In the Valley of Elah
2007
****
Director: Paul Haggis
Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Susan Sarandon, Jason Patric, Frances Fisher, James Franco, Brent Briscoe
Paul Haggis follows up Crash with another somber but strongly scripted and acted drama. Tommy Lee Jones gives a subtle but heartbreaking performance as a retired career officer whose son is brutally killed after returning from duty in Iraq. While he assists a local female detective to crack the case, he's forced to reassess his assumptions about his son, his country and the soldier's code of honour. This whodunnit leads to an ending that feels somewhat anticlimactic, even if it makes perfect thematic sense.
