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remarkable film...
The Hurt Locker (2009, Kathryn Bigelow)
The EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) units must be one of the more tense jobs in the United States military. Their job is to uncover, disarm, and then safely detonate improvised explosive devices (IEDs). This film is quite remarkable in the documentary style it's presented through. The screenwriter of The Hurt Locker is Mark Boal, who spent time in Iraq as a journalist with several bomb crews. That first hand experience from the writing perspective tends to shift the film toward a more realistic and somber fair and away from an action and bells and whistles type of war-film. The film was extremely refreshing and tense and will certainly rank up there in my mind with the great war films; Paths of Glory, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Thin Red Line, Apocalypse Now, and so forth. Now we finally have a great film about the struggle in Iraq.
There is no huge story to be found here. The Hurt Locker follows the last 30-some days of Bravo company after their team leader (Guy Pearce) is killed in the amazing opening 10 minutes of the film. The replacement team leader is Sgt. James played to perfection in one of the great performances of film by Jeremy Renner, a relatively unknown actor. Certainly the fact that director Bigelow filmed the movie in Jordan and in horrible conditions right next door to Iraq, helped Renner and the other actors achieve that sense of tension and somberness in their parts. There's no glory to be had, or any message in The Hurt Locker, just a small group of men doing their job to save lives. Renner has some excellent moments, and as they say embodies the part. He smokes, jokes, and doesn't follow the rules because the rules are in part meant to protect him, whether it's wearing a cumbersome "protective" suit or setting a time limit to the detonation. He ignores the rules when the rules don't help him get his job done. There's no bravo or machismo hint in his performance whatsoever. This is one of those films that you watch and you believe the actors are their character. Anthony Mackie plays his second, in charge of having his back and covering him while in the open. Brian Geraghty plays the third member of the small crew, as a jaded and death-phobic shooter. None of these "stock" war-film parts drift into parody or cliche'.
The cinematography is excellent, The Hurt Locker is simply a beautiful film to watch, and the amazing action sequences kept me at edge for the films two plus hour length. Certainly one of the best films of 2009, and it breathes new life into a stale genre of film. There's no sentimental musical score telling us to feel nervous. We simply watch and that's enough. The editing is pitch-perfect, we know exactly what is going on and when and this isn't sacrificed in the name of fancy and frantic Michael Bay-esque camera work. This is simply an amazing film and amazing story-telling with little undermining manipulation to the viewer.
Grade: A
The Hurt Locker (2009, Kathryn Bigelow)
The EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) units must be one of the more tense jobs in the United States military. Their job is to uncover, disarm, and then safely detonate improvised explosive devices (IEDs). This film is quite remarkable in the documentary style it's presented through. The screenwriter of The Hurt Locker is Mark Boal, who spent time in Iraq as a journalist with several bomb crews. That first hand experience from the writing perspective tends to shift the film toward a more realistic and somber fair and away from an action and bells and whistles type of war-film. The film was extremely refreshing and tense and will certainly rank up there in my mind with the great war films; Paths of Glory, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Thin Red Line, Apocalypse Now, and so forth. Now we finally have a great film about the struggle in Iraq.
There is no huge story to be found here. The Hurt Locker follows the last 30-some days of Bravo company after their team leader (Guy Pearce) is killed in the amazing opening 10 minutes of the film. The replacement team leader is Sgt. James played to perfection in one of the great performances of film by Jeremy Renner, a relatively unknown actor. Certainly the fact that director Bigelow filmed the movie in Jordan and in horrible conditions right next door to Iraq, helped Renner and the other actors achieve that sense of tension and somberness in their parts. There's no glory to be had, or any message in The Hurt Locker, just a small group of men doing their job to save lives. Renner has some excellent moments, and as they say embodies the part. He smokes, jokes, and doesn't follow the rules because the rules are in part meant to protect him, whether it's wearing a cumbersome "protective" suit or setting a time limit to the detonation. He ignores the rules when the rules don't help him get his job done. There's no bravo or machismo hint in his performance whatsoever. This is one of those films that you watch and you believe the actors are their character. Anthony Mackie plays his second, in charge of having his back and covering him while in the open. Brian Geraghty plays the third member of the small crew, as a jaded and death-phobic shooter. None of these "stock" war-film parts drift into parody or cliche'.
The cinematography is excellent, The Hurt Locker is simply a beautiful film to watch, and the amazing action sequences kept me at edge for the films two plus hour length. Certainly one of the best films of 2009, and it breathes new life into a stale genre of film. There's no sentimental musical score telling us to feel nervous. We simply watch and that's enough. The editing is pitch-perfect, we know exactly what is going on and when and this isn't sacrificed in the name of fancy and frantic Michael Bay-esque camera work. This is simply an amazing film and amazing story-telling with little undermining manipulation to the viewer.
Grade: A