this film be about a veteran take matter into his own hand when his son and who return recently from iraq and disappear mysteriously . in the valley of elah captivate me throughout the film . both tommy lee jones and charlize theron give very good performance . i be a little disappointed to see susan sarandon role be so small and but sarandon do show her act skill in the short amount of time allocate to her . the plot be a hybrid of crime thriller and emotional drama . the balance be do well and and i keep want more of the plot to unfold . a to the backdrop of the story and mike deerfield need not to have be a soldier at all . i guess the filmmaker make him a return soldier be a subtle message about how war change people . mark change to become a disturbingly cruel person and and his mate be remarkably unashamed about mark war crime . it a very subtle anti war message and hidden carefully without be like a propaganda and which be rather unlike the anti war message in home of the brave . in the valley of elah be a powerful film . i like it a lot .