Review of In the Valley of Elah (2007) by Brooke M — 17 Apr 2009

I am so sad it took me so long to watch this film. I absolutely loved it. Paul Haggis did it again. He's so good at making films that let you feel things & experience situations that are so uncomfortable & seeing all sides of tragedy. This film is a visual representation of how I feel about the war. The physical ramifications that it leaves with the soldiers is what people here in the U.S. forget about. This story is about Post-Traumatic Stress disorder & the murder of a soldier. It left me feeling all sorts of emotions, mostly sadness, but I am so glad I watched it.

All of the performances in this film are excellent. Tommy Lee Jones was brilliant, one of his finest works.

There are so many talented people in this film. Charlize Theron provided such depth to her character & made me root for her. She is such a strong woman! Susan Sarandon was flawless, portraying grief & anger & everything else a mother would in losing a child. I was glued to the screen whenever she was on.

Although, you really only see him through rough video footage throughout the film, Jonathan Tucker is a great young actor. I hope he can make a lot more movies in the future.

I recommend this movie but the subject matter is tough, that is my warning. It's also based on true events, which making it disturbing to think about.