RojoThe Valley of Elah
Crash is a sensational film. I was half an hour late for work one night and had to work like a mad man to prep up before service to make up for it. I fobbed off an excuse I really can’t remember right now (I’ve used so many) about being late. I mused that my boss didn’t want to hear the answer “sorry chef I was watching Crash and I just couldn’t leave it”. I wager he would have understood if he wasn’t a greasy, sleazy, philistine who wouldn’t know a good film if it reached around on him.
So with the knowledge that The Valley of Elah was directed by the same director, and that Jones had been nominated for this film not No Country I said to myself, Tza I think we really go and see this. So I flexed my reviews rights muscle, cruised in with my fresh card saying who I was and said one to Valley of Elah. Ordering a flat white I shot the shit with the ticket chick mostly rapping about films we had and hadn’t seen. I sat in a empty theatre and watched.
Disappointment. A feeling one gets when one is disappointed.
Now don’t get wrong this film is excellent but Haggis has set his own bar too high. Jones is amazing, and you should see this film for him, but as a film we are slowly seduced into the story and intrigue begins to take over. We think many things, we think a few things, then we are given the truth and I for one went, “really”?
I found that I couldn’t get behind anyone apart from Jone’s character, not even Sarandon great performance as a grieving mother was distant to me. Theron was unnecessary and Brolin is there a film this man isn’t in (He’s big time now).
The story as I’ve said is riddled with intrigue but it’s Jone’s performance that kept me there, Tommy has done some amazing work or late and he is getting his dues for it, and those dues are deserved.
Now if you read me regularly you will have (or should have) noticed I never tell you what happens in a film just what I thought of it. I give little snippets like this, Tommy Lee finding out how his son has died is one hell of a powerful scene. To use trite actor talk he is in the moment. Being in the moment is what actors strive for more than anything except roles and Tommy is so in the moment the moment begin to shape itself around him. You can not stop watching him, feeling for him, loving him, and empathising with his plight.
All in all a good film, very watchable if you are feeling like a film like backward origami. A let down of an ending but a true one I guess (this is based on a true story). I recommend it but not that highly wait for DVD as it make a great film rental. I can’t stress enough how good this film is but it’s just a really good film, not the sublime types I have being watching of late.
7.5/10
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