In the Valley of Elah.

Started by Little Nan, March 01, 2014, 10:49:49 AM

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Little Nan

I just watched this movie recently.  All I can say is WOW.  This is about Iraq War, although the plot is mostly what happens to young men who have just returned from Iraq.  Tommy Lee Jones gives a powerful performance as Hank Deerfield, a retired Vietnam veteran, who has seen his share of combat.  At home in Tennessee, he receives a call informing his that his son has gone AWOL.  No one seems to know what happened to Mike, his son.  So he travels to New Mexico to find some answers.  Upon arriving, he gets no help from Military and the local police are equally uninterested.  Then he meets Detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron), whom he cajoles into helping him.  Shortly afterwards, a dismembered and charred body is found on land which probably is part of Military Base.  It is identified as his son, Mike.  At first, Mexican drug smugglers are suspected, as a drug pipe is found under Mike's mattress.  This does not pan out.  Hank receives videos taken in Iraq via cell phone camera.  These show his son torturing some Iraqi prisoners and other violent altercations.  He is told that Mike hit and ran over a child while driving on desert in Iraq.  This greatly disturbed him and he tried to call his father, who did not attempt or was not able to console him.  It is apparent to Hank that the war was devastating to these young men, more so emotionally. 

He ends up witnessing the interviews of fellow soldiers who were with Mike in Iraq.  They claim to have gone to a bar, where they were kicked out and then to a chicken place for food.  The story does not make sense and there are discrepancies between them.  Finally the truth comes out that one of them got into an argument with Mike, which became violent.  The former soldier claims that he took out a knife and started stabbing Mike repeatedly.  Then someone has an idea that they should dismember his body and finally they set him on fire.  After all of this, one of the soldiers claims they were hungry and went to eat.  Upon hearing this horrible account of how his son died, Hank just sits and stares blankly.  This reaction seems to be more powerful than if he had broken down crying.  This is the standard Tommy Lee Jones response, very little emotion, but nonetheless powerful. 

In the end, Hank takes off to leave for home, but still very shaken by what he has gone through.  Upon arriving home, he goes through Mike's belongings and finds a flag, which he takes to a school.  He proceeds to hang this upside down, a sign of extreme distress that the country is in danger.  He tells the janitor to leave it like that and let it hang all night too.   

This movie is very disturbing -- even more so than Platoon.  I was very upset watching Platoon about Vietnam War.  In the Valley of Elah is not really a war movie in that there are no scenes of fighting.  Still it reflects what war does to our young men.  These men are psychologically damaged to the point that any kind of stress will lead them to violence and killing.  The Military does not even address this, much less find treatment for these men.   

I highly recommend this to all adults.  Some of the subjects discussed may be disturbing, so parents should use discretion with their children.  Actually I would advise that children do not see this. 
There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."  Albert Einstein

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Quote from: Little Nan on March 01, 2014, 10:49:49 AM
These men are psychologically damaged to the point that any kind of stress will lead them to violence and killing.
That's the exception, not the rule.
It would appear that the director accomplished his goal...
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