Movie Review: In the Valley of Elah

Another week, another Hollywood movie about the effect of a Middle Eastern conflict on America. In recent months we've had Lions For Lambs, The Kingdom and Rendition, and now it's time for Crash's writer/director Paul Haggis to bring his own brand of heavy-handed worthiness to cinema screens.

In the Valley of Elah is actually set on American soil, with Tommy Lee Jones as a father investigating the disappearance of his soldier son following his return from Iraq.

Naturally, Tommy's kid hasn't just taken a few days off to unwind after shooting insurgents, and the eventual discovery of his fate leads our hero into a battle of wits between the army and police.

As with Crash, Haggis' aim here to is to mix pulpy Hollywood thrills with a higher message. In Crash he let us know that racism is bad, and apparently now war is bad too. But to be fair, In the Valley of Elah avoids many of the faults of that earlier Oscar winner. Haggis drops the messy coincidence-laden ensemble format and concentrates on just a handful of characters. And although the film is often very unsubtle with its message, as a straight murder mystery it works pretty well.

It's Tommy Lee Jones' powerful performance that elevates much of this material. As with last week's No Country for Old Men, Jones takes a seemingly clichéd role and gives it true depth – without his subtle, dignified presence this would have been a far more ponderous affair. There's able support from Susan Sarandon and Charlize Theron, and No Country cinematographer Roger Deakins again provides some beautiful widescreen visuals.

In the Valley of Elah is far from perfect, but deserves credit for raising some intelligent, provocative questions about the effect of war upon the innocent young men chosen to fight them.