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Being that In the Valley of Elah is Paul Haggis' follow-up to the surprise Oscar winner Crash, his directorial debut, it had quite a lot to live up to. Elah is in many ways a more accomplished piece of work than Haggis' 2005 ensemble drama, despite its general absence in most award categories. By dropping Crash's multiple-storyline approach and centring on a single one, led by Tommy Lee Jones' typically restrained but powerful performance (Jones has been nominated at the Oscars for this role instead of No Country for Old Men, which is a reasonable choice), Haggis is able to eliminate many of the contrivances and coincidences that marred his debut effort.
The plot in question focuses on a father's (Jones) attempts to find his son, who has gone AWOL after returning from a tour of duty in Iraq. The narrative is engrossing and interesting for the most part, giving the film an appealing, mysterious "whodunit" structure. Unfortunately the final destination of the story fails to provide any particularly revelatory conclusions, which makes its slow pace and lengthy running time ultimately feel less deserved. It is only in the final sections where Haggis' real objective comes to the fore, and he must be commended for its subtlety: this is an anti-war picture, but it puts across its message in a thoughtful, and certainly persuasive, manner.
Charlize Theron, who tends to gravitate towards less glamorous roles, takes the part of a police detective initially reluctant to take on Jones' case, dismissing it as a military matter, but (of course) she slowly discovers that everything is not as clear-cut as it seems. Theron's contribution is good as usual, but the fact we've seen similar performances from her before blunts its impact - and no amount of unflattering make-up or lighting can completely disguise her beauty, as much as she seems to reject it. As she and Jones work towards the truth, the intricate details of the script, despite some rather irrelevant detours, keep interest piqued, but in the latter half the narrative gradually starts to lose direction, leading to and ending that, although emotional and not entirely expected, is somewhat anticlimactic.
The summary
Quite engrossing while it lasts (and certainly well acted), but in the end In the Valley of Elah feels unsatisfying.
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