Review of The Hurt Locker (2008) by Ivor K — 12 Nov 2012

There is no prizes for guessing why this movie won an oscar as it tells its target (American) audience exactly what it wants to hear. Namely that the experience of the U.S. military in post-invasion Iraq was one of basically decent indiviuals trying, with varying degrees of success, to bring safety and security to a burnt out wreck of a land inhabited by the helpless preyed upon by the cruel and inhuman hiding within their own ranks.

What it does not dwell upon is why this land is so burnt out in the first place and why an effective intifida is underway, with the U.S. and not the Isreali army on the receiving end. The bomb scenes are excellently done but asides such as the intrepid bomb team having to step in and save a British special ops team in a desert is just ludicrous.

All-in-all a terrific effort but badly myopic on the causes of the conflict and the scale of destruction meted out by the invading Forces.