last year during the time of the independent spirit awards i remember hearing about a film called the hurt locker. the thing that seemed apparent was that it was about the war in iraq. the only faces i recognized in it were anthony mackie and jeremy renner who at the time i only remembered as colin farrell's ex partner turned bad guy from the movie s.w.a.t. i'm not sure why this film caught my attention other than the fact that it was being recognized by the independent spirit awards and had a respectable actor in anthony mackie who usually chooses good projects. i normally don't get excited for films about the war in iraq/military because of what i feel is predictability and poor execution. there are a few exceptions and the hurt locker stands as one of them.
it revolves around three main characters in an e.o.d. (explosive ordinance disposal) team played by jeremy renner as staff sgt. william james, anthony mackie as sgt. jt sanborn and brian geraghty as specialist owen eldridge. there are also a few recognizable faces such as guy pearce, david morse, ralph fiennes and evangeline lilly playing smaller but effective roles. all the characters are well played but it is renner's performance as staff sgt. james that is the driving force. an apparent "wild man" with a penchant for disregarding procedure. he seems to be reckless but there is method to his madness or at least a reason for it. every mission seems to be a challenge for him in which he lives and thrives. anthony mackie's character is the rational one of the group who wants to follow procedure and get the job done avoiding any unnecessary bullshit. brian geraghty's character is the impressionable one who seems to be the most fragile of the group always seeking guidance. he looks to both staff sgt. james and sgt. sanborn who are two different type of soldiers/men. the film is well paced never making you feel bored. the use of documentary style shooting was an excellent choice giving you the feeling of being in the action with them. you always feel a sense of imminent danger as well as tension which is important for a film of this kind. there are also a few visual flourishes which compliment the action. i like the fact that you get a total sense of the experience not just the missions. you get to feel the whole spectrum of emotions that they go through. i feel this film encompasses all what a film about war should. it shows the camaraderie, determination, discipline, paranoia, fear, anger, depression, sorrow and guilt. now there are a few slight hollywood moments but nothing that really compromises the integrity of this movie. the film feels very authentic and embodies all the qualities of a good movie. definitely one of my new favorite war films and one of the best movies i've seen this year if not the best. i'm glad i finally saw this film especially after all the eye sores i've witnessed this past year. its out on dvd now. i recommend you check it out. peace.
The Hurt Locker Trailer from Premier PR on Vimeo.
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