In the Valley of Elah

“In the Valley of Elah,” referencing the Biblical place where David fought Goliath, is more of a character study than a murder mystery. When Hank Deerfield (Tommy Lee Jones), former military police, receives word that his son, just back from Iraq, has gone AWOL, he decides to conduct his own investigation. When a charred dismembered body turns out to be his son, Hank pushes both the military and a local police detective (Charlize Theron) for answers. His anguish is clear as is his fear that something is terribly wrong with the military institution that means so much to him. With Hank, Tommy Lee Jones has created a multi-dimensional character, one who is both gruff and kind hearted; implusive and willing to apologize when he’s wrong; rigid in his beliefs about the benefits of being in the military yet grieving over the mistakes he made that might have cost his son his life. Susan Sarandon role as Hank’s wife is small, but she makes the most of her limited screen time. And Charlize Theron is effective as a woman struggling to prove that she's just as good a detective as any man. Although there’s nothing new in director Paul Haggis’ very obvious message: war takes a high toll, not just in deaths, but in the ruined souls that return, see this movie for Jones’ performance. (9/22/07)