The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow, 2009): USA

Reviewed by Byron Potau. Viewed at the Fiesta Five Theater, Santa Barbara, CA.

The Hurt LockerGiven some of the critical comments that The Hurt Locker has thus far received along with the marketing for the film, one might expect something definitive in the way of depicting the Iraq war. It is not quite that, nor is it the film’s aim to be so. It does, however, try to be a tense, suspense filled thriller and it achieves this admirably.

The film focuses on the efforts of the three man Explosive Ordnance Disposal team whose job it is to provide cover for their team leader while he defuses various types of explosives, often while inside a very heavy, bulky bomb suit worn to protect him from an explosion. When Explosive Ordnance Disposal team leader Sgt. Thompson is killed, thrill seeking hot shot Sgt. William James (Jeremy Renner) is assigned as the new team leader, and team members Sgt. J.T. Sanborn (Anthony Mackie), and Specialist Eldridge Owen (Brian Geraghty) are none too thrilled about it when they see that safety, both his and theirs, is not his top priority. Sgt. James, in his efforts to deactivate bombs, routinely shucks procedure and protocol to heighten the tension of the situation, putting both himself and his team members at greater risk. With less than a month left in their tour Sgt. Sanborn and Specialist Owen are just hoping they can survive their new team leader long enough to get back home.

Director Kathryn Bigelow is able to achieve and sustain a great amount of tension in the film without sacrificing realism, making for a thrilling viewing experience. Imagine, a film where characters cannot outrun an explosion. There is not only the danger of the bombs they defuse, but of potential terrorists in the face of every Iraqi pedestrian watching out their window or around the corner. The dialogue by writer Mark Boal is honest and never gets heavy handed, helping the film keep up its realistic feel.

Actors Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie may look familiar from minor roles in other films, but here they show they have graduated to the major roles, both turning in excellent performances. Also, very good are Brian Geraghty as Specialist Owen, Christian Camargo as Owen’s psychiatrist Colonel Cambridge, Christopher Sayegh as the young Iraqi boy Beckham whom Sgt. James befriends, and Ralph Fiennes and Guy Pearce are memorable in their minor, but significant roles.

The film is not the definitive statement on the Iraq War, and this kind of expectation, which some critics and the film’s marketing have insinuated upon the film, should not be expected. However, this is hardly a disparagement, and the film does an excellent job of depicting the dangers particular to this war and to the particular job of the film’s characters. What you can expect is a very well made film, tense, thrilling, and definitely worth watching.

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Published:
08.13.09 / 6pm
Category:
Films