After striking Oscar gold with his racially-charged drama Crash, Paul Haggis looks to cement his status as a big-name director with his sophomore film, In the Valley of Elah. While Crash examined America through the lens of a social issue – namely racism, In the Valley of Elah looks through a political issue – the war in Iraq.
Tommy Lee Jones plays Hank Deerfield, whose son is murdered shortly after he returns to the States from Iraq. Dissatisfied with the Army’s investigation, Deerfield begins his own personal quest to find his son’s killer. Charlize Theron serves in a supporting role as a police detective who attempts to help him solve the case, and Susan Sarandon plays Deerfield’s distressed wife back at home.
The film can’t seem to decide whether it’s a murder mystery or a political piece, and it’s too jumbled to really call itself either. Haggis jumps around too much – at some points sending a political message and at some points advancing the plot, but never effectively weaving them together. The result is a cluttered film, with some scenes lasting too long and some completely unnecessary.
It’s definitely not a feel-good movie. While there are some humorous parts, Haggis switches from the comedic to the unapologetically real at a moment’s notice. Luckily, he doesn’t get too preachy, instead focusing on the effect of war on the film’s characters.
Sarandon’s character is nearly useless; the Stepmom star basically shows up, cries and leaves, with a total onscreen time that must be less than ten minutes. And the mystery behind the murder is nothing new, with an easily predictable and unsatisfying twist. Still, Jones and Theron are on top of their game, especially Jones, who will definitely get some attention come Oscar time.
And there are points where In the Valley of Elah really shines; Jones reads the story of David and Goliath to Theron’s son in a particularly moving scene.
But ultimately it’s Haggis who holds the movie back – he just hasn’t grown much as a director since Crash. It’s the same song but in a different key. Haggis still hasn’t yet learned how to let viewers infer or interpret their own meaning from a film. He bluntly hits them over the head with his message until they see things his way. It’s a noble attempt and Haggis definitely has a lot to say, but in the end In the Valley of Elah falls short of being great and ends up merely above-average.
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