The Hurt Locker - includes interview with director Katheryn Bigelow
March 24th 2010 09:17
The Hurt Locker
This years winner for best film and director at the Academy Awards was The Hurt Locker. Initially hearing about this film as another war in Iraq movie, it wasn't until I saw the trailer and became aware of the angle it was taking, that I went out to see what the fuss was about.
Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie in The Hurt Locker
The Hurt Locker is an immersing and intense experience which fully mines the depths of it's story and characters. When I saw this film it made me appreciate how rare it can be for a movie to actually follow through on it's own premise to this extent. The film takes place during the last forty days of a U.S. military bomb squad in the Iraqi war. The bomb squad angle would fit in nicely in a Time Magazine thought piece of the unsung hero's of the U.S. army, fortunately the film makers downplay this sensational angle, and the story instead focuses on the breaking point that these solders experience during these unbearable life or death situations. What I found refreshing about The Hurt Locker in comparison to some other war films set in modern times is, unlike 'Jarhead' or 'Three Kings', there is no fun to be had, the comic undertones have been replaced with emotional weight, without ever seeming heavy handed. Don't misunderstand me though, I love those two films, but I take my hat off to how The Hurt Locker has the strength of it's convictions enough to take you on truly a gut wrenching journey.
The hurt begins...
The Hurt Locker cycles through a number of unnerving scenarios for it's protagonists to tackle, some that I never would have previously imagined. We are made to walk in these bomb tech's shoes and the result is poignant and sometimes poetic. The script, written by Mark Boal (In The Valley Of Elah), sets the scene for a Bomb Squad who has just lost their company's Sergeant to a mission gone bad. He is replaced by a younger, cockier and more reckless Staff Sergeant William James played by Jeremy Renner (North Country, 28 Days Later) in what I could only call a perfect performance, the emotional landscape that his character goes through is as hairy as the maniacal bombs he has the duty of disarming. Sergeant James' cocksure risks and heroics constantly find his men in more jeopardy than is necessary. The characters and viewers are both put through the visceral and emotional wringer, we invest in the character's lives as they pine for home during their bouts of vulnerability.
A suspenseful scene from The Hurt Locker
Renner is in fine form here, as are his co-stars, Anthony Mackie (Notorious, Half Nelson) and other young and upcoming new actors. The film includes several cameos from well known actors who's character's don't go the distance in combat. This effectively establishes a tone where the viewer is acutely in touch with each characters own mortality and are made to realize that anything can go wrong. The handheld cinematography is effective in creating a sense of bearings, or more often than not, lack of bearings as well as a sense of space and danger. There is much dramatic meat to be found in The Hurt Locker as well as some of the most suspenseful, extended scenes in recent film memory, which are all executed with mastery by director Kathryn Bigelow (Strange Days, Point Break).
Believe the hype. The Hurt Locker is highly recommended.
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Comment by Steve Gann
Beyond This Horizon
Good and Bad News
Closer Look Sports
OhThePlacesWeWillGo
BackPageSports
KnoxVegasChronicles
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
I havn't heard anyone say that from what I've seen or heard....it seems that there are always people trying to rock the boat - if you were talking about Avatar I could understand that but definitely not the hurt locker...thanks for reading
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
I was impressed with the Hurt Locker too. Though Near Dark is still my favourite Bigelow Pic, followed by Strange Days.....
What blew me away (intentional) was the cinematography and sound design. There was such an exaggerated urgency to the camera work that it dragged you right into the scenes intensity.
The final scene is one of the best i can remember too, great comment on the traditional Hollywood maverick heroes like John Wayne.
Comment by Deni
Abstract Magick
Cinema Herald
JD, "Strange Days" is one of my all-time favorite movies.
Great review, Shaun.
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure