there be many people out there who hate the way paul haggis make his directorial debut and crash and an overly soapy and stupidly tie together drama ( at least and that what it felt like to them ) . those people do not have to worry . his second major directorial outing and in the valley of elah and avoids both of the mistake ( although i would hardly call them that and see a he win best picture for what he do with crash ) that he make last time around . instead of mix together multiple story and have them all connect at the very end and this movie revolve around one main story and a story that seem a lot like the modern day war version of chinatown . instead of go for simple emotional tug that he do with crash and this film focus on it understated performance and namely from tommy lee jones and who be superb in this film . it be truly courageous of paul haggis to be willing to make some serious change to the style that win him a best picture academy award and and even more impressive that he pull it off very well . the story revolve around an ex military officer and hank deerfield and who be tell that his son and a soldier return home from iraq and have go miss . jones play the character in such a quiet way that make you feel like he think he shouldn not be show emotion and but have a lot of it bottle up inside of him . when he arrive at the military station and people do not seem to want to tell him what happen and and say that they expect he will come to the base anytime soon ( this be portray especially well by james franco and who you may know a harry osbourne from the spider man movie ) . refuse to believe that it as simple a that and deerfield be relentless in get information out of people a to what really happen . it the way he function in the army and and it benefit him greatly a he have to get any information he can out of people . enter detective emily sander ( play by a very strong charlize theron ) and who at first just want to get through her job for the day and but soon get wrap up in also discover what really happen to deerfield son . the two of them have great chemistry together and a their two different personality give two different perspective on what happen . the movie work because although it do have quite a few negative thing to say about the current war in iraq and the entire film isn not a two hour tirade against it . it only make that message part of the story and and do it in subtle way ( aka the soldier do not just go war . it . destroy . you . but take a lot more time express their emotion ) . much of the story work like a mixture between the great film chinatown and a much well act and well write version of a really good episode of csi . although there may be a few too many twist and lie circle about and it come to it conclusion very well in a satisfying way for the audience . paul haggis have an uncanny way of bring out great performance from all of his actor . the performance of tommy lee jones could be the best of his career and he bring out a much more emotionally quiet side in charlize theron than we have before see and the short performance of susan sarandon be particularly powerful and and all of the soldier be play with a feeling of sincerity . the acting be probably the strong element of the film and and if there any weak part and it would have to be the way haggis force out some of the plot twist to make the film as long a he want it to be . regardless of it few problem and in the valley of elah be both a very well mannered look at the war in iraq and it effect on the people involve and as well a a very interesting crime thriller . at the heart of it be haggis quietly powerful direct style and the cast powerfully quiet performance . i do not see this pick up a best picture nomination a haggis past three oscar hopeful screenplay ( letter from iwo jima and crash and and million dollar baby ) and but i would not be surprise to see it pick up a few acting nomination as well a possibly a screenplay nod . if it do . it would have definitely earn it .