Review of The Hurt Locker (2008) by The-Lords A — 17 Aug 2012

Nerve-rattling immersion into the last 39 days of a tour of duty for a three-man American bomb squad stationed in Iraq. An onscreen quote opens the film proclaiming "War is a drug" and spends the next 2 hours with a single-minded purpose of explanation.

What it does, it does very well, giving a first-person perspective into the variety of dangers that these soldiers encounter every day. There's no sermonizing about war, just a very matter-of-fact approach which is rather novel.

However some of the connecting material between encounters is a little weak for a Best Picture winner, giving the movie's structure the feel of an intense video game. Jeremy Renner is a quality find as a foolhardy detonation expert.

Kathryn Bigelow's shakycam directorial style is both an asset and a hindrance, as if she doesn't have complete mastery of her tools. Admittedly she too won a statue for her work, but I can think of a handful of other women more deserving of landmark Oscar recognition.