The Hurt Locker (Movie Review)

Movie Review
The Hurt Locker
2009
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackle
Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow

Films about the Iraq War have become almost as common as the buddy-comedy in American cinema as of late. Most of them have a preachy message (either implied or direct) that shoes the horrors of war and questions the entire point of the Iraq conflict. It’s not that Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker is different (in many ways it isn’t) but this movie bucks the trend and is surprisingly very good. At the time of the release, it arguably was the best film to have dealt with the conflict by relying more on the actions and decisions of those involved to tell the story rather than rely mainly on melodrama.

The movie follows Bravo Company in Iraq until the end of their rotation. Sgt. William James (Renner) joins the troop with 39 days left in their rotation after he finished doing a tour of duty in Afghanistan. He becomes the leader of the bomb diffusion and disposal team within the company after the previous leader was killed in a blast. James is a bit reckless and seems to have no fear of dying which causes great anxiety in those under his leadership who think that James is likely to get them killed before their remaining six weeks of duty are over. The group spends the next 39 days in cold sweats under the desert sun as James’s cavalier approach to bomb diffusing lands his team in situations where bombs can detonate at any minute to being pinned down by sniper fire. Tensions begin to mount despite everyone having the same goal; to get home safe and sound.

This movie has the type of tension you’d expect from a tightly-wound action experience. However, the action in the movie is very limited. Actually, the film spends more time keeping the audience on the edge of their seat anticipating something major; it isn’t swamped with explosive action sequences. There are times where the movie seems to pause for a couple of minutes. However, it is done in a way that it gives off the feeling that these minutes are excruciatingly long for the characters. The anticipation of whether something will blow up in someone’s face with one false move or a sniper is a second away from taking someone out gives off what feels like a genuine sense of uneasiness for all involved. It’s done in a very artful way that still shows the true grit of the situation. It really does a good job at showing the anxiety of being on the battlefield; for both sides of the conflict.

The story is well paced and is very interesting although it does feel a bit on the predictable side and, at times, juvenile. You can see major twists happening before they’re revealed. Even though it’s not a conventional war movie, it still manages to feel a little predictable. In fact, the film tends to play it safe at times. There are plot twists that can be seen a mile away. It waters down the experience. At times, the film feels so seamless when every moment is filled with tense unpredictability but then you get these moments when you know that someone is going to die or a major plot twist about to be revealed feels incredibly obvious that all suspense is removed. It can make the film a bit lame at times.

This is one of the few war movies that, in a way, plays it safe in terms of its content. It’s about the Iraq war but it doesn’t feel preachy at all. It also doesn’t deal with some of the subjects that many recent war films approach like sexuality and politics. These omissions feel like a huge oversight because these can be important issues for those involved in the conflict. However, too often war movies tend to cram as much sex and politics as they can and dilute the final product. War means action and since this movie is mostly action and anticipation, it feels more like a war movie than many in the same genre that overload their stories with too much variety.

Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker is one of the best films of 2009 and is one of the best war movies in recent history. It’s filled with tense action that will keep you in suspense for most of the movie. The movie does seem weak at times but these moments are few and far between. Overall, it is a first rate movie.

☆☆☆☆