Well, I’m getting closer and closer to my goal of all ten Best Picture films. Six down, four to go. Not even entirely sure which one is next myself. Could it be Precious? Or how about Up? Well, that doesn’t matter right now. What does matter is the review right here, right now. And tonight is The Hurt Locker and boy was it interesting.
The movie, just in case you don’t know, is a character study of a small bomb squad in the Iraqi War. We’re introduced to Sgt Thompson, Sgt Sanborn and Spc Eldridge. They are a group who don’t fear death, who do their job and they do it well. Well, that is until Sgt Thompson is killed by an explosion and they get a replacement leader. Thus enters Sgt James to take his place.
Sgt James truly shows no fear. They go out to disarm a bomb and he walks out in his bomb suit all ready to do it, walking tall and fearing no one. He then disarms a cluster of bombs that would make anyone crap themselves, but does he show fear? No, of course not. He’s being all that he can be.
There’s really not much to talk about plot wise in this film. This film’s purpose isn’t so much the plot, but showing the terrors of war. Showing that you don’t always win things and sometimes you don’t get your happy ending. You see the fear spread throughout the characters, the moments where you just break down and you can’t take it anymore. The side of war that you don’t see on TV, the weak moments our troops have because of the emotional toll it takes on you.
Well, I think the casting was outstanding. I didn’t know anybody except for a surprise appearance by Lord Voldemort himself, Ralph Fiennes, and a couple scenes with The Ice Truck Killer himself from Dexter Season 1 Christian Camargo. The editing was excellent. I’ve noticed that a few of the Best Picture films have a documentary feel to them, and this one was no different. You got to know the characters and feel for them as if they were real. It had a couple moments that made me laugh, and a couple that made me cry. It truly served its purpose.
Do I think that it should be up for Best Picture? Well, you know I’m not entirely sure. Don’t get me wrong, I liked this movie, I liked it a lot, but I don’t know if I liked it enough to be up for Best Picture (but then again, this is coming from the guy who thought Slumdog Millionaire, last year’s Best Picture winner, was disappointing).
So overall, it was a good film, one that I definitely would suggest to anybody to see. It’s not a family film, obviously. It shows the brutality of war and it makes you think a lot. I give it 8 out of 10.
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My review....
ReplyDeleteI know I am a big doofus for letting this movie to rot in my collection since June and just until recently I picked it out after the Golden Globe Nominations sometime earlier this week. It's been quite sometime since a serious attempt has been made by filmmakers to create a film post 9/11 that is widely recognised and accepted by viewers. Although there are half a dozen movies regarding 9/11 (United 93, World Trade Center, A Mighty Heart), hardly has there been a definitive film based on the Iraq war.
The Hurt Locker is about an United States army EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal ) a.k.a Bomb defusal team during the Iraq war. Its closely follows the U.S Army Bravo Company in Baghdad comprising of Sgt First Class William James played by Jeremy Renner (read just awesome, possibly Oscar winning role) the leader who is in charge of diffusing bombs and getting the job done in the safest way possible ( with his ice cool nerves and cowboy antics I might add ) , Sergeant JT Sanborn played by Anthony Macke (remember Eminem's arch nemesis in 8 Mile) and Specialist Owen Eldridge played by Brian Geraghty. The movies delves into the lives of the trio as they contend with defusing bombs, the threat of insurgency, and the tension that develops between them.
More than being just another typical war movie its rather a fascinating character study. The Hurt Locker is a movie that portrays the main protagonists as humans rather than heroes or giving them a larger than life role. These are humans with problems. Sgt.James struggles with his double-life as both a family man and as an EOD team leader. Sgt. Sanborn struggles with starting a family of his own and his fears that no one will ever recognize the sacrifices he's made by joining the Army and fighting in Iraq. Specialist Owen Eldridge struggles with his path to self discovery and his ultimate purpose to his unit.
The Hurt Locker is a pretty straightforward film. A film devoid of absurd twists and turns ,cliches and bloodshed .After watching this film I have come to realize that what's so special about this movie is that it puts the audience right in the thick of exhilarating, in-your-face action.With shaky cameras and jittery sound this film feels real and even sounds real. With a runtime of 131 minutes I was never bored; the emotional impact and suspense it carried went beyond most movies I see these days. The Hurt Locker is a sheer tour de force of suspense and I dont think I can recall any recent War movie that so emphatically conveys the life of a soldier in the line of fire. What I believe is The Hurt Locker is one of the only films of 2009 that will be in film text books and still talked about in 50 years from now because its a near perfect movie. I'm going with 10 on 10 for director Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker . Don't be surprised if The Hurt Locker ends up sweeping this year's Golden Globes or Oscars (for Best Picture or Best Director atleast) because the acting is on the money, the writing has substance and the direction knows when to keep the viewers in suspense and when to get fancy. Watch it, because films like this are hard to find.