Review of The Hurt Locker (2008) by Anssi V — 25 Dec 2013

Best Picture of 2009, according to the Academy. It also won best director and best original screenplay out of the so called Big Five.

I don't see it. I have no idea why this movie got so many awards, so many recommendations, so much critical praise. Is it a bad film? No, not at all. It's in fact rather good film, fully capturing the intensity of a bomb squad. I just wouldn't call it the best picture of the year, not even close.

Still, it does some things very well. As stated, it is very intense from time to time. Every time one of the characters has to don on the bomb suit, the atmosphere picks up instantly. You can feel the claustrophobia, the detachment from the outside world, and I enjoyed those scenes very much. Most of the bomb situations are also creative and different enough to be interesting and I have to applaud the choice to film near actual war zone as it does add to the setting. It's a fine-looking film and the two sound-related Academy Awards were well-earned in my opinion.

My biggest issues with this film lie with its characters. Director Kathryn Bigelow clearly tried to show us the detachment from reality that plagues these bomb squad members even outside their suits, but unfortunately I ended up being detached from them as well. I managed to form no connection with them, because none of them acted like a normal human being - at least in my opinion. They were there to illustrate a point, to act out the story and because they needed to be there, but they felt hollow and empty. At the end of the story I could say that I had enjoyed the scenery and some of the action scenes, but that I hadn't really learned anything new about war or its conditions.

But perhaps that's just my failing as a viewer. Still, reviews are meant to illustrate the experiences of a particular viewer, and this one is mine. I don't particularly like this film. I can admire its vision and its professionalism, but it's not a film I would see twice or recommend to anyone.