The Hurt Locker review

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The Hurt Locker review

13 July 2009One CommentPosted by Phil

Beware of spoilers for The Hurt Locker.

It is only fitting that last weekend, the Fourth of July, the American holiday of Independence, I was able to see a film that focused on American heroes - soldiers in the US military. I've always loved seeing war films and I'd rather do that than experience the real thing - I suppose I wasn't built for that, however, I'm always open to a good war film or series. For example; some of my favorite war films that I've seen in my lifetime have been Patton, Gettyburg, Glory, Firebase Gloria, Saving Private Ryan, We Were Soldiers, Black Hawk Down, Band of Brothers, and a few others. Given the fact that the recent Iraq war is controversial and very recent for most, there haven't been any good movies depicting that conflict. Most that I've seen have either been very boring or way over political, usually shinning a bad light on our brave troops and I'm not talking about Tom Berenger Platoon bad, I'm talking about exploiting and focusing on the controversial nature of Iraq as if filmmakers are trying to send a message through their films that we shouldn't have been there. I don't like seeing US soldiers depicted as baby killers, murderers, inhuman, unmoral, etc. Whatever your opinion is on the matter, as a film viewer and fan like myself, that type of bias isn't attractive when wanting to see a film about Iraq. Whatever the case is, whether those crimes are true or not, I don't want to hear about them because lets face it - a majority of us have not and will not ever serve in the military and never experienced combat. We can not either justify, defend or berate a soldiers actions in combat - we have no right. I, a person who supports the military, am only attracted to films that show US troops as heroes and nothing less. All of this, honestly, is my own personal opinion and your free to disagree - I'm sure some of you do, but I think we can all agree that we as Americans or you as patriots of your own country - your military should be morally supported and cheered for their bravery.

Finally, after a long wait and some duds, a war film that serves as both an action/suspense and a sort of educational piece arrives in theaters under the title, The Hurt Locker.

"Based on the personal wartime experiences of journalist Mark Boal (who adapted his experiences with a bomb squad into a fact-based, yet fictional story), director Kathryn Bigelow's Iraq War-set action thriller The Hurt Locker presents the conflict in the Middle East from the perspective of those who witnessed the fighting firsthand -- the soldiers. As an elite Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal team tactfully navigates the streets of present-day Iraq, they face the constant threat of death from incoming bombs and sharp-shooting snipers. In Baghdad, roadside bombs are a common danger. The Army is working to make the city a safer place for Americans and Iraqis, so when it comes to dismantling IEDs (improvised explosive devices) the Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) crew is always on their game. But protecting the public isn't easy when there's no margin of error, and every second spend dismantling a bomb is another second spent flirting with death. Now, as three fearless bomb technicians take on the most dangerous job in Baghdad, it's only a matter of time before one of them gets sent to 'the hurt locker.' Jeremy Renner as Staff Sergeant William James, Anthony Mackie as Sergeant JT Sanborn, Brian Geraghty as Specialist Owen Eldridge, Guy Pearce as Sergeant Matt Thompson, and Ralph Finnes as the contractor team leader star." [Fandango]

I couldn't tell you what it would be like to disarm a bomb. Given the fact that I have no experience, nor do I want to experience that, it all comes off to me the viewer as very suspenseful. I would sit at the edge of my seat nearly crapping myself during the very intense disarming scenes and there isn't one scene that I could point out as particularly suspenseful because all of them are thrilling. From the explosive opening (ah yes, pun), to the near ending - before our lead characters rotation ends, it's suspense and thrills. Don't be mistaken, however, The Hurt Locker isn't all about disarming IEDs in the field - there's also a little bit of gun action here and there. Overall, depending on what you consider action, this film is full of it. The Hurt Locker may not be the kind of action as such as Star Trek or Transformers 2, action with huge fantastic set pieces with a $200 million budget behind it. The action is more along the lines of suspense during tense scenes involving explosives and snipers.

The film revolves around three soldiers, James, Sanborn, and Eldrigde each played by Renner, Mackie, and Geraghty. All are excellent and very entertaining but could there be an Oscar nomination for Renner in the future? It's too early to tell but I wouldn't doubt he's going to end up in a top list before the nods are made this year. Renner kicks total ass in this film - he's bad ass, funny, dramatic; his character makes you feel that he's your all around seasoned vet., with a been there, done that attitude. A very entertaining character indeed. The same goes for Mackie and Eldrigde who both play vets., yet still seem very fresh as characters because they're just as scared as the next person would be if in the same situation. They're more relatable characters to the audience than James would be because they're more innocent, for lack of a better term, in that kind of environment. They're trained for war, yet are still very frightened to do what they're there to do when James is simply fearless when disarming a bomb which is attributed to the characters vast experience.

So far this summer I've seen many films, many of which are very good and entertaining, but I think it's now safe to say that this summer's best film and possibly 2009's best film so far is indeed The Hurt Locker. It's not the action or even the performances that make this film incredible, it's the rich, in-depth story of what our soldiers have to go through everyday while in a hostile environment like Iraq. It's a great character study, backed up with a plot that's strong, well written, and yet simple.

The Hurt Locker is a fantastic film that really is a must see for all types of movie goers. It doesn't matter if your a fan of action films or independent jewels like this because The Hurt Locker has it all. It's full of suspenseful and thrilling action, heartbreak, drama, a memorable cameo appearance from Ralph Finnes, with a little Evangeline Lilly added in for LOST fans, and very strong performances from the main three of Renner, Mackie, and Geraghty. Yes folks, I loved this movie and I highly recommend it to you because I believe that you won't be disappointed. The Hurt Locker without a doubt scores a 9.5 out of 10 in my book, only losing out on .5 because of a certain scene when Sgt. James leaves the US base to do something. I don't feel it necessary to explain the scene but it slowed the pacing down for me. Even still, The Hurt Locker is an excellent film that with luck will be honored with a Academy Award nomination.