“The Hurt Locker,” a taut thriller set in the midst of the Iraq war, is an intimate investigation of heroism, sacrifice, and the allure of war. The screenplay by Mark Boal focuses our attention on the adrenalin-producing work of three members in the Army’s Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) elite corps and was probably based on Boal’s experiences as a journalist embedded with a bomb squad four years ago. Will James (Jeremy Renner), a fearless bomb disposal expert, is also reckless, which causes concern for his two new colleagues. Initially James wins over Sandborn (Anthony Mackie) and Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) through his acts of bravery, but his ongoing careless behavior ultimately creates too much anxiety. Sandborn and Eldridge just want to survive their tour of duty and James doesn’t seem to care.
Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie, relatively unknowns, give Oscar worthy performances. And director Kathryn Bigelow creates some incredibly tense bomb disposal scenes as well as a thoroughly gripping sniper shoot-out sequence. These genuine nerve-racking moments occur roughly every 20 minutes or so, keeping us on edge throughout the movie. Boal’s script also develops the characters through action. James is obviously an adrenalin junkie, addicted to the thrill of handling homemade bombs and disarming them. Sandborn, a tough intelligence officer, is a go-by-the-book soldier, making for interesting interactions between he and James. Eldridge is obsessed with death and voluntarily taking counseling. As the movie progresses, the men develop into well-rounded characters and that is one of the reasons it’s so effective. Superior acting, directing and script make “The Hurt Locker a highly entertaining thriller. 6/27/09
1 comment:
"The Hurt Locker", This film was about a small group of US Army guys who defuse bombs and explode them as necessary. Now this may sound like an ordinary story but there was nothing ordinary about it. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow. With Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, this was a story about the chaos of war, the frightening aspects of staying alive in Iraq and the intoxication of risking one’s life! This movie could be compared to Shakespeare’s "once more unto the breach" from Henry V.
"But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger;
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood"
William Shakespeare
This movie has everything going for it, great acting, very good Script, outstanding tense, exciting action and a wonderful job of directing by Kathryn Bigelow. The only thing about it that I don't understand is its title............They never explain the title in the film, never use the phrase in the film, it just seemed like they needed a title and threw this one in. What is a "Hurt Locker"? Does anyone know?
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