Friday, February 5, 2010

THE HURT LOCKER

Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty,
Guy Pearce, David Morse, Ralph Fiennes


"You'll know when you're in it"




There are war movies that are filled with explosive actions, brutal killings and float by on the we.hate.each.other.thus.we.kill.each.other theory.

Then there are war movies like "The Hurt Locker" that simply narrate and present war in its ugliest form and do so by being direct to the point. It is a raw look at the lives of an elite bomb disposal unit assigned in Baghdad, Iraq. A battlefield teeming with explosives and where your instinct tells you not to trust anyone or anything that moves in that chaotic country. They have only 38 days left in their tour of Iraq, but with each new mission comes another deadly encounter and it is only a matter of time before disaster will strike.

The film is a great character study of 3 different army personalities. You have Staff Sgt William James (Jeremy Renner) born with a fatalistic attitude. He likes to take risks and is reckless yet he's an expert in defusing bombs. Sgt JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) approaches everything in his duty and his life in general with extreme caution bordering on the it is better to be safe than sorry attitude. And finally, Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty), a young kid who is haunted by nightmares of dying in the streets of Baghdad. As the fiery chaos of Baghdad swirls around them, the men struggle to understand and contain their new leader long enough for them to make it home.

The 3 main leads are not known actors yet they deliver their roles with a punch. Their contrasting roles are well developed characters. Cameo role appearance by Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes and David Morse add some star quality to the film. Although it is not really necessary as the well written script and neat direction (Kathryn Bigelow) more than make up for a tension filled narrative of a day in the life of an elite bomb disposal unit.

There were scenes where I literally held my breath due to the powerfully gripping storyline. Wow. This must see film really blew me away (pun intended!)

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