Review of The Hurt Locker (2008) by Chris O — 11 Jun 2018

A realistic and tough depiction of war in the Middle East.

Based on the personal wartime experiences of journalist Mark Boal (who adapted his experiences with a bomb squad into a fact-based, yet fictional story), director Kathryn Bigelow's Iraq War-set action thriller The Hurt Locker presents the conflict in the Middle East from the perspective of those who witnessed the fighting firsthand -- the soldiers. As an elite Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal team tactfully navigates the streets of present-day Iraq, they face the constant threat of death from incoming bombs and sharp-shooting snipers.

As a big war movie fan, I've seen my fair share of war films. This is one of those ones that sticks out from all those in recent memory. Most war films in recent memory are a lot more action heavy and gory, which there's nothing wrong with that. But this one focuses on the dirt and grind of what it's like to actually be in the middle of the Middle East. There's not a lot of firefights, but it's the constant fear that you'll die at any second. There's constantly the threat of bombs on the road and you never know what will happen. I think Bigelow did a great job of fleshing out the story and taking the time to show us just the danger of being out there. It made the story intense and very emotional in many ways.

One thing I enjoyed was the acting. Guys like Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie put on really great performances. In fact, it might be my favorite performance for each of them. They put on really strong performances and they made the movie so powerful. I was able to connect with all the characters just based on the situations alone. You have all these conflicting personalities and when lives are on the line it gets scary. I think the overall character situation was interesting and I felt as though the characters brought a lot to the story.

As a whole, I think what Bigelow does well is taking her time with stories. She doesn't go over the top with anything and she's shown that through all her films. She takes her time and elaborates on the situation at hand. She knows how to build tension in a scene where there might not be so much tension. She knows how to execute scenes regardless of what she's given. I think even though her films can run a little bit long, she does good story telling.

In the end, "The Hurt Locker" was a great, solid war film and one that had a lot of great moments. It was executed well and told a great war story.