Bigelow: 6 Cameron: 3 unlucky James but Kathryn really did a better job

Rating: 10/10 (10 March 2010)

Now I'm just going to clear the air here and say: Yes I thoroughly enjoyed Avatar and it was by no means your average run of the mill and certainly achieved global success. But in all honesty I thought this film DID deserve the Oscar wins more than Avatar simply because it seemed to raise the bar on every level about the Iraq war without becoming blood-blitzed, monotonous and emotionally stunted war film.
The Hurt Locker honestly exceeded about every expectation I well, expected. After reading about the handfuls of Oscars it managed to scope I was eager to see Kathryn's interpretation and be blown away and fortunately I wasn't left disappointed. It proves that Old-School docudramas can be more of a treat than the CGI feast that Cameron served up - not that I had anything wrong with that.
Now if you ever thought your job was bad wait till you see what happens to these poor guys. They have the rather risky job of bomb-disposal which means you can obviously expect some explosions which really do pinpoint the risk that these soldiers (and of course the non-actor ones) take everyday. Bigelow's a visionary no doubt about it, she perfectly captures the emotional trauma and strain that soldiers are put through while keeping it tense enough to create an atmosphere that is stereotypical of most horrors.
The perfectly cast actors, constant sense of unending and foreboding tension and inter-twisted conflicts of loyalty in the characters, with one of the best female directors of this time make this an absolute war epic that really will highlight the impact of some not so everyday soldiers in brutal fashion.