THE HURT LOCKER

THE HURT LOCKER (Summit Entertainment)
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow

It’s not often we are treated with a story that sort of sneaks up on you, but that’s exactly the case here with director Kathryn Bigelow’s war thriller, THE HURT LOCKER. Not only is this film one of the best of 2008, its’ one of the best from 2009 as well, after finally being released this past June. That’s right, this film actually came out over a year ago and yet many of us have never even heard of it. One reason for that is the fact it wasn’t considered to be anything big, but the more chatter it got overseas, the easier it became for festivals here in the U.S. to pick it up, with the ‘South by Southwest Film Festival’ being the first in Austin, Texas. Regarded as one of the more respected festivals, THE HURT LOCKER was a hit at SBSW and within four months, the film was being shown on limited screens all over the world. Still a relatively independent film, though, not many will know to rent or buy this film on DVD, but should as its depiction on just one of the many active military groups during the war in Iraq was about as real as it gets.

Taking place in the early stages of the 2004 war in Iraq, the story here follows a EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) unit and their day to day operations, which was nothing short of spectacular given the unbelievable circumstances. After becoming the team leader of the assigned Bravo company EOD group, Staff Sergeant First Class William James (Jeremy Renner), quickly defuses a IED (improvised explosive device), but while doing it, irritates his new team consisting of Sergeant JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty). You see, James didn’t listen too well and while he would be confident in his own abilities with these IED situations’, his team didn’t know any better, thus creating a tricky and extremely unorthodox environment at times. Probably not something you want in a time of war, but that’s the price you pay to work with a guy as smart and talented as James, who was very driven and good at his job. So, as James and his team go from one mission to the next, they all start to realize what was really going on in this disarmed country, each reacting and reflecting in different ways. And the longer their tour went, the more real it got, resulting in a multitude of emotions for everyone involved. But, as the story ends, you start to realize just how true the opening quote from a book written by NY Times journalist and author Chris Hodges was; “The rush of battle is a potent and often lethal addiction, for war is a drug.”

I almost guarantee this cast is one that no one will recognize and for that, I credit director Kathryn Bigelow. There’s no need to bring in A-list actors when the story is the real star of the film. And Bigelow made sure she picked the right balance with her cast, ensuring the intensity would be at the highest level possible. Because, with a relatively unknown cast, all focus is on the story, which is part of why this film felt so real. And sure, maybe Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty helped with that, but to me, the credit should go to Bigelow and the writers. Without the amazing accounts from Mark Boal, a journalist who was in fact embedded with an EOD squad just like the one in this film, this story would have never made it. Because it was his research and hand-written word that helped Bigelow place her cast in the perfect moments within the story. To have a writer that actually spent time in the war he was writing a screenplay about is incredible and just one example of why this film was special.

For all that’s made about women and directing, Kathryn Bigelow has a found a way over the years to not fall into one specific genre. Instead, she chooses films that mean something and THE HURT LOCKER certainly fulfills that ideal and really shows what a hidden talent she has been all this time. Sure, her resume is relatively short, but I think when you put all the passion into the film, as she does, her films equal out to being more meaningful. That actually might be the secret and recipe to success that many actors and directors in Hollywood fail to employ, but either way, Bigelow deserves credit for what she has done with THE HURT LOCKER. Not since A BLACK HAWK DOWN have I felt so entrenched in a war thriller and the way Bigelow did it was almost flawless. Being able to bring in just the right emotion at times was critical and yes, the subject probably played a part in that, but Bigelow still had to make sure her moments of clarity within the drama mattered, and they certainly did here. At no point did you feel removed from the intense nature of this story and to me, that’s all Bigelow in the way she shot the film. Having the ability to shoot from four different views played a huge role in how this film looked and felt and the more you watched, the more you liked. That’s impressive and frankly, given the subject nice to see as no detail was missed. And realizing the subject won’t do this film any favors, but the truth remains that the war depicted in this film is very real and still ongoing as we speak.

THE HURT LOCKER is a film that will undoubtedly fly under the radar for various reasons, but like many of its predecessors shouldn’t. I realize the subject won’t do this film any favors, but the truth remains that the war depicted in this film is very real and still ongoing as we speak. And its effect crosses so many levels or reality that you can’t help but be pulled into its lore, resulting in a film that might just be Oscar-worthy when it’s all said and done.

A-