'In the Valley of Elah'

The title is a bit of a head-scratcher but the message is unmistakable. Writer-director Paul Haggis couldn't have made it more clear if he'd blared it from a bullhorn -- and in the film's final image, he practically does.

With his follow-up to the stirring, Oscar-winning "Crash," Haggis gives us an indictment of the Iraq war and its effect on the returning troops and their families . A necessary and relevant topic, to be sure, but one that Haggis approaches with mixed results.

Fundamentally, "Elah" is a pretty standard procedural, with Vietnam vet and former military police officer Hank Deerfield (Tommy Lee Jones) teaming up with police Detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron) to uncover what happened to his son, a soldier who goes AWOL after coming back from Iraq and is later found savagely killed.

The performances are so strong, though, they elevate the film beyond its limitations. Jones perpetuates the stoic, surly persona he's perfected, but there's an undercurrent of aching sadness that makes him more accessible and human than ever before. And Theron, as a no-nonsense investigator who's tired of being underestimated by her male colleagues, is every bit his equal.

• At AMC Loews Waterfront and the Manor Theatre, Squirrel Hill Additional Information:

'In the Valley of Elah'

Rated R for violent and disturbing content, language and some sexuality/nudity