In the Valley of Elah

Let me just get this out of the way; Tommy Lee Jones is the shit. I know that he has a great year of flicks lined up, what with this and NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, but damn, this guy has given some superb performances.

JFK: Jones steals the film as the cunning Clay Shaw
Under Siege: One of the great villains - took the film to another level
The Missing: Saved the film from being awful
The Fugitive: His definitive, amazing, Historical performance as a dogged hunter who begins to identify with his prey.

Here, though, in ELAH, Jones gives a career definer. We have seen a number of very physical performances this year - acting that requires much more than the proper voice inflection or suggestion - no, these performances rely on body language, movement, the way that an actor carries himself.

Here, Jones internalizes everything and I don't think I've ever seen an actor's face reflect so much pain so effectively. Watching the film, you worry that he might explode, and you hope that he might allow himself some type of catharsis because there is no way that one man can hold so much emotion inside.

I should point this out now: Jones' performance is easily the best I've seen this year. I know that I raved about Viggo's and Pitt's in their respective films, but honestly, Tommy Lee Jones leaves them so far behind that there's no point in comparing them.

Picture Tommy Lee Jones giving a great performance, one that you liked (The Fugitive), now, imagine that great piece of acting multiplied by infinity, because that is the quality of acting we are seeing here. I thought those other two actors were great, but if we were to talk Oscar Race, Jones would win without losing any votes to the others.

You're rolling your eyes, right?

Its true. I would also like to heap some praise on Charlize Theron. I have loved Charlize Theron since 2 Days in the Valley. I have wanted her to be my wife since The Italian Job. She is very good in Elah. Not nearly as good as MONSTER, or as grandstanding as NORTH COUNTRY, but she is incredibly solid here as she underplays her role fantastically. Her and Jones work well off one another. I feel like Theron has the career that Ashley Judd might have had.

Lets talk about Paul Haggis now. Everyone knows that he wrote and directed CRASH - a very good movie. Not great, but very solid. He also wrote the great MILLION DOLLAR BABY. In fact, I think his major directorial influence must be Clint Eastwood of MILLION DOLLAR BABY. Here, he uses the same cinematographer as Eastwood and achieves the same stark, plain, and contained atmosphere of that film. The movie is full of shadows and dark corners, lit and unlit faces.

His script is very good. I don't know a screenwriter who so cleanly sets up his films, defines the A,B, and C plots, and ties them up as well as Haggis.

Up to a point, Haggis has a great film going. The film never overplays itself by making it an elaborate mystery, a thriller, or an anti-war flick (which it is).

Then, at the exact point when the film should end, it doesn't and Haggis makes a colossal miscalculation that goes a long way towards spoiling the entire movie.

Out of nowhere, Haggis cues some manipulative pop-song in an effort to draw tears, much like he did in CRASH, and the movie falls dead. The audience is totally drawn out of the plight and the movie destroys a lot of what it has accomplished.

I still liked the film very much, but if ever a film cried out to not end with a pop song, The Valley of Elah is it. I highly recommend it, though, and if you want to see truly great, subtle, masterful acting - see Tommy Lee Jones here.