copyright © 2007 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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