THE HURT LOCKER
By: Clayton Davis & Keith Lucas
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Tension abounds in Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker...
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DAVIS
Gut-wrenching, pulse-pounding, out of this world tension, just mere exterior descriptions of what Kathryn Bigelow’s new film, The Hurt
Locker is. Written by Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker overflows with intensity, passion, and reverence. In the wake of 9/11, filmmakers
have struggled to create a piece that is socially accepted and respected. Only two films have succeeded in this task over the past
eight years; Paul Greengrass’ beautiful United 93, depicting an open interpretation of the final moments of the doomed plane and
now, Bigelow’s film will join the short, elite list.
This character-driven tale tells the stories of three army soldiers who are a part of the most dangerous of jobs to offer in the military,
Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), in plainer terms, they disarm bombs. Staff Sergeant William James played ferociously by
Jeremy Renner heads up this story as a soldier facing death every moment of the day. With his wife and child at home and often
displaying unorthodox behavior, James seems fit for a war soldier. Sergeant JT Sanborn, played by Anthony Mackie is a by-the-book
man, living his days at war while incurring losses along the way. Specialist Owen Eldridge played by Brian Geraghty is young,
bewildered, and thrust into a situation unknowing of the impact it would have. What these three men bring to their respective roles
educates the viewer of the horrors of war. Forget what you think you know on CNN and your local news, Bigelow is running the show
with Boal out on assignment and Renner, Mackie, and Geraghty as our anchors.
The crews of the picture are the tools in building this powerful vessel. Cinematographer Barry Ackroyd uses his four camera use to
keep us feeling like a first-person account of the events of the film. The mesh of Marco Beltrami & Buck Sanders score and the sound
effects team makes for a more suspenseful experience. Filming in Jordan was the choice of Bigelow to give it a more authentic feel.
“If you’re going to make a film about the Middle East, make it in the Middle East.” Bigelow said to me after the film. It paid off big time
because I always felt like I was there in the battle zone, enduring pain, torment, and dehydration.
With a NY & LA release set for Friday, June 26th, The Hurt Locker’s deserves all the praise its been receiving and should be
experienced by any movie lover. The Oscar Prospects might look a little grim based on the summer release but with no real first-half
of 2009 contenders, Bigelow and her film have strong chances of taking a spot amongst the final five come end of the year. Renner
and Mackie will also be strong contenders in their respective categories. The strongest possibility for an Oscar has to be for writer
Mark Boal. The research he did for the film alone will keep Boal in the minds of voters. The Hurt Locker’s striking cinematography,
crisp editing that keeps it at a heart palpating pace, strong performances, directing, and writing is enough to take this film in
consideration for your viewing. Brilliant, simply brilliant.
****/****
LUCAS
What’s often lost during war time is the perspective of the soldiers. Even calling them “soldiers” lend credence to my point that we
typically do not humanize the individuals who fight for our country. We don’t attempt to understand their psychology, and thus it’s easy
to just view them as cogs or numbers. Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker does just the opposite. This is one of the few films that
explore the psychology of American soldiers while in combat. Moreover, the film attempts to explain why some soldiers continue to
fight long after their tour of duty is done. Bigelow’s primary premise is that war is like a drug. Essentially, it’s an addiction, and some
individuals can’t function in society without the adrenaline that war provides.
The plot of the film is fairly straightforward. A US Army EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) unit plays a rather perilous game of cat and
mouse in a city with faceless enemies. Their primary objective is to diffuse and disassemble bombs. Sounds easy right?
Jeremy Renner serves as William James, the leader of the EOD unit. He’s a risk taker, who generally shuns procedure and caution.
He thrives off the intensity and adrenaline of war that often he neglects to realize that he’s scaring the pants off his unit. The film
essentially explores his psychology. William James is addicted to adrenaline that war provides, which makes it difficult for him to form
bonds with other soldiers (who aren’t addicted) and his family. In a sense, he’s a one trick pony in the grain of Randy “The Ram”
Robinson.
The film is beautifully shot, and is almost too realistic. There’s no glamour or glitz to this film. The writing is simple, but what makes
the presentation of this film so lucid is the editing. The shot transitions are fluid, and each sequence is used effectively. There are no
wasted moments in the film, and it’ll keep you on your toes for two hours straight.
***/****
MAGIDSON
The Hurt Locker is without a doubt one of the best films of the year, 2009’s first legitimate live action Oscar contender, and the best war
movie since Saving Private Ryan. High praise indeed, but what director Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal have created is nothing
short of astonishing. It is a borderline perfect film that has no excess, while also being almost an embarrassment of riches. The Hurt
Locker is Black Hawk Down meets The Battle of Algiers, with a pinch of The Thin Red Line mixed in, though I’d argue that The Hurt
Locker is the best of the illustrious bunch.
The movie is the story of a little over a month in the lives of 3 soldiers in Iraq, as well as being a meditation on the phrase “war is hell”
(though the movie considers war to be more of a drug). Their job is to disarm bombs, which can make the shelf life of one of these
men, as we see early on, rather short. Staff Sergeant Will James (Jeremy Renner in one of the best performances of the year, hands
down) is the new leader of the squad, and he likes to take risks that some consider foolhardy. His two main companions, Sergeant JT
Sanborn (Anthony Mackie in a career best performance) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) are concerned that his actions
will kill them all. As they bond and difuse bombs, the stakes continually get raised, and the film builds and builds till the tension is
unbearable.
This is an Iraq film with no political agenda. The men are there, period, end of story. By not preaching and just being a brutal action
film and character study, this ends up becoming the first war movie of late to actually matter. This succeeds where other films like
Home of the Brave or Stop-Loss failed. 99% of the action takes place on the battlefield or on the base, and the 2 scenes in the United
States are just as powerful as the rest of the movie is.
Jeremy Renner deserves a Best Actor nomination for his role as the loose cannon who also might be the best bomb diffuser in the
military. He never makes the character one dimensional, or into a caricature. James is a well rounded character, one who we haven’t
seen in a war movie in some time. Anthony Mackie also should get some notice in the Supporting Actor category for his interpretation
of the by the book Sanborn who worries that James is too reckless for his own good. Brian Geraghty is great as well as the soldier
with nerves beginning to crack. The 3 “name” actors with cameos here are very good as well. Guy Pearce, David Morse, and Ralph
Fiennes only have one scene apiece in the film, but they each make it count in a big way.
The action in this film rivals anything a summer blockbuster has to offer, but the genius of the Bigelow’s direction is that she isn’t
interested in spectacle. She organically develops tension, making some scenes so rough you break out into a sweat. It might be
early on, but I have a feeling that Kathryn Bigelow might just be the first woman ever to win the Oscar for Best Director. She does that
good a job here.
Scribe Mark Boal also deserves praise for the way he captured the realism of the conflict as well as the dialogue between men. As a
reporter on the scene, he got the real story, and it translates perfectly to the screen. Even quiet moments are perfect. The interactions
between James and a young kid selling bootleg DVDs are some of the non action highlights of the film.
The Hurt Locker does everything right, and the result is a film that definitely deserves to be remembered come Oscar time. From the
writing to the directing to the acting to the picture itself, it is nearly flawless. I find it hard to believe that critics and audiences alike won’t
flock to this flick, and the Academy should follow suite. Do yourself a favor and see The Hurt Locker, it will leave you stunned, talking,
and in awe of the talent before you. This is one of the best movies of the year, hands down.
****/****
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