In The Valley Of Elah (2008)

With America divided between hating the war in Iraq and supporting the soldiers who are fighting it, it’s perhaps unsurprising Hollywood has taken such an inordinately long time to address the conflict. Add the fact that US cinemagoers have so far proved stubbornly resistant to movies that have tackled the situation and A-list filmmakers like Paul Crash Haggis find themselves in something of a pickle. How do you make drama out of a continuing tragedy without seeming naive, opportunistic and politically partisan? How do you critique the Bush administration’s policy in the Gulf without slating the troops that have been sent out to enforce it? And how do you do both while still managing to turn a profit?

Read the full In The Valley Of Elah review