The Hurt Locker (2009)

director: Kathryn Bigelow

writer: Mark Boal

starring: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty

genre: Drama, War

It's weird how movie careers go. Some from the get go get rich and famous. Others just vanish and never get a second chance. Kathryn Bigelow career has had her up's and downs and finally made the best film of her career and until now the best film on the Iraq War. The Hurt Locker is a realistic take on the war in Iraq. The film is apolitical and focuses more on the human side to war then the decisions made in the war rooms.

We follow 3 soldiers and their duties in Iraq. All 3 are apart of a special bomb squad unit, specialized in disarming IED's (Improvised Explosive Device). All 3 of soldiers face diffrent problems and handle the war experience in different ways. Sergeant James (Jeremy Renner) is reckless and a maverick, Sergeant Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) is a boy scout and Specialist Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) is the psychologically frail but committed soldier. The 3 with their troubles and hopes try to survive the war and find out who they really are.

War films sometimes dwell into political areas, which for some are boring, or into action areas which in the other case annoys others. Then there are the films were the focus is on the characters and story and instead of the action. To see the story from their eyes. War for a soldier is not how we see it from the TV. For them and in the case of the soldiers in Iraq, its a duty. Some enlisted for a job and lucked out when the war started, others for pure joy and sadly few as a calling to arms. But a soldier in a war-zone dosent think about the politics. But about the job at hand. They shouldn't be criticized nor blamed. Blame is to be set elsewhere in the hearts of men who make the decisions who sent them there.

Ive already talked about a little about my Oscar thoughts in a previous article of mine on the blog. So let me just say once again that Hurt Locker was one of the films of 2009 that deserved to get the awards. Bigelow's job was exceptionally well done and Hurt locker proved to be one of the big hits of the year.

Now with it's Oscar wins it will get more recognition from the mass and curiosity going for it. Hurt Locker on the big screen will be a delight with many explosions, tense scenery and some the best directed scenes of the year. And please don't think of this as the American hero story. It is not that kind of film. If you want that kind of film go make fun of Rambo and not the Hurt Locker.

Personal Rating:

Review by Paul