The Hurt Locker
Genre: War drama
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Ralph Fiennes, and Guy Pearce
Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow
Origin: USA
Running Time: 131 minutes
Rating: 16
Score: 5 out of 5
Reviewing a film that has just won an OSCAR for best picture is harder than you think. It is tempting to write ‘This is a great film, for sure!’ and make the picture of the explosion fill the rest of the page. It is certainly incredible that a film can clear up at the Academy Awards before even opening in New Zealand. What if Aotearoa disagrees? But aside from some semblance of journalistic integrity, there is another reason that The Hurt Locker is worth reviewing – for all the acclaim some of the paying public didn’t enjoy it that much.
It could be the subject matter. The Hurt Locker follows a three-man bomb disposal unit in the US Army in post-invasion Iraq. Comprised of recently added and reckless leader Sergeant First Class James (Renner), by-the-book Sergeant Sanborn (Mackie) and often terrified youngster Specialist Eldridge (Geraghty), we follow this team into the hellish conditions of a modern day warzone. A series of set pieces scenes, almost one-act plays, dominate the film; we confront a few of the situations and appalling decisions faced in the line of duty. There are a mind-blowing array of explosions, a smattering of deaths and very little to laugh about.
Perhaps some of the doubters don’t have good nerves, but for those that thrive on tension there can be no finer fix. Without doubt, this is the most uncomfortable I have felt for as long as I can remember. Cut it with a knife is, then, accurate on screen and off; one is left imagining how soldiers and civilians could possibly survive a week, never mind years on end.
In fact, this adrenaline of conflict is one of the central principles of The Hurt Locker. We witness James, superbly portrayed by Jeremy Renner, struggling to readjust into a society where cereal choices constitute drama. We see others almost imploding in the line of duty. That this film opens with the illuminating quote “War is a drug” is, of course, central. Director Kathryn Bigelow brilliantly holds a discussion on a difficult theme without judgement. Whether the troops should feel this way or even be in Iraq in the first place is wisely avoided.
It goes without saying that the production is uniformly superb. There really is nothing, save a couple of obvious plot lines, to complain about. The Hurt Locker is unquestionably and instantly one of the great American war films, a worthy OSCAR winner. Falling into a strange category, a film you have to see but won’t necessarily enjoy, is it clear why some people didn’t have a blast. You should force yourself to.
But let’s lighten the mood before you rush out to see it. My favourite fact about The Hurt Locker has everything to do with the OSCARS and nothing to do with the Iraq war. The film it beat for best picture, Avatar, took more money in its opening day than The Hurt Locker has made in total. Contrary to Mitre 10 Mega’s endless advertising campaign, it seems small can be good as well.