I heard really good things about this Iraq war picture before viewing it. The score sheet for modern war pictures has been notoriously meager, with none being any greater than run-of-the-mill diversions that try for high drama. While The Hurt Locker was a much better take on the Middle Eastern urban war picture, the story of a small group of explosive technicians wasn’t able to blow me away. The performances by a relatively no-name cast were solid and appropriate for the storyline, the battle sequences were exciting, and the bomb dismantling moments were tense. But there were no stand-out performances in the movie, the main characters’ were not fully explored by film’s end, and the storyline doesn’t sufficiently wrap up the drama of the last 2+ hours. I liked the simplicity of the plot and the believable interactions between the three main characters: Staff Sergeant James, Sergeant Sanborn, and Specialist Eldridge, but the ultimate resolution of the characters’ relationships rung hollow. The Hurt Locker is a very good war picture that explores the lives of some underappreciated heroes but it is not one of the best of the year.
Sanborn (Anthony Mackie; We Are Marshall) and Eldridge (Brian Geraghty; We Are Marshall) welcome a new commander to their close-knit unit, SSgt James (Jeremy Renner; 28 Weeks Later). James has a cowboy mentality where he charges into a situation without explaining himself and takes potentially unnecessary risks. Sanborn feels this is a dangerous thing, especially considering the kind of work they do. Eldridge is a bit star-struck by the newcomer despite his own fears of not making it back home. The friction between the characters is palpable but their shared experiences bring them closer together as only soldiers can. Will all three survive long enough, mentally and physically, to rotate back home?
The strongest performance comes from Renner, whose independent-streaked soldier is certainly charismatic. His initial detachment serves as a compelling counterpoint to his unexpected emotional reactions later in the story. The other characters are well portrayed but not noteworthy. Special mention goes to director Kathryn Bigelow’s (K-19: The Widowmaker) direction which gives the narrative its insistent pace and she finds some interesting camera angles to explore these men’s job through. I’m sure bomb diffusion has never been so artistically expressed. There are a few plot threads left loose by film’s end, either for the sake of the flowing narrative or because of the relative unimportance in the filmmaker’s eyes, or both.
By comparison to the meager military pictures of the last five years The Hurt Locker may appear to be a perfect military picture but on further inspection it can’t stand up to the power of a “Black Hawk Down,” “Saving Private Ryan,” or “Platoon.” Entertaining with interesting characters and a well-paced storyline? Sure. The best picture of the year? Not quite.
Rated R for war violence and language.
