The Hurt Locker (2009)

I missed this while I was in Germany but thank goodness it's being shown in a couple of theaters as the Oscars draw near. The Hurt Locker brings the terrifying adrenaline rush of disarming bombs to the forefront of wartime commentary. Sgt William James (Jeremy Renner) joins a small bomb tech unit (or whatever the correct lingo might be, I will not pretend to know anything at all about the military) composed of just him, Sanborn (Anthony Mackie), and Eldridge (Brian Geraghty). At first Will's overconfidence and careless attitude frustrate and alienate his team, but as they suffer several harrowing near-death experiences together, they come to understand him a bit better. He is level-headed and loyal in a pinch, and extremely dedicated to his job. He worries about his son and ex-wife at home, but worries more about how to handle himself when he isn't working. Their 38 days with together are documented in short conversational shots and fraught, extended field scenes, producing an intricate story both frightening and inviting.

The more I think about this movie, the more impressed I am with how much complexity the filmmakers express with so little explanatory dialogue. It's a really thought-out film, mixing the thrill of major bombs going off with the reality of who's getting killed by them. The Hurt Locker respects the audience's intelligence, letting us make out for ourselves exactly what sort of man Will is, and why he does what he does. In the midst of all the explosions and gunfire, it's a decidedly nuanced character study. I felt I understood the three central figures in absence of many real in-depth "getting-to-know-you" type of conversations. The excellent performances expounded upon these characters, with Renner and Mackie grounding the whole film; both exude fiery and layered personalities which play off each other interestingly. I liked Geraghty a lot too, finding his scared and unsure Eldridge the most sympathetic.

It'd be great if Bigelow was nominated for this, not only because it'd be nice if a 4th woman in history received an Oscar nomination for Best Director, but because it's really well-directed. She's amazing at creating incredibly tense moments- I was anxiously holding my breath quite a few times, and would probably resort to nail-biting if it didn't gross me out. She breaks the story up into a lot of slightly disjointed, but linear, scenes, each carefully composed to show another aspect of war's effects on both soldiers and citizens. And for once there's effective use of slow-motion (which usually I only enjoy for the corny factor).

The Hurt Locker is an exciting, engaging, depressing, and intelligent film about the simultaneous addictions and horrors caused by war. Normally I'm not into war movies, but this is just really, honestly good.

4.5/5