In 2004, then-presidential hopeful John Kerry wrote an extended article for the NY Times Magazine that outlined his take on Iraq and the war on terror. In it, he discussed how this particular conflict is like none the US had ever faced - how victory might depend more on police work and intelligence operatives than swarms of military might. The enemy in this war does not wear identifiable uniforms, and they do not form platoons to attack in broad daylight en masse. They walk among civilians unnoticed, and gather in smaller splinter groups to plan insidious and seemingly random acts of terrorism, wearing their enemies down in piecemeal fashion. In this sense, Kathryn Bigelow's film The Hurt Locker, which follows a small US Military Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) unit in Iraq, feels chillingly accurate.
But Not That Accurate
However, now that the film is receiving widespread acclaim and coverage after strong buzz and multiple film award nominations and wins, there is somewhat of a backlash about its authenticity, mostly regarding its portrayal of the uniforms and procedures of the Army base and the EOD units themselves. So even though journalist and fledgling screenwriter Mark Boal actually was embedded with an Iraqi bomb squad, this is once again a war tale told through a Hollywood filter, though thankfully layman civilians (like this reviewer) won't be able to tell the difference. Mostly.
Cliches In Camouflage
The title of the film is military slang for where one goes when injured by an explosion - a reality that the EOD units face every day on the job. Jeremy Renner plays Staff Sergeant William James, the replacement leader of a squad in the last few weeks of their tour of duty. Sergeant JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie), and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) are the only other members of the unit. From the get-go, the headstrong Sgt. James rubs his fellow soldiers the wrong way. As they go about their daily business of identifying and disposing explosive devices it becomes immediately clear that James is not a huge fan of standard procedure. While he does his job well, and has a great track record, he is reckless, and impulsive, often breaking communications with his fellow soldiers and leaving them panicked. The capable but maverick fill-in-the-blank character might be the epitome of action movie cliches, but Renner's genuine and understated performance more than makes up for it. At least his character is shown to make mistakes with some dire consequences.
Lights, Camera...
What really makes the film compelling are the action set pieces, which are staged and shot expertly by Oscar nominee Kathryn Bigelow. The ubiquitous shaky hand-held camera and slo-mo effects are used, but sparingly and to great success, in tandem with some excellent sound design. Perhaps the most memorable scene in the film is actually the slowest - the extended sniper battle in the desert is filled with tension, as well as stark beauty, and it progresses the relationship between the three soldiers in a nicely organic way.
Overall, The Hurt Locker is a great action film, riding the strengths of Kathryn Bigelow and Jeremy Renner. While Mark Boal's cliche-ridden, somewhat pedestrian script stretches believability once or twice, it still manages to effectively say a lot about the effects of war on the brave individuals who live through it. You may never look at the cereal aisle in your grocery store the same way ever again.
Author Sunil S.
But Not That Accurate
However, now that the film is receiving widespread acclaim and coverage after strong buzz and multiple film award nominations and wins, there is somewhat of a backlash about its authenticity, mostly regarding its portrayal of the uniforms and procedures of the Army base and the EOD units themselves. So even though journalist and fledgling screenwriter Mark Boal actually was embedded with an Iraqi bomb squad, this is once again a war tale told through a Hollywood filter, though thankfully layman civilians (like this reviewer) won't be able to tell the difference. Mostly.
Cliches In Camouflage
The title of the film is military slang for where one goes when injured by an explosion - a reality that the EOD units face every day on the job. Jeremy Renner plays Staff Sergeant William James, the replacement leader of a squad in the last few weeks of their tour of duty. Sergeant JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie), and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) are the only other members of the unit. From the get-go, the headstrong Sgt. James rubs his fellow soldiers the wrong way. As they go about their daily business of identifying and disposing explosive devices it becomes immediately clear that James is not a huge fan of standard procedure. While he does his job well, and has a great track record, he is reckless, and impulsive, often breaking communications with his fellow soldiers and leaving them panicked. The capable but maverick fill-in-the-blank character might be the epitome of action movie cliches, but Renner's genuine and understated performance more than makes up for it. At least his character is shown to make mistakes with some dire consequences.
Lights, Camera...
What really makes the film compelling are the action set pieces, which are staged and shot expertly by Oscar nominee Kathryn Bigelow. The ubiquitous shaky hand-held camera and slo-mo effects are used, but sparingly and to great success, in tandem with some excellent sound design. Perhaps the most memorable scene in the film is actually the slowest - the extended sniper battle in the desert is filled with tension, as well as stark beauty, and it progresses the relationship between the three soldiers in a nicely organic way.
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Overall, The Hurt Locker is a great action film, riding the strengths of Kathryn Bigelow and Jeremy Renner. While Mark Boal's cliche-ridden, somewhat pedestrian script stretches believability once or twice, it still manages to effectively say a lot about the effects of war on the brave individuals who live through it. You may never look at the cereal aisle in your grocery store the same way ever again.
Author Sunil S.
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