The Hurt Locker [Blu-ray] [2008]
July 9th, 2010 by James
The Hurt Locker [Blu-ray] [2008]
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Product Description
Evangeline Lilly, Christopher Sayegh, Nabil Koni, Sam Spruell, Sam RedfordDirector: Kathryn Bigelow
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Rating
‘The Hurt Locker’ is as good a war film as I have seen since ‘Apocalypse Now’, with which there are some similarities. Don’t expect the operatics of the Coppola film or the psychedelic tone though.
The use of flame imagery, particularly in a scene towards the end, and the circular structure of the film in (perpetual) tours of duty, emphasize the sense of the soldiers’ journey through increasing circles of hell. ‘Apocalypse Now’ was more poetic and this film resolutely prosaic (that is not a criticism), but both films are thoughtful, intelligent and deal with the inner mind of the soldiers as they move towards a greater understanding of themselves.
Some critics have said this is a ‘non-political’ film. I don’t agree, but it is not overtly political. Nonetheless, questions about the reasons for the soldiers being in Iraq, the class and racial backgrounds of the soldiers and the relationship between Iraqis and American troops are an important part of the film.
Kathryn Bigelow’s direction is terrific. She makes the film tense, but (somebody tell Tarantino) keeps it grounded in reality. She keeps it moving, but doesn’t resort to the flash, fast-cutting, impatient film-making of, say Tony or Ridley Scott. And Jeremy Renner, as Sgt William James, the detonator of the IED’s (Improvised Explosive Devices) – the man who gets to wear ‘the suit’ – is outstanding. I thought of a young Brando.
Most of all, next time I read or see on the news about explosions in Iraq or Afghanistan or anywhere else I will think a bit more about the soldiers out there instead of letting it all wash over me as I have done in the past.
Outstanding film. See it!
Rating
I wasn’t expecting too much from this film when I watched it. I’m not usually into war films, but having enjoyed QT’s Inglorious Basterds (which is totally different to this btw) I gave it a crack. It’s directed by Kathryn Bigelow who made Point Break so I was expecting a no brainer shoot em up. Far from it, this is a fantastic incredibly tense film about a group of bomb disposal experts in Iraq.
It focusses well on the relationships and bonding between the soldiers and also the differing mentalities of the lead players.
Jeremy Renner is exceptional as Sgt William James and carries much of the story. It’s an excellent portrayal of a man who’s an adrenaline junkie, loyal to his friends but at times reckless. There are also some great cameos from a few big name actors.
Seeing one of the characters back in the US shopping for cornflakes with his wife subtly puts across the reality of the craziness of war and what it does to a man.
Worth watching even if you’re not normally into war films.
Rating
I experienced an interesting contrast yesterday when I took my kids to see the technically brilliant James Cameron 3D blockbuster “Avatar” which is a stunning visual treat and hugely enjoyable albeit with a story line which is essentially “Dances with Wolves” in space. I also watched in the evening “The hurt locker” on blue ray. If given a choice of which of the two films to keep and treasure it would be Kathryn Bigelow’s epic study of three technicians of a specialist bomb disposal squad operating in Iraq on the streets of Baghdad. Indeed the real stars of the film are the ordinary children and adults of the troubled Iraqi capital some of whom could be potential insurgents that gives the film an overwhelming air of unpredictability and suspense.
Without giving away to much of the plot the film centres on a elite team and particularly the role of “Will” played by the excellent Jeremy Renner an adrenaline junkie who strides up to IEDs as if he was bomb proof. Sergeant Will James both loves war and yet is a mass of contradictions. Renner’s performance has Oscar written all over it.
Alongside “Will” are the young GI, Specialist Owen Eldridge, played by Brian Geraghty who performance of a marine visibly cracking up is spot on. Then there is my favourite character, the experienced African-American Sergeant JT Sanborn played by Anthony Mackie who is not the “inevitable black grunt” of Vietnam films but a more subtle character who nonetheless cannot fathom his predicament. The impact that Will James already has on a team with only 38 days left until they return home combined with the sheer intensity of the Iraq experience are the central themes.
The movie is a succession of memorable set pieces but with Bigelow’s direction emphasising the sparse and thus building in tension throughout. At one point I found my hands sweating and needed to pause to film because the tension is so unbearable. Similarly with the Ralph Fiennes “cameo” scene of “contractor” Brits who end up in a lengthy shoot out with insurgents one can almost feel the desert heat. There are numerous scenes like this which are also combined with the sheer tedium of being a soldier. One scene shows Renner in an American supermarket confounded at the vast array of breakfast cereals that face the American consumer. These multiple choices stand in stark contrast to the black and white risk reality of downtown Baghdad. As Sanborn once simply states “every time you suit up you live or die”.
Bigelow’s film is not a statement about geo politics; it does not moralise about the conflict but gives you its smells, flavours and tastes from ground view. It is nerve shredding, visceral and captures the experience of what Peter Bradshaw in the Guardian describes as “the physical trauma of being in close proximity, time after time, to the deafening blast of an explosion, controlled or otherwise. That obscene noise and, perhaps just as awful, the tense prelude of compressed silence, encloses you in a tight prison of pain: the “hurt locker”.
If you like war films high on action and combat get “Black Hawk Down” if alternatively you recognise that war is both the most sobering experience but also an assault on the senses then the Hurt Locker should be purchased ASAP since it is by far the best film of 2009.
Rating
The Hurt Locker is a film about fear and survival. It follows the daily work of three bomb-disposal experts in occupied Iraq. The film isn’t concerned with why these soldiers are in Iraq. In fact, it’s pleasingly free from ideology (though it’s quite clearly an anti-war film). The fact is, the soldiers are there, and they have to survive until they can go home.
The movie perfectly captures the daily terror and danger these men face as they operate in an environment where roadside explosives and suicide bombers threaten to prematurely end their tour of duty. A sense of real paranoia pervades the incredible scene in which maverick Sgt James tries to make safe a massive car bomb. Are the Iraqi men at the top of the minaret and the guy on the roof with a video camera simply curious bystanders, or are they communicating to each other as part of something more sinister?
The peril of the soldiers’ situation is sustained throughout the film, but don’t expect non-stop explosive action. Every scene is meticulously developed to extract maximum intensity, and sometimes the experience of watching the film is far from pleasant.
However, The Hurt Locker is a film that stays with you. It’s an important film about an important subject and thoroughly deserves the awards and good reviews it received.
Rating
Excellent film from an excellent director and producer. Well worthy of its Oscar wins.
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This film was an exceptional film that makes you realise what actually goes on so far away from home. I can completely see why it won so many awards and agree with all of them. This film really is a must see.
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One of the best war movies made this year. In my opinion absolutely brilliant.
From the second this film started i was gripped. The idea that someone would even consider doing this job is crazy.
my only problem with this film is that it lacks realism. I couldn’t believe that there is anyone this good in the US army. However the characters you are following are in themselves quite lovable, believable and enjoyable in there own right.
9/10 stunning
Rating
Well I don’t know where to start!
I have seen some amazing films, Blood diamond, The last king of Scotland. But Hurt Locker was just so incredibly powerful. I actually felt as though i was there in the middle of the hostility and hidden explosions. Sweat on my forhead from sheer terror and emense heat from the sun. It gripped me all the way through, tension building in my body.
I would highly recommend it even though it is very harrowing and reminds us of what our loved ones are doing in the Iraq War. It is very important that we realise just what our armed forces have to deal with and what is actually happening in this world of ours.
Rating
this is the first american war film that actually feels realistic, not your typical gung ho the americans save the day kind of film. it shows you what its like out there, what they go through and how they cope with going back to civilian life as close to reality as possible, it deserved the awards it won.
Rating
This is the story of an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit out in Iraq having to deal with visible and non-visible threats.
It’s a war movie unlike many others in that the camera direction is very carefully done, now and then putting you in the boots of the main man (Sgt. William James) by giving you the perspective of what things look like through a bombproof suit helmet and the perspective of walking towards a potential hazard.
Overall, The Hurt Locker delivers the goods. It is convincing, amazing to watch in glorious high definition and you appreciate the circumstances of the characters (who play an integral role in the storytelling). This is one not to miss.