SRC 02/10: Hurt Locker

By the skin of my teeth, these reviews are making it online for February’s segment. Shaun was on time, but it has been a crazy week in my house, so please forgive the late installation for this month. -Lori

Shaun Gordon
Film review: The Hurt Locker (2008)
Director: Kathryn Bigelow

In preparation for the Oscars in March I decided to view The Hurt Locker, in order to have a broader understanding of what exactly constituted “the buzz” around this film heading into the awards. After viewing the film over two days and giving a lot of thought to the story, acting, and characters- I have to say that I am sorely disappointed as to the mediocrity that is The Hurt Locker.

War movies are a hard genre to master and put a stake in the ground, and I personally didn’t get much from the film. The grit, degradation, and sadness of war were very well portrayed by the cast of the film, but to what end? I didn’t walk away from this experience thinking that I had seen something truly profound.

The acting was superb, but it lacked focus and context. Jeremy Renner turned in a great performance as did Anthony Mackie, but in my opinion the true star of the film was Brian Geraghty- whose portrayal of Spc. Owen Eldridge showed a lot of depth and inspired interest in an otherwise uninteresting story.

Synopsis: The film follows the rotation of a bomb salvage unit in Iraq in 2004. The characters experience the destructive and catastrophic nature of the Iraqi insurgency post Hussein government, and exposes various ventures into life threatening situations which entail bomb diffusion in various settings. The film attempts to tell the story of the mental and physical decay of three specific characters who find themselves in the thick of war, and the ravaged remains of Iraq during the US occupation.

In summation, if you’re looking for a truly thought provoking film, this isn’t it! The acting is admirable, but the story is unfocused and somewhat pointless. The cinematography was well planned but poorly executed. The camera is often shaking and unfocused to give the impression of chaos and confusion, but in my opinion loses focus (pardon the pun) as to hitting the mark and drawing in the audience into the drama of war, and the hopelessness of the characters.

Thumbs down. 5/10 stars

Lori Gordon
Film review: The Hurt Locker (2008)
Director: Kathryn Bigelow

I had to look up what a hurt locker is, because I’d never heard this term before. Urban Dictionary states: a period of immense, inescapable physical or emotional pain; A figurative place where someone is said to be or will be, if they are getting or expect to be getting hurt or beaten.

Opening with the quote, “War is a drug’, I was prepared for something forceful and possibly vicious. Set during the Iraq war in 2004, focusing on a team that was required to disarm IED’s (Improvised Explosive Devices), the viewer is offered a fly-on-the-wall perspective of these soldier’s daily activities. The camerawork seems handheld for the most part, and this makes the viewing experience that much more intense. When I finished watching this film, my body actually felt tense and tired. Who else has a job this stressful? The doctors who put the victims of war back together? The relief workers trying to assist displaced citizens? Dismantling IED’s provokes a life-or-death scenario day in and day out. There is nowhere safe, bombs are present under trash and rubble, on the side of the road and sometimes on or in human bodies. How is a life prepared and trained for work like this? What kind of person wants to do this?

There are three main characters, portraying various archetypes of the American Solider during the Iraq war, and maybe the current war as well. Anthony Mackie’s Sgt. JT Sanborn is obedient, by the book, a team player. He has leadership qualities, but the job has worn him down and most of all he just wants to make it out alive and go home. Brian Geraghty’s Spc. Owen Eldridge is the conscience in the film. He is the only one truly questioning what he is doing, why he is there and what it will all mean afterwards. Geraghty has the ability to show emotion and doubt on his face without saying a word. His vulnerability and frustration make him more of a liability to his team, but inadvertently a reminder of how ‘unreal’ their lifestyle is – likely the most dangerous job in the world. At one point he plays a violent videogame once back at the base. It is clear that this is his release. How insane is his life that this brutal game is his respite?

Jeremy Renner is SSG William James. The renegade, the leader, the man moving forward with blinders. War is his drug and he pushes forward, intent on finding and dismantling bomb after bomb, with very little regard for his fellow soldiers. It becomes clear during the film that he does have a softer side, but keeps this very closely guarded. Not necessarily a self reflective man, he doesn’t think about his family, rather suppressing his feelings and making the work his focus. The level of stress and dedicated energy that Renner exudes as James is outstanding. He is muscle, sweat, grit and anger. He pumps his metal music loud, smokes after each mission and enjoys the initiated afterhours punching brawl on the floor while drunk with his colleagues. He is a testosterone bomb. Renner is the real deal, and I hope we will be seeing much more of this actor. The essence of this character is revealed when speaks with his son about how many things in life make a person a happy. He admits that for some men there may end up being only one thing that makes you happy. For James it isn’t clear if that’s the job he does or the outcome of his job – is it about dismantling IED’s or the lives he saves by doing so?

The bomb makers stand on balconies and watch as the soldiers dismantle their work. It is a game of cat and mouse. And I am frustrated by the perpetual tasks that exist between both parties. For all the soldiers that return, who have shot or killed others during war, can you ever come back from that? Can you ever escape that? How do you reconcile these actions? War on film may be gritty and violent, but it is often glorified. Hurt Locker spares us that. Even when they win, they simply walk away and prepare for tomorrow.

Thumbs up. 8.5/10 stars