Rating of
4/4
Very Angry, Very Sad
Franz Patrick - wrote on 09/02/08
This is one of the best anti-war films I’ve seen in a while. Tommy Lee Jones is excellent as a father who wants to find out who murdred his son and why. Jones is an expert when it comes to looking defeated and tired but he’s incendiary when he tries to keep his anger from bubbling over, spilling, and causing a flood. Charlize Theron is just as great as the detective that helps Jones. We root for her because she is not taken seriously by the guys at the police station; even though she’s far from perfect, she tries her best to solve crimes when no one would even bother. I’m impressed with this picture because it is so angry in a quiet way. It managed to keep me interested because it does not always show the audience what the characters see. Just when you think that the case is solved, it turns out to be otherwise so it becomes suspenseful. I’m also impressed with the images that this film presented: the flag, the videos from Iraq, the distraught soldiers, the empty land… Somehow, they all fit together because they pretty much symbolize the same thing. This film is consistently memorable scene-wise but if I were to pick the highlights, I would choose the scene where Jones tells the story of David and Goliath to Theron’s son, Susan Sarandon’s heartbreaking reaction when she finally sees her son’s remains, the revelation of what truly happened with Jones’ son, and the last scene. Anger and sadness are the two emotions that drive this film. By the end of the film, we realize that there are no easy answers no matter how many times we go over the facts. Even though the case is “solved,” there is no solace because there is nothing that can replace a life.
