War Movies Struggle to Survive

Five recent movies that deal with the war in Iraq or its aftermath did not strike a responsive chord with the American movie-going public. Arguably the weakest of the five recent releases was the most successful, financially.

This is not really a new trend. Movies about Viet Nam, like "Platoon," "Apocalypse Now" and Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket" had to wait a while, until the angst of the Viet Nam war was over, before striking pay dirt. So why has Hollywood not remembered this?

A new movie, scripted by Aaron Sorkin (TV's "The West Wing") and starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts is due to open wide on Friday, December 21st. It may fare better than the five casualties of this year's box office wars that preceded it, which were, in the order of their box-office take:

1) "The Kingdom", which grossed $47.5 million.

2) "Lions for Lambs," which took in $14.8 million.

3) "Rendition," which rendered $9.7 million.

4) "A Mighty Heart," which was not so mighty at $9.2 million.

5) "In the Valley of Elah," which earned $6.8 million.

Ironically, the best of the pictures mentioned above is "In the Valley of Elah," which should earn an Academy Award nomination for Tommy Lee Jones (if not in this one, Jones will surely prevail in "No Country for Old Men.") Tommy Lee Jones stars as the father of a returned Iraq war veteran who mysteriously disappears after reaching the United States and whose burned corpse is later discovered on a remote road. Charlize Theron also garnered critical praise for her turn as the local detective assigned to the case. Tommy Lee is a double threat this Oscar season, also being mentioned as a potential nominee for "No Country for Old Men." But "In the Valley of Elah," co-starring Susan Sarandon as Jones' long-suffering wife, is an in-depth look at how war affects young men and should be required viewing for anyone thinking of joining the military and anyone commanding troops in battle.