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How do you explain the meanimg of the battle between David and Goliath in the Valley of Ella to small child for whom "Goliath" is just the name of a toy robot? And speaking of which, how do you determine who is David and who is Goliath?
Tommy Lee Jones, one of the greatest character actors in our time, plays Hank Deerfield, a former Vietnam Veteran and a deeply rooted, traditional and patriotic working man in the present, with tendencies bordering on the right wing, chauvinistic and even racist (but that's okay, because he knows how to own up to his mistakes and apologize when necessary), and in other words, a real "salt of the earth". His wife (played by the wonderful Susan Sarandon) is probably a homemaker, a symbol of traditional motherhood, and the absolute opposite of the character Sarandon portrayed in Thelma and Louise.Very little is known about her, except that she sits at home waiting, first for her husband who went to Vietnam, then for her older son who was in the Army (and killed), and then for her younger son. Later on it turns out that she blames her husband for making her eldest son so devoted to the military and getting him killed. Sounds familiar so far?
One day Hank Deerfield receives a message that his younger son serving in Iraq returned for home leave with his unit, but he is absent from the base and may be declared AWOL if he doesn't not return immediately. Deerfield doesn't think twice, packs a suitcase and a laptop, gets into his truck and goes looking for his son. At first he is met with a dismissing and disrespectful attitude both by the military authorities, who apparently have something to hide, and by the police authorities, who are not too keen to handle this "hot potato". The female detective assigned to the case (played by Charlize Theron), who also happens to be a single mother, conducts the investigation while in a constant battle with the male society surrounding her, almost pointlessly insisting on "Police officer first, woman second" (what, do things like that still exist in the 21st Century?) By the way (provided as a public service...) Just don't expect any hint of a romance between the single parent Officer and bereaved father, it's a waste of time, he is too straight and too loyal to his wife, and it's nice that we were spared this cliche.
Things get complicated when the son's dismembered and burned body is discovered in a field not far from the base (in a style very reminiscent of the different "CSI" spin-offs, which sometimes tend to be excessively graphic in segments like these). The initial investigation raises suspicions of involvement in drug trafficking. The father, refusing to be consoled, displays significant scouting and detecting skills, the result of years of service in the military police, and insists on taking part at every stage of the investigation despite the opposition of police and military authorities. So begins a chase after the killer or killers, while the truth about the circumstances of the death of the son is gradually revealed.
But the murder investigation is only used here as subplot (full of suspense in itself), in a Movie supposedly based on a true story, and dealing with the growing problem posed by the war in Iraq and its impacts permeating all levels of American society. Paul Haggis, a veteran and experienced screenwriter and director (also credited with the screenplay for another Movie about the horrors of war, "Letters From Iwo Jima", but also with the James Bond Movie Casino Royale and many TV shows), does not try, or perhaps fails, to express a clear political position on the matter. Maybe that's his strong suite - he never slips down to a clicheic level. He just pits on the one hand the conservative father, who didn't lose his patriotism after the Vietnam War, and is hard at work training a new generation of patriots, and on the other the hand the son and the other young soldiers, and in between he also raises the issues of friendship and loyalty under fire, and the corrupting influence of war on soldiers who experienced its horrors first hand, all against the background of the voices coming out of the radio throughout the Movie, the sounds of talking heads trying to explain how we (sorry, the Americans) are just about to win the war.
The scene that gave the Movie its name, in which the officer's son asks Deerfield-Jones for a bedtime story and gers the story of the battle in the Valley of Ella is, in my opinion, just brilliant, in terms of both writing and performance (both Jones's and the child's Jonathan Tucker's), though I doubt that the biblical commentators would have been enthusiastic about ere excited about Huggies's version of the famous story. The scene in which Deerfield-Jones teaches the Latino School janitor how to properly hang the American flag also tells us something about contemporary American society (see my comment about racism).
Apart from that, this is a very atypical film in terms of pace and atmosphere, even compared with other Movies dealing with the war and its devastating results, from Rambo to Born on the 4th of July, and also other "ordinary" action Movies like "Eastern Promises" which came out more or less at the same time). It moves forward step by step all the way to the end - very slow, somber, with almost no action except for one chase scene, almost no sex (even when a naked stripper in a bar pushes her boobs into your face you must treat her with respect, because you never know when you might need her help - see my comment about chauvinism), and almost no violent except for the violence of war (which is the only horrific violence).
There is no doubt that Jones deserves at least an Oscar nomination for this part, so different from parts he played in movies such as "Space Cowboys" and even "Men in Black". The restraint and inner strength he radiates are simply amazing. The only thing that comes close to this that I've seen is Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven. By the way, this does not mean the Movie is devoid of emotional expression - just watch out for the changes in the condition of the sheets in Deerfield-Jones's bed in the Hotel, which in the beginning is made out with military precision which would pass any inspection with flying colors, and in the end is all messed up, and you will understand exactly what I mean.
Among the supporting actors in this Movie you can find Josh Brolin (the son of veteran actor James Brolin) and Barry Corbin (seen in the mythological TV show "Northern Exposure").
In summary, not an easy Movie to watch, but well worth it.
Written and directed by Paul Haggis. |