In the Valley of Elah ***Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Jason Patric, Susan Sarandon, James Franco, Barry Corbin, Josh Brolin
Director: Paul Haggis
Running Length: 2:04
MPAA Classification: R

After returning from Iraq, soldier Mike Deerfield goes AWOL. His dad Hank (Jones), a retired officer, is given a courtesy call. Mike will be reported missing if he doesn’t return in a few days. Hank decides to head to the base and do some looking for his son. Once there, he quickly hooks up with Emily Sanders (Theron), a civilian cop. When Mike’s charred corpse is discovered, Hank must figure out who is behind the grizzly murder and what caused it to happen.

Tommy Lee Jones gives a strong performance in a movie that is above average, but not great. It cover no new ground, showing the audience that war changes people, and not for the good. Charlize Theron and Susan Sarandon both give credible performances but are underused. This is Jones’s movie to carry, and while the story takes some interesting twists, the ending will have many viewers rolling their eyes as they are beat to death with symbolism. Still, “In the Valley of Elah” is better than most movies out there and worth checking out.