The Hurt Locker: A Solid Best Picture Contender
Here's a movie that most people haven't heard enough about - but should've. The Hurt Locker stars the relatively unknown (until now) Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, and Brian Geraghty, with a few cameos by well-known actors sprinkled throughout. The story revolves around a three-man team of bomb disabling soldiers in Iraq. One of them is the new leader, filling the shoes of a blown-away predecessor, who is much more reckless and dangerous than his team would like. The film follows these three as they go from call to call, disabling bombs while watching out for any on-looking bystander who may be waiting to detonate the explosives at any moment.
This film is commonly described as an Iraq War film. It is not any more an Iraq war movie as Waitress is about pie or The Matrix is about New York City. This film could basically take place during any war; the location is not what's important. It is about the dangers that soldiers face each day while doing their jobs during a war. And it takes no stand for or against the war these soldiers are involved in.
Since this movie is about the dangers these soldiers face it is thereby about the characters we're following, puncuated occasionally with an occasional explosion or gunfight. But interestingly enough, while movies have made us relish big explosions, The Hurt Locker makes us fear the big explosion, realizing if it happens then something very bad also happens. And director Kathryn Bigelow (Near Dark, Point Break) knows the audience has seen hundreds of explosions before, so she presents them in a different way (either in slow-motion or CNN realism). This works greatly and adds a sort of garnish to what is a delectably new kind of intensity.
What this film also presents us in a fresh way is the gung-ho, reckless hotshot character, in this case played by the insta-star Jeremy Renner. Renner's Sergeant James is no Lt. Riggs in army gear. His darkness is hidden under a calm exterior. He doesn't say things that necessarily give off red flags or scream "I'm the crazy one!", rather it's his actions that make people uneasy. Of course, by the time anybody feels something isn't right, it's too late to stop him. Yet, at the same time, he is shown to be encouraging and dedicated to his fellow men. Renner blows away his award-season competition with a performance that is both humane and rash; wild, but in a much more understated way than we're accustomed.
This brings to mind what probably sets The Hurt Locker apart from most war or action movies: it fails to treat its audience like idiots. It doesn't spell everything out for you with dialogue, but it also is very easy to follow. It treats its audience with respect, knowing that they can follow the movie's implications and what is at stake in every scene. Sad as it is, we rarely are given a film with this much respect to the audience's intelligence.
While its title may not be the most straightforward or easy to remember, The Hurt Locker is in every other way a solid film. It is by far one of the best bets for Best Picture, as is Jeremy Renner for Best Actor. It is not to be avoided for its locale, because it will be one of the tautest thrillers you will see from 2009, if not the previous ten years. And an excellent character study. Do not wait to see it.
9/10
Should you see it? Rent (immediately)
The Hurt Locker is available now on DVD and Blu-Ray.