Earlier in the week we were fortunate to check out an advance screening of what’s sure to be one of the big Oscar contenders of the fall, In the Valley of Elah. Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Jason Patric and Susan Sarandon, it was written and directed by Paul Haggis, whose Crash won Best Picture two years ago.
Based on a Playboy article from our June 2004 issue, “Death and Dishonor,” written by Mark Boal, the pix tells the story of a Vietnam vet (Jones) investigating the disappearance of his son, an infantryman recently returned from combat in Iraq. Battling against initial indifference from the local authorities (Theron is police detective) and military investigators (Patric), Jones must first piece together what may have happened to his son, and when the case breaks and his son is found murdered, must then work to figure out why.
Jones gives one of his best performances, beautifully underplaying his role, and Haggis’s script and direction are lean, tough, and unsentimental. You can check out the trailer at the link below, and look out for the pix in September.
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