not as bad as some say

Rating: 6/10 (13 March 2010)

Kathryn Bigelow and Mr. Boal have done a fine job of creating cinematic suspense in their story of 3 members of a bomb squad in the mean streets of war-torn Iraq a year into the US occupation. The scenes involving the defusing of improvised explosive devices are well organized and acted so that you are on the edge of your seat as to whether the protagonists will emerge alive or at least unscathed. You do get the sense of alienation between the US invaders and the native Iraqi population. The Iraqis are depicted as ubiquitous but mysterious onlookers, annoyances interfering with the soldiers' duty, or downright threats. Twice we witness the insolence of individual insurgents who dare to taunt the US soldiers to their faces. We do get the feeling for the chaos, brutality and downright filth of war, and some sense of the toll that war takes on the mental state of the soldiers who are more or less constantly hurling themselves into crazy, life-threatening situations. Sometimes this craziness gets to be too much, leaving the audience wondering what is going on as the lead characters run around dark alleyways screaming frantically at each other. These dark and confusing stretches slow the film's pace and distance the viewer. But one cannot see this film and come out of it thinking that war is glorious, or something to look forward to, and if the filmmakers are to be believed, that was the whole point of their efforts.