Every so often, a movie earns the title of "film". In the Valley of Elah is that film. Powerful and touching writing, exceptional acting, particular visuals and marvelous direction make In the Valley of Elah a film of timeless quality.

Retired Sergeant Hank Deerfield (Tommy Lee Jones) gets a phone call saying his son is absent without leave. Unable to accept that his son would abandon his duties as a soldier, he leaves his wife Joan (Susan Sarandon), and he drives to his son's base to investigate his son's disappearance. When he doesn't get the response he wants from the military police, he sets off to contact the civilians. The civilians aren't any more helpful. They tell him that he must contact the army police because they are in charge of their people, they wouldn't investigate his disappearance. A jurisdictional nightmare, the only people who seem actively investigating the case is Hank Deerfield and Detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron), follows behind in tow. The investigation is a fight with the army, a troubling examination of willful incompetence and tragic truths.

The writing in In the Valley of Elah is subtly powerful, beautiful and demands introspection. Every aspect of this movie requires a second look or further thought. Each character and event is important to the progression and resolution of the story. Even the sheets have important symbolic meaning.

The acting in In the Valley of Elah is beautiful, smooth and natural. The cast; primary, secondary, and fleeting, are captivating.

Hank Deerfield is rigid, molded, blindly patriotic and militaristic. He investigates the death of his son as if it were the death of a stranger; with cold, dispassionate precision. I felt bad for him because I think he is not able to feel the emotion that a parent in his situation would probably feel. Jones avoids making him one dimensional or robotic.