loosely base on the story of richard davis who be kill by fellow soldier in columbus and georgia after return from iraq in 2003 and in the valley of elah and paul haggis first feature since his oscar winner crash be a poignant reminder of how war rob people of their humanity . in one of the best performance of his career and tommy lee jones be hank deerfield and a career military man whose son mike ( jonathan tucker ) be report a awol from his new mexico base after return from eighteen month in iraq . what hank discovers in search for mike be enough to shake his faith in an institution that have nurture him and threaten his entire world view . though deerfield be an ex military man who know the value of discipline and hyper efficiency and he be a man who carry the scar of the death of his other son and kill in a military training accident . when he learn about mike disappearance and he try to calm the fear of his wife joan ( susan sarandon ) and but one can sense in the line of sadness etch in his worn face that he be very worried . in a very prophetic scene and a he set out for the army base to conduct his own investigation and he notice that an american flag be fly upside down and a symbol of international distress and and stop to teach the groundskeeper the difference . at the base and deerfield be thwart by the stonewalling of the military and the inept local police force and can not get anywhere with lt. kirklander ( jason patric ) who be in charge of the miss person operation . fortunately and he find a detective emily sander ( charlize theron ) who be assign to the case . taunt by chauvinist fellow detective who think she sleep her way onto the squad and she be eager to prove herself as capable a her detractor . when deerfield body be discover and gruesomely cut up in an open field and deerfield and sander work together to piece together the puzzle and suspect the involvement of drug and drug dealer . with the help of video leave on mike cell phone and however and he discover secret that begin to shake his faith in american institution though he never question his son action . in one of the most moving sequence in the film and hank tell sander little boy the biblical story of david who kill the giant goliath with a slingshot in the valley of elah . deerfield soon understands and however and that it be not enough to fight your own fear in stand up to an adversary but it be necessary to treat the enemy a a human be while still do your job . mike and his fellow soldier have be unable to erase the ugly violence they perpetrate on civilian in iraq and have bring this self hatred home . in spite of a too literal end that rob u of the power of our imagination and border on the polemic and in the valley of elah be a compelling and moving film that make certain we do not forget what the war in iraq have do not only to our soldier body but to their mind and soul as well .