In The Valley Of Elah (2007)

Based on true events, a former military man (Tommy Lee Jones in an Oscar nominated performance) receives word his son (Jonathan Tucker) has recently returned to the U.S. and gone AWOL. After the son's body is found mutilated and burned, the father and a police detective (Charlize Theron) attempt to unravel the circumstances that led to his killing. Produced, written and directed by Paul Haggis (an Oscar winner for his CRASH screenplay), who structures his story in the form of a murder mystery. This allows Haggis to pull the viewer in and incorporate other themes like post traumatic stress disorder and the war in Iraq instead of a somber heavy handed treatise on the subject. Alas, the film was still a box office failure and it deserved a better fate. The film is not without its flaws. Haggis goes for some cheap shots with Theron's sexist "good ol' boy" police compatriots who don't add anything to the film. Haggis is lucky in his acting trio, Susan Sarandon as Jones's wife is the third member, who all bring an almost elegiac gravitas to the proceedings. The film's final shot is a real punch in the gut. The refined score is by Mark Isham. With Josh Brolin (in the film's only bad performance), Jason Patric, James Franco, Frances Fisher, Barry Corbin and Wes Chatham.