Mobile
Friday, July 24, 2009
Film / Film Reviews / News The Hurt Locker: A worthy Iraq War flick
Posted By Matt Brunson on Fri, Jul 24, 2009 at 1:16 PM
By Matt Brunson
THE HURT LOCKER
DIRECTED BY Kathryn Bigelow
STARS Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie
Who knew that director Kathryn Bigelow was anything other than a Hollywood hack? Sure, sure, she's had her supporters, but practically all of her past projects have favored cold style over warm substance. The justly forgotten Blue Steel was one of the worst films of the 1990s, Point Break was merely daft masturbation fodder for fans of Patrick Swayze and/or Keanu Reeves, and the Harrison Ford dud K-19: The Widowmaker was so dull that just writing about it makes me... zzzzzz.
Where was I? Oh, yes, getting ready to praise Bigelow for a tightly wound film whose few flaws can be found in Mark Boal's screenplay rather than in her own potent direction. Boal, who co-wrote the only other worthy Iraq War film to date (In the Valley of Elah), has elected this time to focus all his attention on the soldiers who are placed in the line of fire, never allowing any political discourse to enter the conversation. It's an acceptable decision in that it pays sincere tribute to Americans willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for their country, although it's also a timid move in that it steadfastly refuses to challenge warhawks in the audience, many of whom will be idiotic enough to view this as a "pro-war" flick.
The Hurt Locker follows the three members of a bomb squad plying their trade during the last six weeks of their tour of duty in 2004. Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner) is the leader of the outfit, a man as reckless as he is efficient when it comes to defusing bombs (it's believed he holds the record in this unenviable category). Sergeant J.T. Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) is the most professional — that is to say, most stable — member of the team, anxious to get away from a job he despises. And Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) is the young pup of the outfit, a clean-cut kid terrified that his life will soon get snuffed out.
Bigelow and Boal follow the trio around as an on-screen marker counts down the number of days left in their rotation. Maximum suspense is not only gained through their encounters with specific bombs but also through the big picture that strains at the fabric of the film: Will all three make it out alive? It's a testament to the performances of all the actors (specifically Renner and Mackie) that we invest so strongly in characters that truthfully aren't fully developed.
The movie works best when its storytelling remains shaggy; it gets into real trouble when it introduces a forced subplot in which James sets out to avenge the death of a friend. But never does Bigelow falter in her direction, which, by adroitly alternating between muscular and sensitive, reapplies a recognizable face to a conflict that is already slipping from the American public conscious with all the wispiness of a bad dream.
Speaking of...
-
Computer Science And Photography – Matthew Mills a Photographer in NYC Explains This Unlikely Pairing
Nov 22, 2020 -
Imagicomm Entertainment to Make Blue Ridge Available on Multiple Platforms
Oct 15, 2020 -
The Moffett Restaurant Group Celebrates the 20th Anniversary of Barrington’s Restaurant
Oct 12, 2020 - More »
Latest in The CLog
More by Matt Brunson
-
Fanning flames of expectation
Apr 26, 2019 -
That burning sensation
Apr 19, 2019 -
Gentle giant
Apr 19, 2019 - More »
-
CL and HuffPost team up for DNC/Occupy Charlotte coverage 2
Charlotte officials negotiate what to do about its Occupy protesters as the DNC gets closer.
-
10 best movie striptease scenes
Salma Hayek, Jessica Alba and more.
-
Sushi @ Room 112
