The Hurt Locker (2009) -- dizzyingly real
Last Friday
Jaime and I watched The Hurt Locker. I understand that it hasn't gotten much local coverage. But on LJ the hype has been pretty intense, so I was excited to see it.
In war torn Iraq, an elite Army bomb squad unit loses its team leader to an improvised explosive device. They get a new team leader soon enough, a brash Staff Sergeant who, while really good at his job, appears to have some sort of death wish.
The film isn't strictly a story, in that it has no clear-cut setup, climax, or denoument. As Jaime said, it's more like a dramatized documentary. Unlike a documentary however, the film jumps right into the action. No one explains IEDs or specialists or anything, and the audience is left to rely on context clues to figure out what's happening. But rather than being confusing, it imparts a feeling of urgency.
The Hurt Locker doesn't shy away from the violence and confusion that war brings. Nor does it glorify war. It simply depicts a month in the life of a US Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit -- and all the tension and uncertainty such a job brings. Apart from some iffy soldier protocol, it seems quite realistic. While the bombs are always in the forefront of the story, they never outshine the characters. The actors really stepped into their roles. (Also, the shots are very pretty.)
A word of caution: true to the documentary style, all cameras are handheld, and things are often shaky. So if you're astigmatic like me, expect to get a little dizzy.
The first scene already has soliders disarming a roadside bomb.
The new Staff Sergeant seems like hot shit on the surface, but he as the film progresses you can see he has serious issues.
There is a spattering of cameos, many of whom are bigtime actors.
There is a excellent sniper scene.
For William James, war is easy. It's normal life that's difficult.
The last scene oscillates between really cool and really sad.