In The Valley of Elah (2007)

Once again, I'm woefully behind the times, having wanted to see Paul Haggis' Iraq-war themed mystery thriller since it first came out. This time, I can't blame it on Leicester cinemas. So having finally managed to rent this last night, was it worth the wait?

Haggis' film, like all the others centred on Iraq, did not meet with box office success. It has been argued that American audiences cannot cope with the content as the country remains to this day impossibly divided (like the rest of the world) over whether or not the war was justified. It will be very interesting to see whether Ridley Scott's forthcoming Body of Lies (fronted by the heavyweight pairing of Di Caprio and Crowe) will fare better. Certainly, In the Valley of Elah pulls no punches and will not have gone down with everyone, depending on their politics. But this is a film review, not a political commentary, so I'll limit my observations to all things cinematic (for the most part at least!).

The film centres around Hank Deerfield (Tommy Lee Jones), whose son Mike, a soldier just returned from Iraq, goes Awol. Hank heads to Mike's base to try and uncover the truth behind what's happened. But when Mike's body turns up, dismembered and burnt in the New Mexico bush, Hank's investigations with local detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron) uncover a number of painful and hidden truths.

This is, throughout, a very sad film as Hank's military precision swamps his emotional compass, leaving others in his life alone and vulnerable. The moment when Mike's body is found is very sad indeed and Lee Jones does a brilliant job here (similar, in a way, to his fantastic performance in The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada) of conveying the emotional distance a military man has from his feelings, without ever letting go of that human touch and closeness all of us possess for those closest to us.

The various twists and turns, and the intrigue that accompanies them, are suitably gripping and, although it begins to drag a little towards the end, the film generally flies by at a well judged, emotionally fraught, pace.

Still, in the main, this is a character driven film and character-driven films live and die on their characters. Lee Jones, as I say, is excellent and holds the film together well and his calm, assured, mature and measured performance is well supported by the other male characters (this is a male dominated world in more ways than one), who are essentially soldiers and/or detectives. Susan Sarandon also provides excellent balance as Hank's despairing and defeated wife, although she doesn't get a lot of screen time. The same can be said for James Franco - I really like Franco. He's got the looks, the emotion and the ability to be a real star. I wonder if he will be. He never gets the opportunity to showcase his talents here (in a deeper role) and that is a shame.

Then there is Charlize Theron. I can't remember why, or when, this was, but I was convinced Theron was just another beauty on the box, whose looks had got her where she was. How wrong could I be. Theron ate up the screen, spat it out, stomped on it, then ate it again in her unbelievable performance in Monster. She does it again here, but in a much more delicate, subtle, and feminine way. I genuinely think this will end up being one of my favorite performances of all time. She is brilliant and mesmerising and owns every scene she is in, particularly one show-stopping moment when she utterly puts down three chauvinistic male detectives she spends the entire film fighting against. Whilst, perhaps, not being quite as effective, what this film highlights, in the briefest but yet most violent of lights, about the continuing oppression of women deserves mention in the same breath as Silence of the Lambs. It certainly maintains that dignified, non-preachy, aura that drives an emotional stick right through your heart. And that, primarily, is down to Theron. In a number of ways, its one of those ordinary, everyday, performances we're always harping on about on this site and Theron operates on that, incredibly difficult to hit, tone. Brilliant. Theron is fast becoming my favorite living actress anywhere in the world, almost to the point where I would pay to see any film she's in. She's also hilarious in Arrested Development by the way. Like her character (and unlike a number of Hollywood's other leading ladies), Theron has never got by on her looks alone, but her depth, brilliance and talent. Stunning in every sense. The chemistry between her, and Lee Jones, is also spot-on.

As I'm writing this, I think I'm realising that I liked it a lot more than I thought. It's not an easy film, and I wasn't sure I would return to it, but I think I will, at the very least for Theron's performance. Credit to Paul Haggis too, for a fantastic ending, when I thought he'd gone and blown it (although, Paul, if you're reading, that song which closes the film is awful and totally out of place). Sorry I ever doubted you. It ends up as a hugely effective, and (once again) emotionally shattering, last scene. I'm now sure I'll watch this again.

One final word must again be directed towards the most unfortunate man in cinema, Roger Deakins. Well, unfortunate in the sense that he's never won an Oscar when he should have won about five, but not unfortunate in that he is one of the most talented men in the world, and a man who is very clearly in touch with his emotions and how they relate, in turn, to other human beings and to light and sound. The cinematography is again magical and perfectly tuned in to the film's bloodline. Deakins manages this every time. It's no accident that I end up liking all of the films he photographs, true testament to the beauty and importance of the image and what it means.

Regardless of the political message (though I have to say that I can't understand why anyone would find it hard to accept, this is an accurate, and very sad, depiction of a very distant but very much genuine, reality), this is an excellent film, well worth watching. There is so much going on here, there will be something for everyone to enjoy, especially those, like me, who just love watching a great performance jump out of the television to such an extent that you believe she could be living next door to you.

A-