In the Valley of Elah (2007)

[trekgeezer]

Tommy Lee Jones plays Hank Deerfield, a retired Army Sgt. who is informed that his son who just got back from a Iraq is AWOL.   Hank goes where his son was stationed, but is unable to get much help from the Army or the local civilian authorities. Finally he convinces a female detective played by Charlize Theron to help him.

This movie is somewhat slow moving, but never boring as they unravel what's become of the missing soldier and why it has happened.  Jones does an excellent job as the the dire Hank. Theron does another good turn in her " plain-faced " mode.  Susan Sarandon has a small, but powerful role as Hank's wife.

I thought this was a powerful, well acted story about the dehumanizing effects of a war that has no clear enemy.  This story could easily be told in the context of Viet Nam.

If you are wondering about the title, the Valley of Elah is where David faced Goliath. 

[soylentgreen]

I agree fully.  The pace, I think, worked to underscore the frustration of the characters.  Agonizing at times and quite moving.  Folks have held it up in comparison to CRASH, but I think it was much better of a film.

To me, this is one of those films that serves as a step toward American film facing the same mirror that say a film like STALINGRAD does for German cinema.  Is George Carlin right, does calling 'shell shock' something soft like post-traumatic stress syndrome ultimately do a disservice to the efforts to help treat it?

[Neville]

I also found it was great. It has minor issues, like Charlize's character, which is a bit stereotypical, and that scene with the flag at the end, I though it was stressing the message a bit too much.

But these really minor things apart, I though it was one of the best movies of the year, and easily one of Tommy Lee Jones' finest roles.