IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH from WARNER MOVIES-ON-DEMAND (2007). It took me 10 years to see this film and I was absolutely floored by the Murder Mystery. (I bought it and streamed online at YouTube for only $2.99). According to "Box Office Mojo" that tracks box office receipts. "Elah" grabbed $6 million in the U.S. It nabbed $22 million at the Foreign box office.
Hank Deerfield (Tommy Lee Jones) discovers that his son Mike went missing at his military base after returning from the War at Iraq. Hank is a retired military veteran who travels to Albuquerque, NM to find out what happened to Mike. He discovers that his son was stabbed multiple times, his body cut up in pieces and burned. Who could do this to Mike? Was it drugs or gang related? Hank is stoned-walled by military politics, but is helped by detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron).
This is loosely based on the true life story of Richard Davis (2003). He returned from Iraq and was murdered. His dad Lanny Davis investigated his son's death. I realized that this story was covered by "48 Hours" back in 2006 called, "Duty, Death, Dis-Honor." I recorded the TV episode and watched it many times.
Tommy Lee Jones received a "best actor" Oscar nomination for his work in "Elah" (2007). He so deserved it too because, "What a performance!" The story is sad and haunting. The Iraq War crippled U.S., soldiers physically and worse, emotionally. The murder mystery unfolds and you go along for a terrifying ride. The worst fears of a father are realized and more so. Check it out if you can.
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