Simon Dillon reviews the film

Writer/director Paul Haggis' latest, In the Valley of Elah, is a slow but gripping fact based thriller about a father, Hank Deerford (Tommy Lee Jones), investigating his son's murder following his return from the war in Iraq. Soon it becomes apparent the military are hindering the police investigation and have something to cover up. Hank collaborates with Detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron), and as they investigate they discover disturbing facts about military operating procedure in Iraq, including the torture of Iraqi prisoners.

Tommy Lee Jones gives an excellent, Oscar nominated performance as a man who is proud to have himself served his country in the past (in Vietnam), and encouraged his son to do the same. The tiny details of his daily routine - shining shoes and leaving them neatly by his bed, pressing his trousers, and so on - show habits that have been drummed into him by the military that cannot be changed. This is important, since later in the film it becomes clear that other, deadlier aspects of military training also create habits that are impossible to undo, which are a serious impediment to soldiers as they return to civilian life. Hank's journey from stoic patriotism to disillusionment, not just with military corruption but also with United States foreign policy in general, is compelling and believable, if depressing.

Elsewhere Charlize Theron does a reasonable job downplaying her usual glamour in the role of Detective Sanders. She suffers tediously predictable (but admittedly believable) sexism from her male colleagues, as she strives to get them to take the case seriously. Jason Patric, James Franco and Josh Brolin all provide good support in minor roles, and Susan Sarandon is excellent if underused as Hank's wife Joan.

The valley of Elah refers to where David fought Goliath, and at one point in the film, Hank tells this story to Sanders' son as a bedtime story. I wasn't entirely sure what parallels Haggis was attempting to draw from this Biblical tale. Was the Goliath of the film the military corruption Hank encounters as he attempts to get to the truth? Or was it the US military in general, with the David of the story symbolising Iraqi insurgents? Alternatively, the David and Goliath story could simply be there to indicate that whereas wars in the Middle East were once a clear case of good and evil, this is no longer true. Hank uncovers all manner of unpleasant truths about his son in the course of his investigation, and the morality of US military policy is called into serious question.

Politically, this becomes pretty heavy handed, especially in its somewhat crass symbolism involving an inverted US flag. Additionally, it's worth pointing out to those who care about these things that the film does contain some swearing, nudity, and gruesome images. Most of this is contextually justified, though at the risk of sounding prudish, perhaps it wasn't necessary to see quite as many topless women in the various strip bars frequented by Hank in the course of his investigation.

In short, this is a good, slow burning political thriller, with lots of serious things to say about the war in Iraq and American foreign policy. But it's a bit too heavy and earnest to get my full endorsement.