Since the war in Iraq began it seems as though most everyone has had something to say about it. But more often than not people tend to focus on the circumstances that got us into it, and rarely does anyone talk about the soldiers who put their lives on the line because of it. The Kathryn Bigelow-directed The Hurt Locker does quite the opposite.
The 2-hour heart-pounder is a riveting, practically apolitical war drama that speaks volumes about the war by ignoring the details surrounding its inception and focusing instead on the immense toll it takes on the soldiers who fight in it.
Soldiers who not only have to survive through the war itself, but must deal with the life-altering effects the experience can have when they attempt to return to the everyday minutiae of "real life" in suburbia once their tour of duty ends.
Plot of The Hurt Locker
The Hurt Locker takes place in Iraq, but it could be in any war zone. The story follows a group of three elite technicians whose job it is to uncover and disarm roadside explosives, men whose work places them in potentially deadly situations several times a day, in the final days of their rotation.
After the group's explosives expert is killed in action, he's replaced by a reckless newcomer (Jeremy Renner) whose shameless and needless risk-taking infuriates his team.
Like with many of Bigelow's film characters, this one's recklessness and attraction to danger is defined in terms of addiction. He puts lives at risk not because he wants to, but because he can't help himself. He's addicted to the adrenaline rush and can't seem to stop.
Characters in The Hurt Locker
The Hurt Locker is about the fine balance that exists between control and utter chaos. At any moment any situation can erupt into disaster, be it a situation with an Iraqi civilian, a misunderstanding with fellow soldiers on the base, or the possibility of an explosive killing everyone in an instant.
The characters, and by extension the audience, are kept on the edge of their seats, never sure if everything is about to fall apart.
Kathryn Bigelow brings a gritty realism to this film, but it's Jeremy Renner's portrayal of the soldier seduced by war that gives it its soul. His tortured and sensitive performance is both intense and heartbreaking. He is a man flirting with death, alienated from his life and family because of the brutality and carnage he has witnessed and caused.
The Best Movie of 2009
Movies don't get much more riveting than this. Told in more of a series of episodes than a traditional 3-part structure, The Hurt Locker is one of the most intense, grueling and thought-provoking movies to come around in a while. It's a cinematic experience unlike any other audiences are likely to see this year. Don't miss it.
- The Hurt Locker
- Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
- Written by Mark Boal
- Starring Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, and Evangeline Lilly
- Running Time: 127 mins
The Hurt Locker Promotional Poster
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