Hurt Locker, The (Kathryn Bigelow, 2009)

Hurt Locker, The (2008)

Recommendations: Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, 2009), Requiem for a Dream, Dawn of the Dead

Last updated: 2010-05-13 03:47:07 by user07

The Hurt Locker

The Hurt Locker - Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, starring Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, and Brian Geraghty - Rated R

Who better to represent a tense movie than Anton Chigurh?



The Hurt Locker finally came out relatively close to Cannelton (about an hour and a half away) so here's a review for a movie that's been released theatrically for over two months now.

The Hurt Locker, simply put, is a great film. Based in Iraq in 2004 (though I've read that the year is only listed on some prints, not all, I'll get into why that's important later), The Hurt Locker follows a bomb disposal unit during it's last forty days in rotation. Armed with that knowledge, one might assume that the movie is one typical bomb disposal scene to another featuring lines like, "Which wire do I cut?" and "It's gonna blow!!!" But this movie turns those Hollywood staples on their head and creates countless nerve wracking, realistic scenes.

The film starts with the unit following protocol, using a robot to get close to an IED (improvised explosive device) and take care of it via remote control. It's a tense scene and it sets the tone and style for the entire movie, but I don't want to watch a movie about bomb disposing robots. Enter Jeremy Renner as new team leader Staff Sgt. James. When out on his first call with Sgt. Sanborn (Mackie) and Spc. Eldridge (Geraghty), James tells them to leave the robot and help him put on the blast suit. He then strolls off at a leisurely pace, stops to back off a brave cabbie at gunpoint, then finds the bomb and disarms it without seeming to give a second thought about it. Sgt. James never looks like he is unsure which wire to cut, he only seems to be looking for the right wire. From the get go, you can tell he either has a death wish or an addiction to adrenaline...or both. Either way, Sanborn and Eldridge aren't too happy about it and that leads to some entertaining and tense interactions with them throughout.

The seeming ease of the first disposal doesn't mean that everything is a walk in the park. There are different circumstances and locales during the film and it always stays fresh. I don't want to give away details, but let's just say you won't be bored, you might be disgusted once or twice, but boredom won't factor in, trust me.A movie in which any character could die at any minute is only as good as its characters and that's what makes this film stand out. The three main soldiers are not mindless, bland grunts. They are characters. I already mentioned James and his need for a rush or death. Tie that in with his interactions with the team and you have a realistic character on your hands. Sanborn tries to be the sane, balanced character of the group, constantly arguing with James about procedure and risking all their lives, but he has more going on than that. He has ambitions and he certainly want to survive. And then there's Eldridge, by far the most troubled of the group. He has "sessions" with a base doctor about how scared he is of death. So you know, since this is a war film, that he's going to have to deal with that fear quite regularly. Throw these three guys together and the film writes itself.The other factor that raises this film from the good category into greatness is director Kathryn Bigelow (Point Break, Strange Days). She creates tension as well as any director out there. I know I may sound like a broken record with all this tension and nerve talk since that was a focus of my review of Inglourious Basterds, but I cannot help it. It just so happens that the last two films I've seen are filled with amazingly tense moments. With The Hurt Locker, it's more than just the possibility of an instant explosion (don't get me wrong, that tension is obviously there), it's also the setting. IEDs can be hidden under any pile of trash so when Sgt. James is walking in a garbage strewn street, it might as well be a minefield, and Bigelow frames to shot to show it as such. The director also knows when to cut to the many bystanders during each disposal scene. In the Iraq setting, who can tell the difference between an innocent onlooker and a terrorist, especially when normal devices like cell phones can be used to detonate the bomb? Bigelow uses all of these elements to eat at the nerves of the viewer. She also films explosions quite well, showing the gritty details without making it seem gratuitous.

I want to mention a few minor details regarding the year of the film before I wrap up. As I wrote above, the version I saw set the movie in 2004. But I have read on message boards that the version people saw in Canada and New York did not have the year at the beginning. Some have claimed that setting the movie five years in the past somehow lessens the political aspect of the film. If it's about the past, then it's not a comment on the war right now or something. If that's the case I don't think it works, especially since the movie ignores political views. There are no questions about whether or not the war is justified, there's only the theme (mentioned in the opening line) that war is like a drug. Apply whatever political meaning you want out of that idea; the point is the film itself doesn't make any decisions for you. Political or not, the year is an issue and I do believe was added by the studio because it creates a few mistakes. First off, a soldier mentions youtube, which wasn't around until 2005 (I know, I know, I thought it had been around longer myself, but I looked it up: February 2005). Secondly, a soldier is seen playing the Xbox 360 game "Gears of War" which wasn't released until 2006. To be honest, none of this occurred to me while I was watching the film, but I know that stuff like that bothers some people, so just know that the year may have been a late addition by the studio.

All of that political/what year crap aside, this is a film worth watching and if it does get some nominations (hopefully for director, actor, and picture) it certainly deserves them. I want to point out, though, that depressing and tense though the film may be, it is also quite entertaining. There is plenty of action aside from bomb disposal (I thought the sniper scene was great) and the cameos from David Morse and Ralph Fiennes are a lot of fun. If The Hurt Locker makes its way to a theater near you, check it out. If not, at least check it out on DVD, you won't be sorry.

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Eric Harris - www.canneltoncritic.com

The Hurt Locker un film de Kathryn Bigelow

In my attempt to watch the entire  selection of movies nominated for the Oscars I will review here, in my  opinion, probably the nearest to be the best film of the year (to me it  was QT's Ingloriuous Basterds who got the pole); Kathryn Bigelow's The  Hurt Locker.

Well, now you're thinking this review will  be tainted with optimism... This is about right, you'll see! First of  all, I read yesterday on IMDb.com that an Iraq vet wrote that this movie  "sucked" because "all the critics said it was realism but they didn't  even got onto the battleground, etc." Well, to be honest I've never been  on the battleground either.  But, to respond to "that movie sucked" the  treatment of the film was all about realism and it would have been a  sci-fi flick filmed this way and I would have said that it was  realistic. The Hurt Locker is a  fiction and it shows us the vision of the writer and Bigelow's mise en  scène of Iraq, not what is exactly Iraq. We (I speak for the lucky  persons (civils) who lives in North America) can't understand or know  what is realistic or not about the war in Iraq or in any place in the  world.

The Hurt Locker diserves all the praise it receives because it keeps us on the top of  our seats from the beginning to the end. As it is written in the first  image of the film it is a drug and the viewer understands exactly how  the adrenaline the Privates need from their jobs/lives can keep them  alive. This urge is translated to the spectator in the urge that  we  need to see the film and how the action goes.

The plot may seem  confusing because it is obstructed by the amazing performances of the  actors and the intensity of the many action scenes. This is different of  the regular war movie, don't expect Apocalypse  Now or Full Metal Jacket here. I not saying they are lesser movies but The Hurt Locker is one of his kind. I think the shaky  camera and some unfocussed takes are great for that kind of story and I  think that they fit perfectly well here. The few slow-motion inserts  give strenght and depth to some fast paced action moments.

As a  conclusion, The Hurt Locker is  filled with strong moments and intense action scenes which  are not  common in an Independent author film. But they are handed amazingly.

http://cinephiliaque.blogspot.com/2010/02/hurt-locker-un-film-de-kathryn-bigelow.html

Recommendations: Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie, Duel

Last updated: 2010-04-27 15:37:32 by MichaelParent

The Hurt Locker

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Ruben of the Floating Red Couch<br />
http://www.floatingredcouch.com

Last updated: 2010-04-17 13:11:47 by user01

The Hurt Locker

Directed by Kathyrn Bigelow
Starring Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, and Brian Geraghty
Rated R
131 Minutes

Plot: Staff Sergeant William James enters Iraq and becomes the team leader of an Explosive Ordnance Disposal squad. Quickly, the group learns that they must work together to survive each day. 

As hyper realistic and intense as it is, The Hurt Locker is one of those movies that are hard to actually enjoy. Kathyrn Bigelow crafts a near perpetual intensity. When it lets up, a feeling like breathing fresh air again comes to mind. Most of this comes from Bigelow's editing centric sequences, with many a non-cut zooms inserted.  The Hurt Locker also shines in it's characters and acting. The main character, Staff Sergeant William James, is slowly revealed throughout the movie, and along with it the realization that some people enjoy war. What makes up most of the movie are several long and tense bomb-defusing scenes. Each one builds on the other, until the pressure can barely be held back. The Hurt Locker makes for a stellar action movie and an interesting character study.

Last updated: 2010-04-11 20:17:25 by user01

Something's Not Quite Right

On Saturday, I was at my folks house in T***y and we decided to drink  some wine and watch The Hurt Locker.  There is a guy in it that  looks like Devon Sawa but is actually Jeremy  Renner.  If you are like most people, you just said Who? twice.   That's ok, I understand.

Devon Sawa is probably my favorite actor who didn't quite make it over  the last ten years.  He was in such classics as Idle Hands, Final  Destination, and SLC Punk -- all three movies pretty much  led to some sort of success for every other actor (even Matthew Lillard  was Shaggy), but we all pretty much forgot about Devon Sawa.  Well, you forgot about him.  I totally remember him.
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Meanwhile, Jeremy Renner, who looks like Devon Sawa with bad skin, went  to high school in Modesto -- a city renowned for continuously finishing  in the bottom five of those Best Cities in America list.  Since my  folks live within the second circle of radiation fall-out, they consider  him to be a local boy and are taking an active interest.  (also, he's  nominated for best actor this year)

The film was directed by Mrs. ex-Jim Cameron (that Mrs. ex-Jim  Cameron-of-Titanic-and-Avatar fame), and is in the list of  ten for the Best Pic Oscar -- maybe deservedly so.  I think it's better  than Avatar, but, then again, many movies are.

Still, there is something missing.  Maybe it's plot.  We see a team of  bomb defusing soldiers moving in several episodes through the streets of  Baghdad in 2004.  The situations are always pretty hairy, and the  characters run the gamut of soldier character archetypes -- from the  by-the-book man who just wants to get out of Iraq alive (Anthony  Mackie's character) to the insane-feet-first soldier (Renner) to the kid  who didn't know what he was getting himself into (Brian Gerhaty's  character).  Inside the war situations, sort of their public faces, the  vignettes unfold with grace and intensity.  Outside, their private  faces, the film lacks depth in its characters -- like it never really  expected to show the soldiers outside of war -- which makes it lack that  sort of emotional tug that we crave.  I would use the term "uneven" to  describe this phenomenon in film.

I enjoyed this film.  I probably will never see it again unless as part  of some larger film watching -- like my own personal film festival about  wars in the new millennium, or if I feel like watching a series of  movies starring people who look like other people (Ralph Fiennes makes  an appearance, so that would work on two levels.  Renner looks like Sawa  and Fiennes looks like Liam Neeson)

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Ruben of the Floating Red Couch<br />
http://www.floatingredcouch.com

Booze Revooze: A Drinker’s Skewed View of The Hurt Locker

Ramblings: Explosive

Final Proof: 3 Shots

The Hurt Locker is intense from the instant the curtain rises. The first scene primes you with energy that’s explosive for the duration. Magnificently directed by Kathryn Bigelow, the movie never really sinks into those “War Is Hell” clichés, at least not very often, and also stays away from the politics of the Iraq conflict. The acting is as realistic as the action, so i guess the only thing that really left a bad taste in my mouth was a lack of direction.

You know how you go to the bar and drink until something happens ’cause if you drink long enough something surely will? Not here. The flick begins full throttle so has nowhere to go from there and i eventually got bored of the bomb disarming scenes. If that’s the story’s point, that war is repetitive, the characters should have been more blasé than they were at the the end.

When all is said and done, despite this solitary dud, Kathryn Bigelow’s obvious talent as a director makes The Hurt Locker a blast.

Buzz Kills (Watch out for spoilers)

Sex: 0 shots

The only woman in this whole thing is Evangeline Lilly (and if you’re only gonna have one, she’s a good one to have) but she’s only on screen for all of ninety seconds. Still, it’s a good enough excuse to look up pictures of her on the Net. [Note: the amount of space dedicated to her in this post is not representative of her screen time in the film.]
Drink: 1/2 shot

Only one scene. There’s rowdy male bonding over whiskey shots from the bottle in the barracks. You’d think a bomb squad would need more liquid down time. Jeebus, in M*A*S*H* they had a still in their tent and that was a tv show.

Rock & Roll: 4 Shots

Apart from some Ministry which we hear in the new guy’s room upon his arrival and more metal during the end credits, the real rock & roll in this film is the film itself. There’s enough of it in the film’s attitude to blow up your mental speakers. There’s a suicidal rebel leader, explosions, fighting, guns, shooting, killing, and balls to the wall intensity that rocks hard.

Boring Technical Crap

Written by: Mark Boal

Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow

Starring

Jeremy Renner – SSgt William James

Anthony Mackie – Sgt J.T. Sandborn

Brian Geraghty – Spc Owen Eldridge

Also appearing like mirages in this movie are Guy Pearce and Ralph Fiennes.

Bottom Line

See it.

Al K Hall<br />
Functional Alcoholic Slurperson<br />
(No, REALLY. Google &amp;quot;Slurperson&amp;quot; if you don't believe me.)

Last updated: 2010-04-04 21:47:08 by user08

The Hurt Locker

NOMINATED for nine oscars, ran away with six, including Best Picture and Best Director, The Hurt Locker has made Kathryn Bigelow the first female director to win the latter category, and has surely catapulted her to Hollywood's directing A-List.
The film follows the story of a US bomb disposal squad in Iraq. After one of their top disposal experts gets blown to smithereens, the group of soldiers witness the unorthodox methods of replacement Sergeant William James (unknown Jeremy Renner), whose recklessness borders on the insane.
We're thrown straight into Iraq, straight into a bomb disposal scene. Within the first ten minutes its clear the film is going to be a cracker.
The use of hand-held camera shots and constant cut-aways to civilians build great tension, and a sense of foreboding. Apparently cinematographer Barry Ackroyd (United 93) had four handheld cameras whirring simultaneously, generating 200 hours of footage, which the editors have cut down into bone-shards of storyline.
'War is a drug' is the introductory note in the opening credits. Its essentially what the film is about, exploring Sergeant Stewart's obsessive nature when disarming IEDs- that's Improvised Explosive Devices to you and me-taking tangible form when we see what the proverbial Hurt Locker is. Sergeant Stewart keeps a box underneath his bed full of wires and defunct explosive devices, all manner of things which had the potential to kill him.


We do see a couple of big names crop up. Guy Pearce cameos in a blink-and-you'll-miss him role at the beginning. And Lord Voldemort himself Ralph Fiennes shows up half way through the film as a British soldier, as they enlist the help of the American's in a small desert skirmish.
The script is especially sharp, and very funny in places as the three soldiers in the bomb disposal group banter back and forth. Kathryn Bigelow is familiar with the machismo chatter that comes with a group of guys constantly trying to one-up each other: look no further than her surfer flick Point Break to see that she knows how to get the best from her actors.
Perhaps a downside to The Hurt Locker is the fact that after all the Oscar hype surrounding it, this is just another 'Iraq war movie', though only those not paying attention will miss the details that make this a great film. It is subtle, composed and very well made. It paints a very accurate picture of men defined by conflict, coupled with a very realistic sense of what it must be like working in a warzone and the paranoia that comes with it.
This is the reason why this film beat Avatar to the Best Picture Gong. Tension? Tick. Original story? Tick. Excitement? Tick. Explosions? Tick tock. Avatar only ever had one thing going for it, and that was the visuals.

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Recommendations: Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, 2009)

Last updated: 2010-03-17 14:17:12 by richincolour

Hurt Locker blew me away

In honor of Best Film, Director, and Screenplay for the Hurt Locker from the Oscars, I am reposting my review from Aug 15th 2009 of this amazing film.



Last week I saw a VERY intense movie called Hurt Locker. This is one of the few movies that I knew almost nothing about going into it. From the title, I thought it was going to be a teen angst high school drama with some quirky music- well Hurt Locker could not be more opposite.  This small flick by Voltage Pictures and directed by Katheryn Bigelow, is about a US Iraqi Bomb squad trying to cope with the daily stresses of their life threatening job as they count down to the end of their tour. I thought I had a stressful job but these guys have a bad day and someone loses a hand, leg, or head. Geez.

From the opening scene Hurt Locker is one long continuous experiment in stress. The bomb squad, led by Sgt William James (Jeremy Renner) encounter one new bomb after another. Each bomb requires a new and sometimes unorthodox method of diffusion. As expected, sometimes their missions are successful and sometimes they are not- and you don’t want to be around when they are not. The story draws you into the surreal pressures that this type of team has to endure day after day. The best thing about this movie is that like each bomb encountered, the story also keeps you guessing. When you think there is danger, there is safety. When you think there is safety, then BOOM! Not cool, but great story telling.



The most difficult part of Hurt Locker is seeing how the stress affects the soldiers emotionally. The small but potent cast does an above average job of depicting men in war. With no healthy way to channel their pain, they are forced to stuff their trauma into an emotional ‘locker’ in order to survive. It makes you appreciate what our troops have to endure physically AND emotionally.



The production value is great. It feels authentic and there are a few scenes involving explosions that makes your jaw drop. Although a little long, Hurt Locker accomplishes its goal of making you empathize with the plight of our soldiers. It also makes you ponder about ideas like purpose, family, and duty. How it was wrapped up was a little awkward but it didn’t detract from the experience.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie although warning, this movie is not for the faint at heart. It’s  grim circumstances with desperate men. As a result you feel emotionally exhausted by the end. I definitely encourage you to see this movie while it’s still in the theaters. Hurt Locker is another example of how small or ‘indie’ flick continue to please while Hollywood ‘blockbusters’ fail almost weekly.

Last updated: 2010-03-13 22:13:05 by tonybkim

The Hurt Locker: Movie Review

"The Hurt Locker" has made a lot of noise in the movie world when it first came out and people started labeling it as one of the greatest war films ever made. This was enough to get us hyped up as we wanted to pinpoint exactly what makes it different from the tons of war movies we have seen before. Is it good because of its effects and action sequences? Was it labeled as excellent and powerful because of its ability to document the drama of soldiers at war? Read on to see what we think about the movie after the jump.

Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner) has been given the task of taking over Bravo Company’s three man bomb disposal squad in Iraq. The team has only 39 days left and his teammates have no other concern but to stay alive until their last day. However, James proves to be more difficult to work with as he seemingly enjoys the thrill of bomb disposal and has an unconventional approach in dealing with a dangerous situation. He is excellent but most of the time, he shows bravery that may be labeled as wild and suicidal. Can Bravo Company survive their final days in Iraq?

We now get what all the fuss was about this film. We couldn’t see any reason why you wouldn’t like "The Hurt Locker". It depicts modern war in Iraq so vividly, taking us into the depths of emotions of volunteer troops. We genuinely felt tension and fear as we see scenes wherein the team diffuses one bomb after the other, knowing that one can go off any second. A great scene to watch out for is the part wherein the team faced Iraqis head-on in the desert, waiting for hours just to see who would last longer. Over-all, the movie was able to showcase the real drama behind modern war that no amount of gun fighting, loud explosions, or even words could. So take that Michael Bay! This may be the secret behind the beautiful film as it does not need any of the racket or gore to make it effective. This movie, arguably labeled as one of the greatest American war films will be a movie you won’t soon forget.

Rating: 5 reels Why you should watch it:
- nerve wracking, edge of your seat tension and drama
- best war movie this decade

Why you shouldn’t watch it:
- some might still feel that the film is a bit too slow

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Recommendations:

Last updated: 2010-03-12 03:00:00 by user06

The Hurt Locker

Starring:

Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty with Guy Pierce and Ralph Fiennes

Director: Katheryn Bigelow

Genre: Drama, War

Rated: R



After losing their team leader in an explosion two members of a bomb squad must work with his replacement and try to survive the final 39 days of their tour in Iraq.

Katherine Bigelow brings us the best war movie of this Generation; The Hurt Locker follows three members of an elite bomb squad who are called out to clear IED’s out of the way for their fellow soldiers. It is a tense game of cat and mouse not knowing who is placing the bombs, how they are going to be detonated or how much time they will have to defuse them before an insurgent remotely detonates them. Jeremy Renner delivers a phenomenal performance as Staff Sergeant William James the new team leader who appears reckless and without care for his team.  The inside look into what motivates these volunteers to join a bomb squad and perform one of the most dangerous positions in the army is simply astounding the combination of going into an unknown area against and unknown enemy and defusing these crude bombs will make you squirm in your seat as if you are there. The shot’s of the concussive blast from one of these bombs is visually amazing. The dynamic of Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Eldrige (Brian Geraghyt)  who are counting down the days to leave Iraq conflicting with James who has defused hundreds of bombs and is not looking forward to leaving Iraq like the other two creates a mesmerizing conflict. The brotherhood they share as well as the discomfort of putting their life on the line in one of the deadliest situations possible is exhilarating to watch.

With a great cast and excellent direction the Hurt Locker is a movie that everyone should see, especially given that this is a film that is based in reality, on situations taking place right now.

‘Hurt Locker’ Shows Promise, but Gets Groggy

I heard that The Hurt Locker is the best movie of the year (and we're only in July) by a lot of major critics like Peter Travers and Roger Ebert. So I went to see it for myself, and I don't think that I saw the same movie as them. Hurt Lockerstarts off promising; squad "Bravo Company" defusing a bomb by hand after a robot breaks down. After an explosion and the death of a beloved team member, Bravo gets a new staff sergeant: William James. James, unlike previous sergeant Matt Thompson is a loose cannon. He's reckless and fearless, the kind of guy who likes to shoot now and take names later. At the point of his first greeting, the movie takes a downward spin. While some rare patches are suspenseful and will have you on the edge of your seat, the filler scenes between are filled with, well, nothing. Talking, talking, walking, walking. See a suspicious guy, watching, watching. Shoot someone, thinking, contemplating. Get my point?

The Hurt Locker stars Jeremy Renner (North Country) as James, Anthony Mackie (Eagle Eye) as Sergeant JT Sanborn and Brian Geraghty (We Are Marshall) as Specialist Owen Eldridge. Geraghty is the most convincing out of the three. There's also a short role for Guy Pearce as the later deceased Thompson, who's incredible, and another for Ralph Fiennes as the Contractor team leader. The big story here is the director, Kathryn Bigelow. Sure, she directed Point Break, but the lowdown on Locker is that she might have an Oscar nod in line for her come February. She'd be the fourth female director nominated for "Best Director" (the first if she wins) at the Academy Awards. Her style of directing is a mix of documentary and action. That works for some of the scenes, but I'm reminded of Michael Mann's arguable filming of Public Enemies.I'm going to cut her a break, since her directing is so influential. Mark Boal writes the screenplay, who also wrote In the Valley of Elah, and produces with Bigelow.

The Hurt Locker shows promise, although gets groggy as the movie unfolds. The reason I'm not giving it a lower grade than three out of five stars is because of the relationships the movie portrays with the Iraqi people. That's original, whilst The Hurt Locker is really just more of the same ol'.

3/5 stars.

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-Nick

The Hurt Locker (2009)

The future (if there’s any justice) best picture Oscar 2010 winner, was in fact, not quite all that when I first saw it. I liked it a lot, but didn’t love it.  It took me a second viewing to really appreciate this, and see it for what it is: a first rated pressure cooker action film (and there’s not that much action, so that’s saying a lot) and emotional drama, that gets down to business trying to really put you there, and depict exactly how hard war can be on a human mind.

the hurt locker

gripping, intense, compelling.  just a couple of words that come to mind as i reflect on seeing this film.  it’s really good.

there’s a quote that begins the movie on a black screen says something about war being a drug.  then that’s all the opening credits you get.  then it’s right in the middle of a team of bomb techs in bagdad.  they got the little robot guy out there then they put guy pearce in a moon suit and he walks out to the bomb.  i thought that was pretty cool and a trick you don’t see very often.  they like to put a bunch of credits in the beginning.

this thing just throws you right in the middle of the action and i loved it.

the movie follows a team of bomb techs on several missions.  and they do get into some shit.  as you would imagine a bomb tech team might get into in iraq.

it’s a great movie.  it’s the movie to see this weekend if it’s released in your city.  it’s a limited release so you might not get it.  but if you do, go see it.  it’s the best war movie i’ve seen in recent memory.  and i see lots of movies.

the actors are all terrific, the scenery is masterful, the soudtrack is riveting.  i’m running out of superlatives.  it will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire film.

my only complaint would be the over the shoulder camera work.  it’s really good camera work and they get some very interesting angles to help tell the story, but come on guys.  i like to sit in the third row.  are you trying to make me throw up?

i think this movie is a good insight into the minds of some of our men and women fighting over seas.  remember, war is a drug, like they say at the beginning of this film.  you know those guys that just keep going back?  i’m thinking this is probably why.  they get addicted to it just like some many people get addicted to pain killers, or sex, or anything that you can get addicted to i guess.

imagine yourself immersed in war where every move you make could be your last.  live like that for a year.  then stand in the cereal aisle at kroger and try to decide which one to have.

five car bombs out of five.

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Cal Reed

The Hurt Locker (2009)

Directed By: Kathryn Bigelow

Starring: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty

What it’s all about:

The Hurt Locker follows the story of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team of the U.S Army’s Bravo Company as they are called out to disarm a number of situations in the volatile battlefield of Iraq.

The Verdict:

The Hurt Locker effectively depicts the sheer intensity that soldiers of the EOD go through on a daily basis. Through strong performances from the entire cast, vivid cinematography, and clear and concise scenes, The Hurt Locker shines as the best depiction of the war in the Middle East to date. While the pacing can be a little slow, and certain plot-lines seem to take away from the films main subject matter, the movie creates a sense of intensity, fear and respect that so many films are lacking.

8.5/10

Recommendations:

Last updated: 2010-03-04 20:18:34 by hellerphant

The Hurt Lock: Defused Machismo

William James must defuse the bomb that has infused his humanity; his sacred alter a box full of explosive components, a locker full of impotent death. As a member of an EOD team in Iraq, James replaces Matt Thompson, another expert who followed the rules and played it safe, a good soldier whose life was erased and relegated to a wooden box full of memories. But James is a wild man, full of invigorating impulse and nihilistic expectations, a technician who relies on his own instincts and not the Army’s fallible technology. This creates a schism within his team and as their time grows shorter, the stakes become higher, and he seems to be taking unnecessary risks like a junkie high on adrenaline and cocaine.

Director Kathryn Bigelow’s cinema verite style creates immediacy and intimacy with the characters, bringing the audience into the sweltering heat, our perceptions altered by the vertiginous scintillation, while the claustrophobic enclosure of body armor smothers us in suspense…like being slowly buried alive. The attention to detail is a masquerade that hides the true face of the story; like Kubrick’s FULL METAL JACKET, this is a story that haunts the interior ghost-world of its characters and not the grim reality on the screen. It is a visual foundation that is literally blown-apart while we examine the emotional shrapnel that is left behind as their metaphysical midden. Unlike Kubrick’s masterpiece, Bigelow depicts the human beneath the camouflage, the effects upon the psyche of our protagonist: we see James as not an automaton but a complex and likeable person, a man who is lost in a grocery store but at home in a burning vehicle hardwired with death.

Actor Jeremy Renner exceptionally portrays William James as a multi-faceted character, a man addicted to the drug of war but who also longs for home while at the same time is distanced from it. He needs to hold his infant and we can imagine in the face of each Iraqi child that is victim to these horrific bombs…he sees his own baby’s reflection. The narrative counts down the days In Country of his Unit which heightens the suspense to explosive proportions, but the story veers precariously close to melodrama with a lateral plot about a young boy that stretches credibility a bit: fortunately, Bigelow’s solid nucleus transcends this stray fragment. Finally, James’ tour is up but he is restless and needs somewhere to go, so he leaves his lady and walks once again down Desolation Row. Final Grade: (A)

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Recommendations: The Birds, Breathless (Jean-Luc Godard, 1960), Funny Games

All reviews copyright Korova, Ltd. Visit Alex at his Home Theatre Blog, http://korovatheatrepresents.blogspot.com/

The Hurt Locker

The first Gulf War produced only one good movie: David O. Russell's "Three Kings."

The second Gulf War, a much more protracted struggle, has finally produced a worthwhile movie of its own: director Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker." "Locker" follows the tense and often grim adventures of a three-man bomb squad in Iraq. Making things tenser and grimmer is the fact that the leader of the squad, Staff Sergeant William James (played by newcomer Jeremy Renner), has reckless tendencies that sometimes border on the suicidal.

That's the bad news. The good news is, he's also kind, thoughtful and extremely good at defusing bombs, to the point that he keeps a basket of interesting trigger devices under his bunk.

What's striking about "The Hurt Locker" is its authenticity. All three of our bomb-squad guys are fully-rounded human beings with the same fears, doubts and desires as the rest of us. Not once did I question whether what I was seeing was real.

Until British actor Ralph Fiennes entered the picture.

It's not a movie-killer, but it is a misstep. About halfway through the story, Fiennes turns up as an Australian mercenary -- at least I think that was an Australian accent he was affecting -- and suddenly we're watching a movie again in a movie theater. Later, Evangeline Lilly -- Kate from the TV show "Lost" -- puts in an appearance, thrusting us once more out of our verisimilitudinous pleasure.

What kills me about decisions like this is that they are so unnecessary. The only payoff to casting name actors in bit parts of arthouse movies is that it gives the director greater peace of mind about the caliber of project she is working on. And that is unacceptable. A good director must sacrifice her peace of mind for the sake of the movie. (Coppola nearly went insane directing "Apocalypse Now." That's the kind of dedication we like to see!) Bigelow generally does an excellent job here -- her camera choices are consistently effective and often unconventional -- but she should have spared the movie, and the audience, the presence of movie-star distractions.

But back to why "The Hurt Locker" is so good. The plot is essentially a string of bomb-defusing episodes, each one, in its way, an escalation of danger and suspense. Defused bomb by defused bomb, our investment in the characters grows and grows. By the end we can barely stand the idea that one or more of our bomb-squad intimates will get pulped in an explosive finale.

Contributing to this sense of dread is a cruel superscript that pops up to inform us how many days remain in the company's active duty rotation. The number is always dwindling, but anyone familiar with the universe's sense of irony knows the danger is greater at the end of a tour than it is at the beginning.

The finale isn't quite as good as it should be, partly because an episodic plot structure has a harder time reaching a satisfying climax than a more traditional narrative. But there's an additional problem. Toward the end, the movie's focus goes slowly fuzzy as Bigelow and writer Mark Foal get interested in symbolic allusions to the US military's overall effort in Iraq.

The temptation to comment on the murky, frustrating and perhaps quixotic situation in Iraq proves too great for the filmmakers. That's too bad, because the bomb-squad micro-drama is more than compelling enough to justify its existence without any larger geo-political commentary.

Great war movies, after all, aren't really about war, they are about combat. As long as "The Hurt Locker" limits itself to a study of men in combat, it succeeds brilliantly.

Late in the movie, James asks his subordinate, Staff Sergeant JT Sanborn, if he knows why "I am the way I am." James is actively hoping for an answer. But Sanborn, after giving James a long look, just shakes his head and says no. James looks out the front window of his humvee despondently. It's a great moment.

There are many great moments in "The Hurt Locker." They may not add up to a perfect movie, but they add up to an excellent one, and if that's not good enough for you, your standards are too high.

SCORE:

How Accomplished: 84/100

How Much I Enjoyed: 84/100

The Hurt Locker

The Hurt Locker ya'll! This movie has been getting a lot of hype for the Oscars and it's been nominated for Best Picture in the Golden Globes. It is a really good movie, don't get me wrong.. but I still don't see what'sso great about it.



Hurt Locker is about a bomb defusing team in Iraq. Everyday, these people go to work and risk death on a regular basis. To make matters worst, their new team leader is an incredibly reckless soldier that makes their missions more dangerous.



One thing I liked about The Hurt Locker is the use of unknown casts against well established actors. Ralph Fiennes, David Morse and Guy Pearce make appearances in the film for a few minutes before being killed off. Just cause they're famous actors we expect them to be the main characters, so it was a nice surprise there. I like how this shows that in war, anyone is fair game.

 

The editing of the film is really good. It uses the same style as the Bourne movies where like it's all fast paced action, really terrifying sequences and then it slows down for a breather and a moment of lot development an then it throws you right back with more action and suspense. The cinematography of gritty war laden Iraq is actually quite a beauty with it's realism. And the slow motion action sequences is breathtaking.


I still don't get what's the deal with Jeremy Renner's apparent stellar performances. I thought he was just OK. I preferred Anthony Mackie as the helpless Sgt. who has to deal with all the shit Renner's character puts their team in. 



So with so many good things to say about Hurt Locker, why do I still think it shouldn't deserve top award nominations? Now please don't get me wrong, I really liked this movie but I just can't see what all the buzz about Hurt Locker is about?



This just isn't Best Picture material. It's more like Greengrass movies, the kind that will get nominated technical awards like editing and cinematography but not top prizes. Once again I wanna clarify, this is really good war movie worth checking out, it just isn't top award material.

RATING: 7/10

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NicholasC

The Hurt Locker

Soldiers are not allowed to smoke during combat. Before and after is fine, but during is reckless. It’s like talking on the phone while driving, except you’re talking a man down from a ledge, while driving in the Le Mans Grand Prix. Most soldiers have enough on their minds not dying during combat. So the no-no governing combat-smoking only applies to a select few. I’d say you feel one of two ways about men who smoke in the midst of a gun-fight. Either: a) they offer proof of man’s ultimate de-sensitisation to violence. Or b) they’re f—ing rock stars! Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker is for those who think b.

Into the jittery, adrenaline-spewing maelstrom of Iraq, a new guy arrives to join the bomb squad. He hasn’t come to weep for Baghdad, but to have a little fun. His name is Sergeant James. He looks like he grew up in a gun shop. His colleagues – still mourning James’s predecessor – don’t like him. James is a guy who would juggle hand-grenades to pass the time. But he’s the Bobby Fischer of bomb disposal. He is perfectly maladjusted for his job. Day after day, he puts on what looks like a 19th century diving suit, waddles over to bombs, and stops them killing. If he were doing this for anyone, he’d be a hero. But his heroics are strictly for him.

What The Hurt Locker gets right is the soldier’s perspective: the politics don’t matter. Some men are there because they want to kill; most are there because they want a pay cheque, a few because war is home. Although the movie is told from an American point of view, it doesn’t demonise those who want to kill Americans. They are just as the soldiers see them: an unknown. There’s a great scene where Sergeant James tries to avenge a boy he believes insurgents have murdered. From the moment he steps outside the Green Zone, he’s lost. This is not his country. The movie doesn’t denigrate his good intentions, but neither do James’s rushed plans succeed.

Jeremy Renner plays James like a NASCAR racer. He looks at people like they haven’t drunk enough beer. He’s everyday-tough, like a toolkit. Even his hair looks like it’s been on an assault course. Where there’s a risk James could be nothing more than a Top Gun caricature, Renner balances the egomaniac grandstanding with a practical man’s lack of self-awareness. His James is a guy who loves what he does, but doesn’t think of how he’s viewed. When a Colonel asks James the best way to disarm a bomb, Renner says “the way you don’t die” like that’s the answer, not as a quip. If there’s such a thing as suicidal sangfroid, he embodies both traits.

Director Kathryn Bigelow has always made movies about men. Her 1991 bullet-fest, Point Break, was so goddamn macho you needed a shave after watching it. You could count the number of women in Bigelow’s movies with your arms, not your fingers. It’s action that draws her. In a Bigelow movie, men explain themselves – and who they want to be – through gun-play. She gets how a gun can be like a woman’s clothes. For the kind of guys she’s interested in, even the most heartfelt confession doesn’t have the intimacy of battle. She never mocks these guys, or homo-eroticizes their behaviour (Point Break would be a gay love story no matter who directed), she just wants to be one of the boys. In Bigelow’s hands The Hurt Locker isn’t about war, it’s about fraternity.

While no-one would disagree with an anti-war sentiment (even the military don’t want to be on the losing side), as a dramatic premise, saying “war is bad” is like saying “adultery is wrong”. Yes, it’s true, but it also happens. The reason The Hurt Locker does well as a war drama is because it doesn’t hide from soldiers and the fact that – without war – they’d have no purpose. Sergeant James isn’t presented with jingoistic acclaim; he’s just a skilled mechanic. Kathryn Bigelow might want us to feel his excitement, but that’s her crush on guys like him, not American foreign policy. There’s a difference between being pro-war and being pro-warrior.

Super Marcey's The Hurt Locker Review

4.5/5

Kathryn Bigelow has given me two of my all time favourite films with Near Dark and Point Break, and I will watch anything she directs. When I heard about this film, it seemed like something rather different from her and I wasn't sure if it was really going to be my cup of tea. But damn was I ever wrong, what she has crafted here is probably one of the most intense and suspensful films I have ever seen. This is a film set in Iraq, with a group that makes up the bomb squad unit. They get sent in to dismantle and disarm bombs in the most dangerous of situations.

Now I have no idea how acurate the portrayal of this actually is, I am not going to pretend to know what it is like being smack bang in the middle of a war and what it is like being there. I can only look at this as a film, and what I got from it. You are basically put into a dangerous situation from the start of this film, you see the people involved and what they have to deal with. They are dealing with a bomb that could go off at any second, potention enemy could be anywhere waiting to detonate. The intensity of it all really got to me, and I was glued to the screen, and actually fearing what may happen. We get to know our characters and their situations and how doing this particular job has affected them. They try and deal with their every day lives out there, trying to keep themselves sane while the place around them crumbs (so to speak). They do not want to be there, but they get that call that there is a bomb and they have to go out there.

You get a really strong feel for everything going on, Kathryn's direction here is nothing short of fantastic and I don't think I saw a film in 2009 with better direction. It brings you right in, and it does not let up until the final frame. The look of the film is fantastic, you feel like you are right there with them. The washed out look, the cinematography, it just all feels very authentic. Acting wise, our three main characters are all just fantastic and they all excelled in their roles. Brian Geraghty as Owen did such a great job as the young and disturbed one. Anthony Mackie as JT was just so damn good in his role, he wants to take charge of the situation he knows how dangerous things are. Then we have for me the stand out with Jeremy Renner as William, the new guy to the team who seems rather wreckless and of course has his issues with JT. Renner certainly gave one of my favourite performances from 2009, he played all the right notes and just seemed to fit this character perfectly.

I can certainly understand all the praise for this film, it really does deserve it. It is a slow burn film, which worked really well for it. It certainly wouldn't have been as intense if it was done differently. It has some nice cameos from a lot of familar faces and they all do pretty well. Some interesting sub plots, one which kind of left me a bit confused but after thinking about it, I understood what was going on and it made perfect sense. I really want to watch this again, because I am sure I will get even more out of it a second time.

(Review written January 22nd 2010, first posted on SuperMarcey.com)

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Recommendations: Moon (Duncan Jones, 2009), Milk, Hurt Locker, The (Kathryn Bigelow, 2009)

Last updated: 2010-02-14 21:03:20 by SuperMarcey

The Hurt Locker

Writer: Mark Boal
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Starring: Jeremy renner, Anthony Mackie, Guy Pierce

This is simply one of the best movies about war directed by one of our finest and under appreciated directors. This is a tight, suspenseful and flawless little masterpiece of tension and suspense. Jeremy Renner gives a breakout and Oscar caliber performance as a bomb disposal soldier who is very reckless and either brave or brave and stupid. The direction by Bigelow is outstanding and so assured. There is not one false moment and the movie doesn't stop for a moment but somehow we learn a lot about the main character. This has a lot of tension, suspense and a very powerful story with a haunting ending. Kathryn Bigelow has been around a long time and she is so good. From her 1987 horror classic "Near Dark" to her great action movies like "Point Break" she knows how to create thrills and tension as good as any director out there.

Vincent Snavely

The Hurt Locker

The Hurt Locker is 2 hours of tension.  Nothing but tension as you watch these 3 soldiers get put right in the thick of the war in Iraq as they try and disarm potentially devastating bombs, or at least try and contain the situation and sustain a low number of casualties.  This is a good movie, but it just gets to repetitive to be a great one. 

Now fortunately director Kathryn Bigelow directs these scenes of tension with perfection, but it's really just the same thing happening every 15 minutes.  The soldiers go out there, the bomb tech tries to disarm the bomb, all 3 soldiers get stared down by the cities' inhabitants.  And it seems as though the director wants everyone on screen to look suspicious and that they could kill at any second.  And Bigelow does a superb job at creating that "I'm on the edge of my seat" environment, but after about 3 times, it gets tiresome.  About halfway through the movie Bigelow gives us yet another intense scene, but this time it’s not a bomb defusing situation, but a sniper shootout.  This was actually really boring.  And it's long.  The scene was so mediocre that in an ironic way it made me long for a 55th bomb defusing scene. 

Now aside from the great direction, the reason why this movie works is the out of the park performance from the lead Jeremy Renner who plays William James, the new bomb tech who joins squad team Bravo of Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Eldrige (Brian Geraghty) who we follow through out the film.  James is just flat out crazy.  He's damn good at his job, but he's reckless.  And I'm talking reckless.  He makes Han Solo's decision to fly through the asteroid field in Empire Strikes Back seem like a conservative move.  And the real brilliance of this script is that the audience meets Sanborn and Eldrige first and because they are introduced in the first scene, you connect with them emotionally.  They are also pretty conservative at their job.  So when James comes in to upset that balance, you hate him at first.  But as the movie goes on, you start to sympathize with James a little more as you learn his character.  Renner plays so many different emotions well; you are just glued to this guy.  In fact he's so good, that the other characters just come off as boring and flat.  He really is the only performance of note.  There is one scene in particular where the 3 soldiers are drinking, trying to really bond for the first time, and everyone just melts away as Renner owns the screen. 

In fact the movie starts to get really good late in the game when something happens to James' character that screws with his mind.  It's here where the movie really starts to focus on his character whereas the first two thirds just kind of meander around these 3 guys.  They are good scenes, but I wasn't emotionally involved in the characters too much.  When the story centers on James, I was all in.    

I would definitely recommend the Hurt Locker.  It's kind of a broken record, there a couple lulls, but its well directed and finishes very strong.  Bigelow saves the most tension filled and best scene for last.  A great ending.  If they developed the other characters more besides James, it could have been stronger, but what are you going to do.

Rating: 7 out of 10

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Last updated: 2010-02-13 11:21:35 by danjewish

The Hurt Locker

The film should have been titled "How to Defuse a Bomb in Less Than Two Minutes". The movie failed to capture my attention and ultimately left me questioning the overall purpose of story and why it is getting so much recognition. The acting was real and the wisdom that the film gives sums up the reasons for me liking it. I was expecting an action film with plenty of suspense and violence. The majority of the film takes place in an Iraqi desert and shows the relationships the soldiers form and how efficiently they perform their duty. If I had watched this movie prior to the award recognition, maybe I would be able to give it a better rating. I will pretend that I saw this in June with the rating I give. 3 out of 4 stars.

The Hurt Locker

The Hurt Locker is one of those films that sets up a dangerous situation, then makes you wait two hours for a resolution, which of course tells you only to expect more of the same. And no, I don't see a sequel coming. This is pro forma, as we all know the lead isn't going to die in the first reel. Some one does die before you've gotten to know him, and quite early on in the proceedings, and that too is pro forma, as the risk element as well as the randomness of war-time deaths must be established.
 

Having said that, you can't fault either Kathryn Bigelow who is a veteran of action movies having directed (among many) K-19: The Widowmaker, Point Break, and Blue Steel. Or her screenwriter and co-producer, Mark Boal, for adhering to a standard of film structure.
  The Hurt Locker is a title that gives a way nothing of what the film is about. You're not going to make the leap from seeing this title to its subject matter which is about a team of US Army bomb-techs on duty in Iraq working, in some cases against the clock, to dismantle, defuse, or dispose of bombs and anti-personnel explosive devices created by the enemy.
 
The team consists of Staff Sergeant William James played by Jeremy Renner, Sergeant JT Sanborn played by Anthony Mackie, and Specialist Owen Eldridge played by Brian Geraghty. Their job is to respond to calls needing the services of the EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) unit. In much smaller roles we have David Morse, Guy Pearce, and Ralph Fiennes.
 
The film does a great job of humanizing the three leads as they work in the most dehumanizing environment of all - war. Specialist Eldridge says, Your here. It's war. You will die. Sgt. James works with a bravado above and beyond. He will eschew protocol, rules, and even direct orders in order to facilitate the disposal of the bomb threats. And Sgt. Sanborn is effective as the team leader. We care for him as he hopes his 1 year tour of duty will end with him being alive at its conclusion. At several points in the film he will tell us exactly how many days he has left.
 
The film was shot in and around Amman, Jordan, and we never do feel that we are on a sound stage somewhere. Bigelow tells us that in Jordan at that time, there were about 750.000 Iraqui refugees present and she managed to cull a few superb Iraqui actors from the lot.
 
Mark Boal wrote the script after being an embedded journalist who actually went around with a working EOD unit. He experienced first hand a day in the life of a bomb tech. He said he was in constant fear, and he was told to think of the work as a day at the office lest his daily fears create stress disorders, ulcers, or worse.
 
Bigelow also described her methodology which was to have four separate camera units shooting many of the scenes. They'd be close in, near, mid-range, and far. This was the case because they needed closeups of the bomb-tech cutting wires, shots of the other two providing perimeter coverage, plus shots of the action from back and beyond the kill zone of the bombs.
 
In a desert shootout, which was very exciting, the target range was 850 yards which is around a half mile. So much of that distance was shown to us through a scope.
 
What makes this film so great is that it doesn't glorify these men. Instead we watch men at work, and their job  is supremely dangerous. This is not a pro or anti-war film, nor has Bigelow politicized the story. If any thing it is apolitical despite the fact that the actual war is very political. Bigelow says that the film has neither a Republican nor a Democratic perspective.
 
In summation I'll say that this film is not a walk in the park, which is obvious from its subject matter. It does have bloodshed, and deaths, but on a much smaller scale than say your average disaster film. Still, I'd have to say that The Hurt Locker is definitely not for you if you're squeamish, faint-hearted, or anti-war.Beyond that, the film is a superb, and is going to walk away with lots of awards.

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Recommendations: Chak De! India

Last updated: 2010-01-21 19:20:16 by JustMeMike

The Hurt Locker

Last updated: 2010-01-17 21:33:34 by malikaziz

the hurt locker

you might be wondering: what is the hurt locker? i’m going to tell you, the hurt locker is a shower. where you go when you hurt. at least, that’s what i gathered from watching this film. he looked pretty upset in there. maybe the hot water wasn’t working.

if you want a realistic perspective on bomb defusing, the U.S. military, or the iraq war, then this is a great movie to watch. i mean, i think it’s real. i’ve never participated in the U.S. or its wars, so i don’t really know. but it felt real, and i enjoyed it. i will also say i had little interest in bomb defusing either before or after watching the hurt locker, and yet it still really held my interest, which is a testament to just how good this movie is and the fact that it broaches a lot more topics than just bombs.

there isn’t much else to say about the hurt locker. so instead i’m going to talk about newspapers: why do they leave a terrible mess on my fingers? and why do people pay for them when the news is freely available on the internet?

i give this movie a 6/7. it was a surprising treat, and i can’t really complain about anything. thus, you’re probably wondering: why did it lose a point?

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Last updated: 2010-01-09 01:16:58 by user03

Movie Review: The Hurt Locker

Going into The Hurt Locker, I had already garnered the preconceived notion that I would not be seeing a politically charged Iraq War film. Given the box office failings of other Iraq related films in recent years, I can see clearly why such a marketing strategy was employed. While I don’t hold it against the people selling the film for marketing it in such a way, I think their marketing safe-guard comes across as somewhat misleading. In a way, it misconstrues the image of the film for what I believe it really is. I say this because, while The Hurt Locker is certainly no political war movie, it’s also the first Iraq related film that struck me as an actual war film.

What I mean by this is that The Hurt Locker is dominantly a combat oriented film. In it, the story centers more around the action sequences which take place, and less around politics and character drama. One valid comparison might be to Black Hawk Down, a film which also centers largely around intense combat. The Hurt Locker then, unlike other previous Iraq films (In the Valley of Elah, Stop-Loss) focuses primarily on the action segments of the story, whereas others chose to focus on character drama and political themes. So to be fair to The Hurt Locker, I think it should be painted less as a “non-political” action film, and more as a true war genre combat film. It deserves that honest image, because all-in-all, The Hurt Locker is a very good film.

When I say it focuses around it’s action sequences, it does, and it does so very well. Adhering to Hitchcock’s old saying: “There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it” Kathryn Bigelow, the female director (GASP!) crafts some very intense, realistic moments around bomb diffusal. Just think about it, what is more dramatically intense than diffusing a bomb? Not much. It is around this intensity that the main character is formed, because for Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner), that intensity just so happens to be his obsession. It is his “drug”, as they say.

One of the best things about The Hurt Locker is that, while the action scenes do seem to be the highlight of the movie, it isn’t over encumbered with them. The movie is very well paced, and the action scene placement feels just right. They smartly left some room to breathe in between intense moments, which is nice and often lacking in similar films. In doing so, they managed to avoid eclipsing the characters, who by the end of the film are flushed out as complex and interesting. Jeremy Renner in the lead has an especially noteworthy performance, and I’ll look forward to watching his career move ahead.
Watching this film reminds me of that saying, which I shall just paraphrase here, about how war is mostly dull, with brief moments of terror. I’d say The Hurt Locker does a noteworthy job of reflecting that adage. I definitely recommend this film (3.5 of 4 stars).

On the note of Kathryn Bigelow as director, I’d like to comment on how amusing it is to see people’s reactions to a female directed war film. When the credits rolled in my theater viewing, one man behind me exclaimed to my amusement: “Did you see that? A woman directed this!”. Such remarks certainly say something about our society. To think that men are expected to be the only artistic renderers and providers of violence… And when a woman does portray violence, and does it well, it is somehow a shock because really now, what do women know about war? Considering, we all know those male Hollywood directors are so much more accustomed to the establishment of war than their female counterparts… righttt. (With the exception of Oliver Stone as a Vietnam Vet, and perhaps any other war veteran directors I am unaware of). Anyway, here’s to allowing females full access to screen violence that men have had privy to for decades. I say, let there be equal screen violence from both genders! Here here!

Just a Note: This is literally the first Movie Review I have ever written.

Recommendations:

Last updated: 2010-01-02 22:48:10 by user01

Hurt Locker, The (Kathryn Bigelow, 2009)

The action woman is back with The Hurt Locker. Kathryn Bigelow, the  director of Point Break (1991) and Strange Days (1995),  returns to top form with this critically-acclaimed war picture after the flop of  K19: The Widowmaker (2002). Filmed in Jordan, The Hurt Locker is set in Iraq during its recent American invasion a few years back. It follows  a team of three U.S soldiers whose daily job is to defuse unexploded bombs or to  tackle bomb threats. In this team, there is one specialist who suits up in  protective gear and goes right up to the bomb to nullify its threat while his  buddies provide defensive cover for him from a distance.

The Hurt  Locker builds upon the principle of suspense filmmaking and nothing else.  The fear of a bomb exploding remains to be one of the most surefire ways to  induce queasiness in cinemagoers. Here, Bigelow employs an array of film  techniques (some excellent, some flawed) to intensify that fear, cranking the  tension to at times unbearable levels. In the opening scene, she shows her  action credentials in perhaps the film’s most outstanding set-piece – a slow  build-up of suspense which accumulates in a massive, heart-thumping  explosion.

With such an impressive introduction, it takes a great  director to follow-up and maintain the interest of his viewers. Bigelow, however  good she is, is not a great filmmaker. She manages to sustain the suspense for  most parts, but because of the lack of a driving plot and the overuse of the  ‘shaky’ camera approach, her film becomes less interesting over the course of  two hours. Unlike most war films, The Hurt Locker has no story but only  a series of chronological accounts of men in endless bomb-threat scenarios.  Perhaps the only form of ‘narrative sense’ that could be observed is that the  film intends to show the futility of war through its  unpredictability.

How does one preserve his sanity in such a vocation?  “Don’t think about it,” says the lead character James (Jeremy Renner) who has  defused more than eight hundred bombs in his career. In a fairly ironic scene  late on, James, having had to choose a box cereal for his family, becomes  overwhelmed by the sheer number of different brands available on the shelves of  the supermarket. For once, he is stunned because he has ample time to make a  decision and that he ‘thinks about it’. “Is my decision the best? Did I choose  correctly? Hell, I’d rather defuse a bomb than choose a box of cereal!” his  blank stare seems to suggest.

Bigelow’s overuse of the ‘shaky’ camera  becomes nauseating after a while, even though it is essential to a certain  extent in creating the docu-realism feel which plays a part in the heightening  of the suspense. And then there is the use of slow-motion in a couple of shots  which look out of place in a film emphasizing on the rules of time and reality.  Nevertheless, The Hurt Locker remains to be one of the better action  pictures of the year. I foresee possible Oscar nominations for sound mixing and  sound editing. Despite its flaws, this is a film to be experienced (however just  once) in the theatres.

SCORE: 7.5/10
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Recommendations: Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich, 2010), To Kill a Mockingbird (Robert Mulligan, 1962), The Visitor

Singapore's Most Prolific Film Blogger @ www.filmnomenon.blogspot.com

Last updated: 2009-10-19 09:46:56 by eternality_tan

The Hurt Locker

Genre: War, Action Thriller
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty
Running Time: 131 minutes (plus trailers)

“Every time you suit up, every time we go out, it's life or death”

Based on a script by Mark Boal, a freelance journalist who spent time embedded with a real life bomb disposal unit in Iraq, Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker is a war film that purports to give a realistic look at the life of a soldier on the frontlines in Baghdad. The story follows an Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit made up of Sergeant J.T. Sanborn and Specialist Owen Eldridge (played by Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty) and their newly assigned team leader Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner), a thrill seeking soldier whose cavalier attitude and unorthodox methods soon begin to put the lives of his men at risk. The recent winner of six Academy Awards including Best Original Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture, The Hurt Locker’s refreshing lack of politics, along with its phenomenal direction and first rate performances make it the best film yet made about the war in Iraq, both a mind blowing action picture and fascinating character study of a man who can only find meaning in his life when it could end at any second.

The first term that comes to mind when describing The Hurt Locker is one I’m hesitant to use, as it has become a sort of buzz word in Hollywood in recent times. That term is “gritty realism”, something that so many films both big and small try to attain with most of them falling well short. But where they fail, The Hurt Locker may have succeeded – while I have never been a soldier or experienced military conflict of any sort, director Kathryn Bigelow (Point Break, Strange Days) has crafted a war movie that feels more believable than any I have ever watched and from the fantastic opening scene the sense of location, and of the constant danger that can be found in that location, is intense and ever present. One thing that may strike some as being odd is the movies pacing; there is no central mission (a la Saving Private Ryan) but rather a series of individual days and tasks – depicted through several set pieces of gut-wrenching tension – all counting down to the end of Bravo Companies rotation.

For Eldridge and Sanborn, this day cannot come soon enough. But for Sergeant James, the thrill of conflict is his only reason to live; the real world seeming mundane and pointless by comparison. He is the kind of man who thrives in the combat zone; in many ways he is the archetypal action hero, a risk taking, wise cracking wild man; a brave and charismatic soldier with no regard for authority and who is the very best at what he does. But when Bigelow and Boal take this larger than life character that we have seen so many times before and insert him into this true to life world they have created, we realize that men like James are actually extremely dangerous and destructive. The young Iraqi boy who he befriends say it best when he describes James as “a gangster”; this is how James sees himself, and while we have no doubt that he would sacrifice himself for his men in an instant, his reckless actions make him just as big a threat to their safety as any enemy combatant.

My complaints of The Hurt Locker are few and far between; my biggest one would be that we spend so much time on the mental state of James that the other two central characters are somewhat shortchanged. I thought Elridges sub-plot dealing with his own psychological issues was seriously under-developed, whilst Sanborn displays almost no personality barring his final scene. This is no criticism of the actors, with all three leading men giving fantastic performances; it was simply a matter of not having spent enough time with them. The movie is over two hours; perhaps a little too long, especially given that the nature of the films structure would have made it relatively easy to make cuts (I would have started with the slightly out of place AWOL scene, probably the most unrealistic section of the movie) without the story or character arcs suffering. I'm a big believer of movies coming in under the two hour mark (there are of course exceptions) and while it certainly doesn't kill the film, a second viewing does drag briefly in certain points.

The first words we see on screen in The Hurt Locker are a quote from war journalist Chris Hedges: “The rush of battle is a potent and often lethal addiction, for war is a drug”. If war is a drug, than James is junkie; a desperate addict who will go to enormous lengths to get his fix. It is here perhaps that the message of The Hurt Locker can be found: unlike so many films made about the Iraq War, this story does not hammer home the evils of this conflict; this is not the tale of greedy oil companies and easily bought politicians. It is the story of the individuals who aren’t involved in the politics of the war, and yet they are the ones whose lives are being put on the line. This may in fact be the first Iraq War film that isn’t a blatantly anti-Iraq war film and yet by focusing not on the conspiracy theories but rather on the real people involved, it still manages to be a very powerful testament against not one but all wars.

However all psychoanalysis aside, Sergeant James is still a captivating and undeniable fantastic action hero. This is where The Hurt Locker truly succeeds; as a gripping action thriller that gives the audience the heart stopping feeling of being right there in the middle of the conflict. There is a palpable tension in the bomb disposal scenes, Bigelow using handheld cameras to draw you in; an extended sniper sequence halfway into the film is so well executed that you can almost feel the flies crawling over your eyelids and the sweat pouring down your brow. Digital cinematography and handheld cameras usually irritate me, but Bigelow proves herself to be one of the few directors capable of employing documentary style filmmaking in a way that adds to that sense of real life peril rather than just being distracting. Meanwhile, the lingering shots of the bystanders watching every IED (improvised explosive device) disposal Bravo company handles sends across the terrifying message that in this war, the enemy could be anyone.

If any film of the past year deserves to be described as having a “gritty realism”, it is this one. The reason this film works so well is because you absolutely believe these scenes could happen, and every decision Bigelow makes, from the cinema vérité camera work to the overpowering sound design, the eerie score and her brave choice to shoot the film in Jordan, just kilometers from the Iraqi border, makes The Hurt Locker one of the most powerful yet pragmatic depictions of war ever put to screen for the simple reason that it allows the audience to imagine themselves in the same situation as the movies characters. Bigelow throws you into the streets of Baghdad, puts her audience under fire, and while her central character ultimately doesn’t seem to learn much, no viewer can leave The Hurt Locker with their perspective on war unchanged.

Recommendations: Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

The Hurt Locker: A Heart-Pounding Adrenaline Rush

It seems Avatar’s biggest competition this Oscar season isThe Hurt Locker. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow (which everyone is keen to point out, is 1) a woman directing a gritty military drama, and 2) James Cameron’s ex-wife), The Hurt Locker is tied with Avatar for a total of 9 Oscar nominations, most notably for Best Actor, Best Director and Best Picture. Here’s the breakdown:
An elite Army bomb squad in Iraq must put themselves in harm’s way every day, disarming bombs and hostile situations in an effort to keep civilians and military personnel safe.
The Monkey: Due in large part to its documentary-style directing, The Hurt Locker is one of the most tense, suspenseful, adrenaline-infused movies I’ve ever seen. There were several moments in the film that not only gets your heart racing, but afterward, you’ll realize you were even sweating! Without using cheap tricks, or cliche film gimmicks, The Hurt Locker delivers on suspense while maintaining its originality.
Jeremy Renner’s performance was definitely Oscar-worthy; in fact, I almost didn’t even believe he was an actor. His subtle and realistic performance of a hardened bomb sergeant added to the documentary-feel of the movie and it will be exciting to see how his career takes off after all the recent recognition.
The Weasel: The lack of plot in the film, while contributing to the realism and grit of the movie, kept me from fully engaging with the characters. It was more of a “life in the day of a bomb squad” than a movie about a bomb squad. It’s even hard to explain what the movie is about; it’s about a bomb squad in Iraq…and, um…they diffuse bombs. But what else? Sure, we get brief glimpses into the characters’ personal lives, some truly heart-felt moments (in particular a scene where Renner’s character showers completely clothed in his army gear as blood and dirt swirl down the drain and a scene where a fellow squad mate shares his desire to start a family), but without a clear story arc, the viewer is left floundering.
Guy Pearce and Ralph Fiennes appear in the film, but their roles are surprisingly small and short-lived. While not necessarily a negative comment about the film, it took me by surprise that such big-name actors were used so sparingly.
A masterfully created film that delivers original suspense, eliciting visceral reactions in the viewer. Definitely worthy of its Oscar success; however, I find it surprising that critics consider The Hurt Locker to be Avatar’s #1 competitor. I guess we’ll wait and see what happens March 7th.
3.5 Death Stars out of 5
http://hearculturepop.wordpress.com/2010/02/18/the-hurt-locker-a-heart-pounding-adrenaline-rush/ 

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The Hurt Locker

In the wake of Oklahoma Cities “Snow Death 2010” I was forced by powers beyond my control to stay at home instead of travel the necessary 3 ½ hours to Arlington, TX and participate in the Texas Rangers Fanfest 2010… *sob*.  My “Mecca” would have to wait one more year.




Despite my initial depression, screaming outbursts, heavy sighs and uncontrollable sobbing… I slowly began to mend (notice I said I’m not over it yet… nor will I ever be).  Bunny suggested we rent a movie from Cox “On Demand”… she’d let me have the pick ofwhatever I wanted!

Perhaps this was the beginning of my luck changing.


I selected a movie I’ve been hearing A LOT of good things about: The Hurt Locker.

The movies scenery is a depressing one… it takes place in year 2004, Afghanistan.  The major players of the movie are a group of utterly fearless soldiers whose main job is to disarm bombs of all kinds across the Afghani countryside.  These could be bombs found in cars, concealed in trashcans, buried under the sand, dirty bombs, IED’s, etc.  It certainly is an interesting concept since it never really occurred to me that such a job existed!  Even if I had known of its existence… I probably wouldn’t have thought it was a career you could center a whole two hour movie around!

Regardless of my complete ineptitude at the existence of such a career, one of which I would assume has a high turnover (or instant death) rate, the director did an okay job of molding a story around it.  I say “okay” in italics because I didn’t think the movie’s story line was very solid.  As far as the representation of the job itself and the absolute hopelessness of war-torn, terrorist ridden Afghanistan… it was on point.  It made me feel good I don’t have worry about stepping on land mines on my way to work every morning.



One particular point of the movie that bothered me though and one they never explained is the fact that these guys would come to disarm bombs that most of the time seemed to be abandoned or complete neighborhoods, schools and work places would be cleared out before the bomb squad would arrive.  What’s the point in bombing if your bomb never goes off and/or doesn’t cut down a huge swath of people?  Most of the time, there actually was a terrorist standing “behind the curtain” ready to flip a switch to send the bomb squad and every living organism within 100 yards into the stratosphere.  But in the 20 minutes it took the bomb squad to disarm the exploding car, trash can or dirt mound… the terrorist was apparently picking his nose because he always seemed to wait until it was too late to blow them up.

Perhaps the movie is telling us that “Yo!  Terrorists are freakin’ stupid.”  If that’s the underlying motive of the movie… then I say “Hell yeah.”

Another interesting point about this movie I found intriguing was the fact that the director used relative unknown actors in the lead roles… while using more prominent actors in smaller roles.  David Morse (The Rock, Disturbia), Guy Pierce (Memento, Ravenous), Ralph Fiennes (Harry Potter, Red Dragon) and Evangeline Lilly (Lost) all make an appearance but only long enough for you to say, “Hey!  There’s ‘insert actor/actress name here’ from ‘insert movie/TV show here’!”

Jeremy Renner (can’t say I’ve seen him in anything else… but apparently he’s going to be in the new Avengers movie) plays SFC William James, a Billy Badass type dude that seems to be scared of nothing!  He disarms bombs without his protective space suit, stands down oncoming cars with nothing more than a pistol and buys video porn from an Afghani kid only to be disappointed by the its low-grade and shaky quality.  Having disarmed more than 600 bombs in his career, he’s intimidated by nothing… except being a responsible husband and father i.e. the most difficult job on the planet.


The story mainly focuses around him and hits on a few of the struggles of his comrades.  If anything… it’s raw.  It’s real.  It bleeds with the horrors of what the world has become outside of this free and comfortable land we live in called the United States of America.

Read more about me and what's in my crazy mind at www.handstowar.wordpress.com

Last updated: 2010-02-18 21:47:52 by user02