Movies - The Hurt Locker
Brian RossSenior Writer
You've probably heard a lot of award show buzz surrounding The Hurt Locker. It is definitely one of the must see films of this year, and I'm about to tell you why.
The Hurt Locker follows an Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) Team in Iraq set during the current United States occupation. Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner) joins Bravo Company for their last month of deployment when the company leader is killed by an improvised explosive device (IED). The two surviving members are Sergent JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty).
The team obviously doesn't work from the very start. SSgt James acts recklessly albeit with a highly adept skill as the disarming expert and ranking officer. His actions and attitude immediately clash with the overly cautious Sgt. Sanborn, whom operates as the accountability officer for the squad. Spc. Eldridge is more or less the squad bitch and still is psychologically disturbed by the death of their former SSgt.
This film does an extraordinary job of conveying its somewhat convoluted, central message. I say convoluted because, at times, you'll have trouble putting aside what you expect from war flicks and remembering that this is a film about war's addiction. The film could have been set in an apartment building with three heroin addicts and been eerily similar. You'd have one addict that is paranoid and wants to stop, but never does. Another one who doesn't realize he needs to quit until he almost dies and a third pushing the group further and further into the shit until everything implodes.
Instead, the Hurt Locker takes place on the sunny streets of Baghdad. It is hard to remember that this is a film about addiction and not war because of how realistic it appears. Realism that is created through on-location shooting in Jordan with super 16mm cameras. The same gritty medium that helped to bring realistic feels to films and TV shows such as Clerks, Y Tu Mama Tambien, Leaving Las Vegas and The Shield. It really looks and feels like you're watching home movies created by soldiers, helping to create an almost faux documentary aspect.
The realism however is constantly in question. Any military person will laugh at all the details they got wrong. From silly things such as pins being on the wrong side to major holes in how operations go down. Even if you don't know a lot about how the American military operates you'll question some of the situations that occur. It can be very hard to suspend disbelief, because the film style is so realistic.
The central character, and definite bright spot of the film, is Jeremy Renner. His performance is Oscar-worthy and believable. I find Renner naturally charismatic and the camera seems drawn to him. Most people will remember him as the villain from SWAT, but to horror fans he's the American soldier Doyle in 28 Weeks Later. A select few might even remember as the enigmatic super-cop from "The Unusuals." The biggest thing is that he stands out in each and every film he is in. The Hurt Locker is the first one that has generated him any real buzz and I predict we'll soon be looking at him as if he's the next Christian Bale or Robert Downey, Jr.
Renner thoroughly sells you on SSgt. James being some sort of adrenaline junky. A guy who needs to live through the most extreme moments of life and death just to get his fix. While he acts heroically, his squad constantly questions the cost his actions might have. By the end of the film, you'll see him for what he truly is - hero, villain, or something else altogether. The fun of it is the journey, the suspense of tense action where nothing really even happens. After all this is a film about the Iraq War, not the Vietnam War. It's a whole lot of tension, without a lot actually happening.
The fact that we're following an EOD helps to do a lot of this. By nature, EOD teams are support and are merely called in for disposal of IED's. This means you probably won't see a real EOD team in a gun fight ever and they generally are well escorted. The movie takes some definite liberties with some of the drama it creates, but you'll be okay with it as long as you can suspend disbelief for awhile.
In the end, I gave The Hurt Locker a 9 out of 10. It is currently the definitive movie about the Iraq War, but I hope that changes as we gain more understanding of it. If you want the true essence of the Iraq War you need to watch the HBO mini-series "Generation Kill." Both of these films stand out far and above other attempts to depict this affair such as Three Kings and Jarhead. So if you haven't seen The Hurt Locker and are looking for a great performance and character film disguised as a war flick, go rent it today.
Brian Ross
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About: Brian Ross graduated from NC State with a degree in Computer Science and a minor in Film Studies. His major interests include college sports, Magic, video games, and movies. Brian tends to embrace all aspects of video gaming and movies, being able to tell you why Citizen Kane is genius and in the same breath praise Little Nicky for intrinsic merit. Always captivating - half man, half amazing.
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