Tommy Lee Jones could stare holes through a lead wall. When the actor is in peak form, there's no such thing as eye contact with Jones, only eye assaults.
Of the stinging observations in his war-themed film, "In the Valley of Elah" — including the chaos of battle, the inadequacies of the military's health-care system and the regrets of a pushy, distant father who has lost a son — the most clear point is that one should never, ever stand between a grief-stricken Jones character (retired Army military policeman Hank Deerfield) and the information he desires.
Detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron) learns about Deerfield's resolve the hard way. Part of a lazy, small-town investigative operation near an Army base with a boss who prefers passing the buck to his demanding military neighbors, Sanders is ready to soft-pedal a case in which Deerfield's Army son is murdered after returning from a tour of duty in Iraq.
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Steely and pragmatic despite burning with frustration, Deerfield will not be blocked. He searches the scene where his son's body was found torched and dismembered, finding clues that others missed. Sanders and others try to deter Deerfield, but he won't back down, becoming Sanders' shadow as she explores the case with new vigor.
The Army attempts to brush the case aside as a drug-related killing by a Mexican gang, but Deerfield is certain there's more to the story. He devotes every waking hour to his obsession, sleeping alone in a claustrophobic motel room that he keeps as tidy as his old barracks bunk. Deerfield attains his son's nearly destroyed cell phone and has a tech guy rescue some telling videos from Iraq that show Deerfield just enough to make him think there's more to the story but leave out enough key information to haunt his dreams. Deerfield is plagued with his son's cry of "Dad . . . Dad. . . ."
As Deerfield turns up evidence, he calls home to his understandably flustered wife, Joan (Susan Sarandon), who wants to join him. Hank wants to go it alone, but Joan is nearly as stubborn as her husband.
The lean film — the title comes from the David and Goliath tale — moves with economy and realism, hinting at buried messages of skewed patriotism and the lingering hell of war. Some late twists seem too bizarre to be true, but the story is based on a 2004 Playboy magazine story on the murder of Army Spc. Richard Davis and his father Lanny's investigation.
Writer/director Paul Haggis won Oscars for his "Million Dollar Baby" and "Crash" screenplays and was nominated again for his "Letters From Iwo Jima" screenplay. He's on such a hot streak, you want him picking your lottery numbers.
"In the Valley of Elah" is so majestic in its themes and searing in execution, it's hard to imagine Haggis won't figure prominently in the Oscar race once again.
Review
In the Valley of Elah
***1/2
• Rated: R for violent and disturbing content, language and some sexuality/nudity.
• Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Jason Patric, Susan Sarandon.
• Writer/director: Paul Haggis.
• Family call: Not for youngsters.
• Running time: 114 minutes.
