Movie Review- Hurt Locker

I've heard all the hype over the last two months about this film after never hearing about it before. The media blitz worked on me, because i was really excited to see this film. So often, these limited release, Oscar pushed movies don't live up to the hype. "Hurt Locker" does.

It's weird seeing films about the war while a war is actually in progress. The main reason is because you are seeing something that thousands of people are going through at the present time. If you are like me and live in a military town and have friends and former classmates who have done tours or are out there now, it's surreal. No matter a person's feelings toward the war, I think most if not all sympathize with the thousands serving in the military and millions of us have no idea what the experience for them is really like. Though "Hurt Locker" isn't the first feature film to paint a picture of the life of an American soldier in Iraq, no other film has been mixed a sense of realism to the extent this one has. Though I'm sure every element isn't completely accurate to the war experience or military standards, though I feel it doesn't have to be; it is a movie, it was still an excellent film.

Plot:
A loose cannon bomb specialist SSgt. Will James (Jeremy Renner) joins a bomb squad serving a tour in Iraq.

Pros:
The acting, the cinematography, the writing, the plot, the realism, the pace, the tone, all of it was on point. I enjoyed the documentary look of the film. It added to the sense of realism, and makes it feels as if these characters actually exist.

I like that there was no exaggeration or war romanticism added in this film. No intense close ups surrounded by after-school special music underneath. Renner's Ssgt. James, probably the most tragic character, didn't get a sappy storyline filled with fluff and a long speech where he reveals the origin of all of his character flaws. It was well done.

None of the scenes were overplayed or literal. Nothing was spelled out with words. Alot of the biggest character reveals came from non-verbal communication. That, in my opinion, is the best way to go and makes audiences feel more connected to the story and the characters.

Cons:
The only thing i saw in this film that just didn't sit right with me was the initial relationship between Renner's Ssgt. James and Anthony Mackie's Sgt. Sanborn. Though James is a higher rank and the squads team leader, Mackie appeared to be more in charge than James. He gave alot of orders and it seemed as if they answered to him. I'm not a military guy, but I would never think that a lower rank could be in charge.

Recommendation:
Rent it.

Written by:
Mark Boal

Directed by:
Kathryn Bigelow

Main Cast:
Jeremy Renner ("SWAT", "Dahmer")
Anthony Mackie ("8 Mile", "Notorious")
Brian Geraghty ("The Guardian", "We Are Marshall")
Ralph Fiennes ("Schindler's List", "English Patient")
Guy Pearce ("Rules of Engagement", "Memento")
David Morse ("The Green Mile", "Disturbia")
Evangeline Lilly (TV's "Lost")
Christian Carmargo ("K-19: The Widowmaker", "National Treasure: Book of Secrets")
Chrisopher Sayegh

Similar titles:
Generation Kill, Stop-Loss

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Gamer- Trailer