After watching "The Hurt Locker", I noticed that my hands were moist. Intially I was willing to chalk this up to the numerous times I reached for my drink, but then I remembered I brought in a lukewarm water bottle. In actuality, my hands were sweating from the numerous times I was wringing them together and clutching the arms of my chair, as one of the best films of 2009 unraveled before me. From the high octane action to the fantastic performances, I was hooked from the very first frame and it didn't let up until long after the film was over.
"The Hurt Locker" tells the story of three men who belong to an Army bomb squad whose sole purpose is to disarm bombs (whether it be roadside or within a cadaver) in Iraq. The three men are only weeks away from being on leave and must find a way to not only survive Iraq, but to survive one another. As alluded to, the first danger is Iraq itself and I must admit, there is a sense of danger presented by director Kathryn Bigelow that no film about Iraq has captured so far. This is not to say I know the danger of Iraq first hand, but I imagine what Bigelow puts on screen is an ample represenation of what soldier's face every day. From the bombs themselves to the suspicious behaviors of Iraqi citizens watching from rooftops, Bigelow creates taut scenes that not only push her characters to the limits, but her audience as well.
Yet, the most triumphant part of Bigelow's direction is her ability to draw out fantastic performances from her three protagonists: SSgt William James (Jeremy Renner), Sgt. JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Spc. Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty). The first Oscar worthy performance of the year (aside from Christoph Waltz) belongs to Jeremy Renner, whose SSgt. William James is an adrenaline junkie and the closer he is to the death, the closer he is to living. Renner gives an amazing performance as he creates a charismatic and complex character, whose life is ruined in a way you wouldn't really expect. In some essences, the war is perfect for James because it fills an adrenaline void. Yet, as the war wears on and disarming "typical" roadside bombs no longer do it for him, he needs a "fix" bigger and more dangerous than the last.
Where Renner's 'James' is unhinged and seemingly needs the war, Anthony Mackie's 'Sgt. Sanborn' is simply a man on a mission. All he wants to do is serve his time, live, and go home. As you can imagine, the character of 'Sanborn' is pushed to the limit by the character of 'James', as his life becomes relatively more dangerous then it previously had been. Mackie does a terrific job capturing the slow deterioration of his character's confidence in leaving Iraq alive, as well as the growing inquisitive position he has on his own life. With Sanborn and James being stark comparisons to one another, the intensity that Bigelow captures between Mackie and Renner is quite amazing, and at times is far more involving then the disarming of bombs. When combined with a solid performance by Brian Geraghty (Sgt. Eldridge), who plays a soldier with anxiety problems, Bigelow has a trio of characters who not only push one another to the brink of hell, but also force one another to grow in ways they couldn't imagine.
Without any political agendas, Bigelow is able to focus on the aforementioned interaction and development of her characters, as well as the perfect execution of taut, action sequences. Because of Bigelow's unbiased approach to the film, she creates a true human drama, where the disarming of character is just as compelling as the disarming of explosives.
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