The Hurt Locker Review

Published by Jeff Leins on: July 2nd, 2009

Raw, gripping suspense and intricate, apolitical authenticity make The Hurt Locker the best narrative about the continuing war in Iraq.  The film is immersive in setting and story, while they both develop through each careful shot.  Director Kathryn Bigelow went to great lengths to reenact the tense reality of combat, the physical and emotional stresses of deployment, and the unquestionable bravery of American soldiers.  She was successful on all three missions.

Bigelow embedded her cast and crew in the Middle East to shoot the film as close to the conflict overseas as possible.  The gritty cinematography and dusty locations create the feeling of sand in your shoes and intense heat on your skin.  Cast members grunt and sweat under 70-pound equipment in sweltering 100-degree temperatures.  Sounds of heavy machinery rolling into place fill the eerie silence when the citizens and livestock vacate the blast zone.  Luckily hand-held cameras capture everything for you.

The plot is more of a series of missions focused on a bomb squad counting down their last days in Iraq.  Screenwriter and journalist Mark Boal shadowed an Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) team before writing the magazine article the script is based on, picking up the lingo and the atmosphere first hand.  Jeremy Renner, who plays Staff Sergeant William James, trained with an EOD squad before putting boots on the ground.  This is a taut example that the best stories come from real life, not the media’s typical, filtered version of the truth.

James is assigned to an EOD team after a roadside explosion claimed the life of their former leader.  His stubborn, devil-may-care attitude immediately clashes with the rest of Bravo Company (Sgt. Sanborn/Anthony Mackie and Specialist Eldridge/Brian Geraghty), who follow procedure in order to minimize the many risks of their dangerous duties. The commanding officers see him as a “wild man” and the necessary fearless warrior needed to perform the task.  The people covering his six think James is reckless and a liability to others.  In situations where anything is explosive, from cars to roadside garbage to even people, the soldiers in the field don’t want to take any extra chances.

Each set piece is compartmentalized, a minor weakness of the film, allowing for a new set of dangers for the characters on assignment.  It also lends the opportunity for Bigelow and her crew to frame visually arresting sequences.  Once again, her attention to detail drives the adrenaline level, focusing on each step towards an IED (improvised explosive devices) or the ambiguous eyes peering out from nearby buildings.

But it’s not all bombs and violence.  James is rounded into a three-dimensional protection officer of protection by dismantles deadly devices then subsequently warming to a local boy selling bootleg DVDs.  He tucks away a box of memories under his bed, including a pictures of his ex-wife (Evangeline Lilly) on top of a profound pile of “things that almost killed him.”  They’re safe but not a distraction.  Sanborn looks at the bomb materials and calls it “just shit from Radio Shack.”

Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, and David Morse have small bit roles, but it’s the core trio of bomb technicians that blows away any pre-conceived notions you might have about another Iraq War movie.  The Hurt Locker is the real deal.

4 out of 5.