Review of The Hurt Locker (2008) by Roeyl — 01 Sep 2013

This movie works only because it appears so real, it's the source of the suspense, the action, the atmosphere, characters, plot... etc. This is also why it fails. While it may be more accurate than many other war movies, this one was built on realism.

However an informed viewer will note that the movie does not portray well the soldiers' lives and the Iraq war. Many bomb squad members said so themselves, including the ones that were interviewed by the movie makers.

All the portrayed military operations are inaccurate. This movie is a lie. However can it still be viewed as a regular war action movie? I'm afraid not. Without the sense of reality the movie loses all interest.

To conclude, not only does this movie fail at what it sells for, which is a close enough portrayal of wartime, it also fails as an action movie. The only praise I can give is the amazing work achieved by the actors.

You will enjoy this movie though if you do not know much about the Iraq war, like most Americans unfortunately.