MOVIE Review: "The Hurt Locker"
Published: 03/27/2010 by Bill Wheeler
MOVIE REVIEW: The Hurt Locker
Director: Kathryn Bigelow (Best Director Oscar, 2009)
Cast: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Bryan Geraghty, Evangeline Lilly
Released: June, 2009
Academy Award for "Best Picture of the Year (2009)."
Arguably the best film to be made yet about the Iraq war, "The Hurt Locker" is a tense, frightening look into the daily grind of the battlefield. The story line is lean, in fact so much so that the film more resembles a documentary than a drama. I don't have to worry about giving away a surprise ending; there are no real surprises. Soldiers risk their lives, things blow up, and people die. That's the basic premise here.
Humanizing the soldiers is an important part of this film. It succeeds, but only at the most basic level. The soldiers are human beings, with human emotions (especially anxiety and fear). That said, though, the characters are sadly one dimensional and stereotyped. We have the tough squad leader, the moralizing desk jockey Colonel, and the scared (make that terrified) rookie.
But for me the stereotype that got in the way of the film was the lead character, Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner). He's the toughest guy to walk the planet. No fear. And as far as I'm concerned, no sense. He takes unnecessary risks, exposes his fellow soldiers to extreme danger, and never gets blown up by the daily booby traps and suicide bombs.
Another actor made a living playing this role: John Wayne. And unfortunately, I see it exactly that way: it's a role, it's not real. In life, people who take stupid risks pay consequences, whether it be disciplinary action from the boss or an abrupt end to life as he/she knows it.
As far as I'm concerned, there is no need to exaggerate the courage of US soldiers on the battlefield. And there's no need to glorify the craziness of dismantling explosives without the proper equipment and/or procedure. Doing so only diminishes the courage of the real guys who risk their lives every day in terrifying circumstances. Heros demonstrate courage, not stupidity, on the battlefield.
Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5 possible)
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