PAUL Haggis' thriller is a slow-burner inspired by true events, centred on a troubled young soldier, who goes missing after he returns from an extended stint in Iraq.

Terrible secrets, borne by the Army enlistee and his comrades, culminate in tragedy, begging provocative questions about the shades of morality in a war zone.

Writer-director Haggis, who famously led Crash to a shock Best Picture victory at the Oscars over Brokeback Mountain, struggles to generate sufficient dramatic momentum to carry the film through two hours.

His script spends too long fretting over a series of fragmented mobile phone video messages, which hold the key to the mystery, and too little on the characters.

Shortly after a tour of duty in the Middle East, Specialist Mike Deerfield (Jonathan Tucker) goes AWOL from his base and gruff father, retired military police officer Hank Deerfield (Tommy Lee Jones), goes to investigate.

While Hank's wife Joan (Susan Sarandon) waits nervously for news, her husband seeks answers from Mike's superior Sergeant Carnelli (James Franco) and military policeman Lieutenant Kirklander (Jason Patric).

They seem unconcerned by the boy's absence and so Hank turns to local cop, Detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron).

When Mike's charred remains are discovered on wasteland, and the military glosses over the facts, the resourceful father is outraged.

So Hank turns private eye, working alongside Detective Sanders to unearth the truth.

Jones brings a rugged determination to his war-horse father, who tramples authority to honour his son's memory.

Theron's ballsy heroine is underwritten and Sarandon, Patric and co make the most of their characters, who remain on the periphery.