hero disillusionment

Rowland 2022-03-25 09:01:11

A good, thought-provoking film with the heroic father acting impeccably.

The old patriotic hero sent both sons to the battlefield. The eldest son died in a helicopter crash. The youngest son, Mike, survived the Iraq war, but died under the knife of his comrades after returning to China. The heroic father personally brought the murderer to justice, and his anger rose. upside down flag.

Mike was originally a good boy. He joined the army with his ideals and the brand of a heroic father, but he saw too much darkness in the Iraqi battlefield. A drug dealer with a criminal record could join the army. He bombed and killed innocent people indiscriminately. After being hit by a military vehicle, Mike slowly degenerated in pain, learned to take drugs and became violent and irritable, and was finally killed by his comrades.

The hero's father gradually understands the truth in the process of chasing the murderer. Although his expression is always calm, he can feel the change of emotion from surprise to anger. The fact that the army has fallen finally disillusioned the hero and raised the upside-down national flag he originally opposed (with the film). Correct the flag upside down at the beginning to echo).

The anti-war theme of this film is obvious, and the feminist struggle of the police heroine is added, which is very politically correct. The old hero was a fighting hero of the previous generation, believing that the US military was fighting for democracy, but the reality of the Iraq war (reflected from Mike's experience) disillusioned the hero, and finally gave up his belief (which seemed not firm enough), and rose up upside down flag. If the events shown in the film are facts, such as directly killing a child, then the hero's disillusionment is reasonable, and there is no doubt about the five stars. If it's not a fact, it's vilifying the US military, which is three-star level, so I give it four stars. Tommy Lee Jones's old heroic father figure is impeccable and deserves an Oscar nomination.

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Extended Reading

In the Valley of Elah quotes

  • Det. Emily Sanders: And so David went down into the valley to challenge Goliath...

    David Sanders: D'you think he was scared Mom?

    Det. Emily Sanders: Yes. I think he was scared.

  • Hank Deerfield: [looks at flag] Just leave it like that, okay?