Review of The Hurt Locker (2008) by Scott R — 07 Apr 2013

After "Saving Private Ryan" and "Apocalypse Now" I never thought that another filmaker would make a war movie that managed to get to their feets ... Kathryn Bigelow succeeded in a FANTASTIC way.

"The Hurt Locker" can be one of the best war movies of all time, explore and show's the Iraq war in a way never seen before, getting to be quite original in many details. One of the most positive and original points on the film is that it dosen't focuss attention on shootings sequences as other war films do, but explores the view of the soldiers, as they see and feel the war, putting the public on their places. Who sees the war on television or news, just see unnecessary killing and massacre between peoples and nations, yeah it is true but then people say that the soldiers are murderers. The film manages to explore this sense from the perspective of the soldiers, they are only there to follow rules, their job is being there, the soldiers only have each other and fight to protect the man on their side, we see that they count the days they spend in combat to return home soon which seems impossible. Mark Boal gets conveying this with a superb screenplay, shows reality in an impressive way. Not only is the screenplay is very real but also the impressive visual details that the film delivers.

Another plus point in the film are the visual effects, giving the film an visual magnitude, impressive in every passing moment, and with the direction of Kathryn Bigelow everything is just amazing.

The cast could not have been better for the story of these soldiers. Jeremy Renner gives a fantastic performance in every detail as Sergeant First Class William James; Anthony Mackie as Sergeant JT Sanborn and more; Brian Geraghty; Guy Pearce and Ralph Fiennes.

From start to finish, "The Hurt Locker" gives an impressive view of the war in Iraq, stuffed maintenance; emotion; action and an impressive visual spectacle, one of the best war movies ever made.