In the Valley of Elah

Tommy Lee Jones earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his beautifully honed performance as a taciturn father searching for the truth behind the murder of his son, an American soldier back from a tour of duty in Iraq, in director Paul Haggis' follow-up to his Oscar-winning "Crash." Charlize Theron co-stars as the sole female detective on the civilian force and his only ally through the slapdash investigation and jurisdictional tug-of-war. Haggis drops exclamation points after his symbolic gestures and muddies his message more than once, but at its best the film tells a good story with moments of chilling eloquence. Jason Patric, Susan Sarandon and Josh Brolin co-star. The DVD includes a compelling 42-minute documentary in two parts that contrasts the fiction with the reality of those soldiers and loved ones touched by the war (including the father of the soldier whose real-life murder inspired the story) along with interviews with members of the cast and crew. Also includes a deleted scene. Also available in Blu-ray and HD DVD/DVD Combo formats.