In the Valley of Elah

Still, "In the Valley of Elah" is a compelling crime procedural as well as a thoughtful examination of the things that happen to people who have to cope with frightful situations. War can have devastating effects on the human psyche, and there is no doubt it changes people. As one of the characters says, "We all do stupid things."

Trivia note: Hank explains in one segment of the movie that the Valley of Elah is where David met and killed Goliath. Viewers are free to relate the Bible story to the film's theme as they see fit.

Video:
Warner Bros. offer the film transfer in a reasonably high bit rate and in its 2.40:1 theatrical ratio, enhanced for widescreen TVs. The movie's colors are never bright or flashy, just very natural and lifelike, if a bit subdued. The screen always looks clear of noise or artifacts, with only a fine print grain in evidence, normal for any modern film. Shadow detail can be a touch murky, however; object delineation is never a match for high-definition; and there are a few moiré effects in closely spaced horizontal lines. Still, it's a good presentation, probably well capturing the movie's theatrical appearance.

Audio:
Like the video, the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack also seems rather subdued. Most of the film is dialogue, so, naturally, the midrange is all important. It delivers good, clear sound, supplemented by strong bass impact when needed. There is not a lot going on in the surrounds beyond some ambient musical bloom, which is nevertheless quite pleasant.

Extras:
The disc includes only two primary extras, but they are well done. The first item is a forty-two-minute documentary divided into two parts: "In the Valley of Elah: After Iraq" and "In the Valley of Elah: Coming Home." It is uncommonly serious and straightforward, as befitting a film of serious intent, and it features comments from the filmmakers and actors, many of whom served in the military, plus the parents of the young man upon whom Haggis based the story. The second item is what the disc describes as an "additional scene," which is actually an additional sequence of scenes lasting well over seven minutes. Things conclude with twenty-seven scene selections; trailers at start-up only for other Warners, New Line, and HBO releases; English, French, and Spanish spoken languages and subtitles; and English captions for the hearing impaired.

Parting Thoughts:
The Wife-O-Meter, who rated the film the same as I did, said that on the one hand she was sorry she saw the film because it was so upsetting to her, and on the other hand she was glad she saw it because of the greater understanding it gave her of the mind set of soldiers coming back from Iraq.

Some people have criticized Paul Haggis's "Crash" for its blatant audience manipulation, and "In the Valley of Elah" the writer/director is not above using some degree of manipulation as well. But this time he's working with a script that eschews the kind of exaggerated coincidences and improbable interrelationships we find in "Crash." Perhaps since Haggis based "In the Valley of Elah" on real-life events, it is more grounded in reality. In any case, the result is a good mystery, to be sure, with the added advantage of some thought-provoking observations on the effects of war on the hearts and minds of its participants.

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