There´s nothing quite like an intriguing war film to make you realize you have things just fine sitting at a distance and viewing the true horrors of war. Well, at least you can get a perspective that adds no harm to you physically. After sitting through the nail-biter "The Hurt Locker," I quickly went to my list of careers I would never pursue and added "military bomb squad" to it. To me, any movie that can be equally effective at sinking you into the narrative, keeping you at the edge of your seat, and providing at least a few nightmares afterward does its job pretty well. Director Kathryn Bigelow certainly adheres to telling us a unique story that is not often explored in war films. I mean, seriously, how many war films stand out in your mind that deal exclusively with working in a bomb squad?
Written by Mark Boal and originally released in Italian theaters in October of 2008 (limited U.S.A. release in June, 2009), Ms. Bigelow´s movie takes us on the journey of Officer William James (Jeremy Renner) as he completes his final days of tour in Iraq working as a daring bomb-squad leader. James is assigned to a group with Sgt. JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Spc. Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) shortly after the death of its prevous bomb-squad commander, Matt Thompson (Guy Pearce). Throughout the film, we see directly the challenges these men face on a daily basis and the unease we feel as an audience member waiting for a bomb to explode at any given moment. Not only do we deal with bombs, we also experience the dilemma of one being targeted constantly by terrorist enemies. A scene in particular deals with a couple of snipers in the middle of the desert, and it is quite moving and intense. As I mentioned, it´s very effective at keeping you on pins and needles for the entire ride.
Bigelow delivers a narrative that shows us the culture of soldiers fighting in Iraq and the emotional challenges they face just to stay alive. Owen has issues dealing with the fear of death, while Sgt. Sanborn just wants to play it safe and get the job done right. Nevertheless, the main character in the story is William James, or Bill for short. At first, we understand that James has dismantled literally hundreds of bombs and often deals with his skill in an unorthodox way. He´s definitely a rebel and one we feel, initially, we can connect with. However, it isn´t long before we realize the man´s bravery can also be construed as insanity from some people´s point of view. Not to mention, James at times can be quite distant and arrogant to his team members. He refuses to follow protocol at times, thus raising the ire of his colleagues.
To examine how brave or how crazy James is, you will see that when squad members go out to disarm a bomb up close, they must wear a safety impact suit. The suit itself is no guarantee of one´s survival if a bomb goes off too close when wearing one. However, it is part of their protocol and something his team members take quite seriously. Nonetheless, in one disarming case, Bill takes the suit off while only inches away from an explosive death. In his opinion, if he´s going to die, he wants to do it comfortably. Now, in some way I kind of laughed at how fanatical he came across, but considering the risk his character is taking on a daily basis, I can also understand his logic. I mean, if you´re going to risk death in the first place, then the heavy, uncomfortable suit probably makes no difference, anyway.
What director Bigelow makes us take away from this film is an understanding of who we really are inside. As crazy as Bill James is at his task, we take a journey through a character study that shows us a man who realizes what he´s good at and what he knows to be his purpose in life. For me, there were times I felt connected to his challenges, but there were also times I wouldn´t want anything to do with him. He could easily be loved or hated at any given moment within the narrative. Then again, I also think Bigelow was trying to show us that sometimes the path of a hero can be too complex for most people to understand. In the case of where it takes a wolf to kill a wolf, then perhaps "The Hurt Locker" paints a great example of that.
The overall pacing of "The Hurt Locker" feels quite somber in tone, but it is a mild tempo that actually keeps you nerve-racked. At any moment an explosive surprise can happen, and, yes, there are undoubtedly times you see it coming. Granted, the film is not without its predictability, but for viewing it your first time through, it´s certain to keep you on the edge of your seat. The style and look of the film feel quite familiar in tone, but the narrative explores avenues less touched upon. It is an interesting and riveting look at a particular side of war, one that offers plenty of food for thought.
There´s nothing quite like an intriguing war film to make you realize you have things just fine sitting at a distance and viewing the true horrors of war. Well, at least you can get a perspective that adds no harm to you physically. After sitting through the nail-biter "The Hurt Locker," I quickly went to my list of careers I would never pursue and added "military bomb squad" to it. To me, any movie that can be equally effective at sinking you into the narrative, keeping you at the edge of your seat, and providing at least a few nightmares afterward does its job pretty well. Director Kathryn Bigelow certainly adheres to telling us a unique story that is not often explored in war films. I mean, seriously, how many war films stand out in your mind that deal exclusively with working in a bomb squad?
Written by Mark Boal and originally released in Italian theaters in October of 2008 (limited U.S.A. release in June, 2009), Ms. Bigelow´s movie takes us on the journey of Officer William James (Jeremy Renner) as he completes his final days of tour in Iraq working as a daring bomb-squad leader. James is assigned to a group with Sgt. JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Spc. Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) shortly after the death of its prevous bomb-squad commander, Matt Thompson (Guy Pearce). Throughout the film, we see directly the challenges these men face on a daily basis and the unease we feel as an audience member waiting for a bomb to explode at any given moment. Not only do we deal with bombs, we also experience the dilemma of one being targeted constantly by terrorist enemies. A scene in particular deals with a couple of snipers in the middle of the desert, and it is quite moving and intense. As I mentioned, it´s very effective at keeping you on pins and needles for the entire ride.
Bigelow delivers a narrative that shows us the culture of soldiers fighting in Iraq and the emotional challenges they face just to stay alive. Owen has issues dealing with the fear of death, while Sgt. Sanborn just wants to play it safe and get the job done right. Nevertheless, the main character in the story is William James, or Bill for short. At first, we understand that James has dismantled literally hundreds of bombs and often deals with his skill in an unorthodox way. He´s definitely a rebel and one we feel, initially, we can connect with. However, it isn´t long before we realize the man´s bravery can also be construed as insanity from some people´s point of view. Not to mention, James at times can be quite distant and arrogant to his team members. He refuses to follow protocol at times, thus raising the ire of his colleagues.
To examine how brave or how crazy James is, you will see that when squad members go out to disarm a bomb up close, they must wear a safety impact suit. The suit itself is no guarantee of one´s survival if a bomb goes off too close when wearing one. However, it is part of their protocol and something his team members take quite seriously. Nonetheless, in one disarming case, Bill takes the suit off while only inches away from an explosive death. In his opinion, if he´s going to die, he wants to do it comfortably. Now, in some way I kind of laughed at how fanatical he came across, but considering the risk his character is taking on a daily basis, I can also understand his logic. I mean, if you´re going to risk death in the first place, then the heavy, uncomfortable suit probably makes no difference, anyway.
What director Bigelow makes us take away from this film is an understanding of who we really are inside. As crazy as Bill James is at his task, we take a journey through a character study that shows us a man who realizes what he´s good at and what he knows to be his purpose in life. For me, there were times I felt connected to his challenges, but there were also times I wouldn´t want anything to do with him. He could easily be loved or hated at any given moment within the narrative. Then again, I also think Bigelow was trying to show us that sometimes the path of a hero can be too complex for most people to understand. In the case of where it takes a wolf to kill a wolf, then perhaps "The Hurt Locker" paints a great example of that.
The overall pacing of "The Hurt Locker" feels quite somber in tone, but it is a mild tempo that actually keeps you nerve-racked. At any moment an explosive surprise can happen, and, yes, there are undoubtedly times you see it coming. Granted, the film is not without its predictability, but for viewing it your first time through, it´s certain to keep you on the edge of your seat. The style and look of the film feel quite familiar in tone, but the narrative explores avenues less touched upon. It is an interesting and riveting look at a particular side of war, one that offers plenty of food for thought.
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