The Hurt Locker is the rare war film about the Second Iraq War
that’s not preachy, nor does it cast judgment either way on the how and why we
got involved in that conflict. Instead, it’s an intelligent war movie that focuses on
the intensity of a day to day existence that's spent in a combat zone with no
real front lines. Despite
the color-coordinated names of the various sectors in Iraq, it’s all really a
grey zone for the American troops serving there; where a friendly face on the
street might wind up trying to kill them without a moment’s warning. Into this
chaotic mishmash of combat and civilian life comes Sgt. William James (Jeremy
Renner) who is joining what is perhaps one of the most nerve-wracking jobs in a
war zone: a bomb unit.
Replacing the well-liked Ssgt Matt Thompson (Guy Pearce, who makes the most of a
small role)James at first fits in quite easily with his new comrades, a three
man Explosive Ordanance Disposal team that’s made up of Sgt. JT Sanborn (Anthony
Mackie) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty). But eventually, as they
witness James' nerves of steel, and the fact that he constantly puts himself in
harms way, regardless of how the EOD team has a robot, Sanborn
and Eldridge begin to suspect that James likes his job
a little too much than the average soldier. More of a character study than an action film, The Hurt Locker
does a great job at getting inside the mind of William James, an adrenalin junkie
who is literally not happy unless he’s face to face with death.
Director Kathryn Bigelow does much with her subdued, low-key approach, still
managing to make the bomb defusing scenes extremely suspenseful, as expected.
But in Bigelow’s capable hands, the entire film is fascinating and enthralling
to watch, despite a major blunder late in the film. This was when the three man
characters, who are investigating a bombing, suddenly run off
after the bombers down darkened alleyways just because Williams just "knows"
they are out there. Granted, this was supposed to show his adrenaline junkie
attitude; yet I thought it was pure suicide--and very dumb--for three soldiers
to just run off by themselves in a battlefield environment, where they have no
idea what’s around the corner.
In any other action film, nobody would care about a goofy moment like this, but
when you consider the quiet realism that Bigelow strives so mightily for in the
rest of the film (and achieves with startling intensity) you realize that the Hurt Locker could
have easily done without this moment. Yet the film overall is just superb,
thanks to the script, the direction and marvelous acting (watch for Ralph Fiennes’ great turn as
a gonzo contractor). And fans of LOST will also get a kick out of who shows up in
a small part), that it’s easy to overlook the lapse in logic here. The Hurt
Locker is that rare war movie/action film: a nerve-wracking study in suspense,
as well as an extremely well-done, and intelligent, study in the type of person who would seek out
dangerous situations just to feel alive.
--SF
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