TIFF Reviews
In the Valley of Elah
Paul Haggis
(124’, USA)
***
With In the Valley of Elah, Paul Haggis almost transcends the pompous, slushy dreck that was Crash. Almost. Its first half is a restrained, intelligent examination of trauma, surely one of the most pertinent, fertile themes for post-9/11 realist-populist cinema. Tommy Lee Jones plays Hank Deerfield, an ex-officer looking for his AWOL son, newly returned from Iraq; Charlize Theron is Emily Sanders, a detective who aids him in his search, despite repeated sexist hounding from her co-workers. Haggis’ picture of America is ugly, elemental (it’s arguably Hawthornian) and free—at least at first—from proselytizing. This is, quite aptly, a place where damaged souls propagate more damaged souls by pretending that nothing is wrong. Alas, Haggis’ hand drops like a lead balloon at Elah’s conclusion, and the film becomes festooned with his deplorable trademarks: symbolic terrorism, insultingly redundant scenes proving the characters’ lives have indeed altered, and really bad music. (DB)
Comments are not enabled for this article.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Contests
Links and Offers
- Safestchina.com is No.1 B2B Marketplace in buyers' safety providing wholesale Marketplace for importers and exporters around the globe.
- Learn how to save money with thousands of money-saving tips on insurance, your mortgage, electric bills, credit cards, cell phones, and more at billeater.com.
- Play online bingo in the best new bingo sites in the UK for your bingo pleasure.
- Fashion4us is an online Asian fashion (Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese) wholesaler. Consumers will be satisfied with the original quality and huge discount on wholesale clothing collections.
Related
More TIFF Reviews Articles
- You, the Living
- Across the Universe
- 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
- Eat, For This Is My Body
- Heavy Metal in Baghdad
- Help Me Eros
- Into the Wild
- Le Voyage du ballon rouge
- Lust, Caution
- Margot at the Wedding
See all TIFF Reviews articles »