In The Valley Of Elah is a mouthful on it's own. But the film was good, there wasn't really anything that stood out too much for me. The meaning of the film and how the soldiers lives change when they've been to Iraq is nothing new. Been done plenty of times before. The directing was okay but not as good as we've seen Paul Haggis before. The film is slow moving as well and it will keep you interested but when you watch it a second time theres nothing to keep your interest. The film was shot well and the cinematography was good. The film is a bit of a tear jerker but i felt it was aimed mainly at American audiences, unlike Crash which was aimed at racism and people in all countries could relate to it.

The acting was good on all parts. Tommy Lee Jones really can't be faulted, he's a terrific actor. It was nice to see Charlize Theron is another descent role at last. But they were really the only main characters. Susan Sarandon and Josh Brolin were really underused and James Franco… more »

In The Valley Of Elah is a mouthful on it's own. But the film was good, there wasn't really anything that stood out too much for me. The meaning of the film and how the soldiers lives change when they've been to Iraq is nothing new. Been done plenty of times before. The directing was okay but not as good as we've seen Paul Haggis before. The film is slow moving as well and it will keep you interested but when you watch it a second time theres nothing to keep your interest. The film was shot well and the cinematography was good. The film is a bit of a tear jerker but i felt it was aimed mainly at American audiences, unlike Crash which was aimed at racism and people in all countries could relate to it.

The acting was good on all parts. Tommy Lee Jones really can't be faulted, he's a terrific actor. It was nice to see Charlize Theron is another descent role at last. But they were really the only main characters. Susan Sarandon and Josh Brolin were really underused and James Franco had more of a special guest appearance than a supporting role.

All together I'd say the film is worth a watch but i don't know if i would by this again if i saw it first to be honest.

3 star film
4 star product

3.5 stars overall.

The film itself is well performed, competently made but, ultimately, a bit of a disappointment. Tommy Lee Jones is brilliant and deserves a fair bit of recognition here. He brings pathos to the film that is pretty confused with itself. Charlize Theron deals with a difficult part well but Susan Sarandon and Josh Brolin, who are both very good, have very little to do.

Haggis has shown himself to be a very competent director and, at best (think of certain sequences in "Crash") he can aspire to something above this. In this film there is very little ambition in the direction, though some shots (cinematography from the brilliant Roger Deakins) are devastating or effective. The music adds to the pathos and emotion of the performances. But, the script is a half-baked effort, somewhat contrived and over-packed.

This is not a bad film. Pretty well done, brilliant acted but the disappointment means that it won't be terribly memorable. However, its intelligence, the importance of… more »

The film itself is well performed, competently made but, ultimately, a bit of a disappointment. Tommy Lee Jones is brilliant and deserves a fair bit of recognition here. He brings pathos to the film that is pretty confused with itself. Charlize Theron deals with a difficult part well but Susan Sarandon and Josh Brolin, who are both very good, have very little to do.

Haggis has shown himself to be a very competent director and, at best (think of certain sequences in "Crash") he can aspire to something above this. In this film there is very little ambition in the direction, though some shots (cinematography from the brilliant Roger Deakins) are devastating or effective. The music adds to the pathos and emotion of the performances. But, the script is a half-baked effort, somewhat contrived and over-packed.

This is not a bad film. Pretty well done, brilliant acted but the disappointment means that it won't be terribly memorable. However, its intelligence, the importance of its message means and the brilliance of its performances that its failings are somewhat made up for.