In the Valley of Elah - Movie Review

Paul Haggis is one of my favorite directors. He has made another awesome movie after the hard hitting and controversial crash. This is an anti-war movie and not an anti-soldier movie. Tommy Lee Jones has delivered one of his best performances in this movie. Charlize Theron has provided all the support that any director would ever want. She looks stunning too. Susan Sarondon as the grieving mother does not have a lot to do but does what is expected of her.

The movie is about an ex-army officer Hank Deerfield who strongly believes that the US Army is all about making the world a better place for everybody. He sends his youngest son Mike to the war in Iraq even after he loses his eldest son in battle. He soon gets a message that his son went missing after coming back to the united states. He decides to do his own investigation only to find out that Mike has been brutally murdered. The rest of the movie is all about how Hank tracks down the killers. Hank takes extreme measures to get to the killers but then realizes that Mike was the not the same teenager who left to Iraq.

There has been lot of criticism on the movie that it berates soldiers who fight for the honor of their country. I am sure Paul was criticizing the mindless war and its effect on young Americans. It is very difficult to be involved in a war and then get back and live in a normal civilized world. Constant violence and death can affect the psyche of even the seasoned veteran and Paul has beautifully depicted the harmful effect war has during and after its existence.

This movie raises an uncomfortable but honest question on what can prepare a man to kill another human being. There is one heart wrenching scene where Mike is forced to kill a young Iraqi boy when he could have avoided it . This changes Mike from the fun loving teenager into a deranged soldier who resorts to drugs and women to maintain some sanity in his life. Mike actually calls up his dad asking him for help but Hank refuses and asks him to continue without understanding the magnitude of the situation which transforms his son into a violent and cold blooded human being. Theron’s son raises the all important question which is central to the movie. Why was David was asked to fight Goliath when he was such a young man ? Hank ponders over this question in the end and the viewers are also made to think at this point. Goliath is war and David is the soldiers who are forced into the war by the political powers.

There is one aspect of killing in self defense but when the reason is your job it becomes very difficult to deal with. Religion claims that one should not harm another human being if not any living thing but then patriotism expects a soldier to kill in the name of the country and the flag.

There are so many problems on earth and war compounds the issues by a seriously big magnitude. I am sure there are many reasons to go to war but history has proven that violence in any form has never worked . The war on Iraq has deprived millions of Iraqis of their homes and loved ones . Nothing can compensate for the death of a loved one and when the reason is a stupid war it just compounds the problem.

The human mind is complex and the image of a loved one dying can have a very harmful effect and make one take extreme steps like indulging in terrorism. The people who engage in war should realize that violence always goes one full cycle and never ends.

It takes immense courage to put ones life at risk and not many people including me have the stomach for that. This movie does not question the patriotism or courage of the soldiers but rather tries to focus on the whole idea of war and how dangerous and harmful it is to the human civilization. In my opinion it takes back right to the stone age where there were no rules and violence was the solution to any conflict.

This is a powerful , compelling and sad movie which is a must watch for anyone who hates mindless violence.