Best Director Kathryn Bigelow redefines the war movie in the adrenaline-filled action thriller The Hurt Locker.
By zooming in on each mission of a bomb squad in the last 38 days of its tour of duty, Bigelow creates agonizing suspense and human interest.
Even those who are not fans of the war genre will find value here. This is not another mindless action movie with bodies flying helter skelter. In The Hurt Locker, Bigelow is in command of the story and each scene. No snazzy technical effects were needed. It's man versus bomb, moment by moment.
Although set in Iraq, The Hurt Locker could be about any modern war. These soldiers don't have time to think about the conflict's politics, public relations or morality. They're not concerned with which side wins or loses. They want to survive, to return home to their families.
Staff Sgt. William James (Best Actor nominee Jeremy Renner) is a specialist who defuses IEDs (improvised explosive devices). We see his predecessor, careful and reasoned, blown to bits when an onlooker uses a cell phone.
James swears and listens to heavy metal as he defuses each bomb. He barrels into situations and takes off his helmet. This raises tension with Sgt. J.T. Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and other members of Delta unit.
Like any artist, James immerses himself in his work, losing track of time and space. He turns out to be a genius who "becomes one" with each bomb, sensing who planted it and how.
Some devices are amateur, homemade jobs. Others are sophisticated traps, planted horrifically in the least likely places.
The evolution of James and his fellow soldiers makes us care. James befriends an Iraqi boy who hustles DVDs. Sanborn is a responsible professional who carefully keeps watch over each operation. Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) is so nervous, we wonder how he got here.
Renner is known for his supporting role in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Mackie (Million Dollar Baby) and Geraghty (Jarhead) both appeared in We Are Marshall.
Two interesting cameos include David Morse as the bemused Colonel Reed and Ralph Fiennes as a hotshot contractor.
The first woman to be named Best Director, Bigelow (Point Break, Blue Steel, Strange Days) melds technical skill with crystal clarity.
The Hurt Locker won six Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. Best Screenplay was awarded to Mark Boal (In the Valley of Elah), a journalist who was embedded with a bomb unit in Iraq. It also won Best Editing, Best Sound and Best Sound Editing awards, and a nomination for Best Cinematography.
Smart dialogue, excellent screenplay and strong direction make a violent story watchable. The Hurt Locker rattles and fascinates.
If you like The Hurt Locker, you might enjoy: Inception; Shutter Island; 127 Hours.
The Hurt Locker 2009 / R / 2 hrs, 10 min
Cast Overview: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pearce, David Morse, Brian Geraghty, Christian Camargo, Malcolm Barrett
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Genres: Action, Drama, Suspense, Thriller, War
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