In the Valley of Elah

In the Valley of Elah. When this movie came out I really wanted to see it. I loved the name and thought Ben Kingsley was in it for some reason. Well, he's not in it, and the name refers to a pretty stupid scene in the movie. Two strikes but here we go anyways.

So Elah actually stars Tommy Lee Jones. In a role seemingly very similar to No Country For Old Men, which I liked a lot. The pacing and visual style also seem very similar to NCFOM. Subject matter is a missing soldier, tension between civilians and military personnel, I like it so far. Also, the missing son is Jonathan Tucker, who was in Mugs' ballet class when they were young. We've seen him on things like Law and Order(CI of course), it's nice to see him succeeding.

Like No Country, Elah is slooooooow and deliberate. Unlike No Country, Elah is boring as shite. Really boring. Margo said the story is really what hurt it. Nothing interesting, or gripping, or suspenseful. They're trying so hard to not be formulaic, they just avoided anything that would catch our attention. Jones is good, and Tucker seems fine in his sporadic parts. Charlize Theron seems to be in full on "I'm a real actor mode", no longer wanting to be a sex symbol. She's fine, nothing too special here.

The movie is just slow, and not very interesting. I say pass ...