"War is a once in a lift time event....

Rating: 8/10 (13 September 2009)

... you should enjoy it while you can!" is how one of the councillors puts it to one of the soldiers. The man's patronising comment is a mirror to the reality of the state of mind of the soldiers that have to fight, and "The Hurt Locker" is a vivid depiction of the mentality that can help some through.
The story centres mainly round two men involved in bomb disarmament and disposal, James & Sanborn. James is a maverick whilst Sanborn is more straight down the line, and their aim is to survive the many bomb traps that are laid down by insurgents (the film is based in occupied Iraq). The whole film is very original and you see the soldier's method and madness in just being able to survive their tour of duty, but also the uncomfortable truth that there are those who feed off of it and need the action. "War is a drug" we are told at the start of the film, and the adrenalin rush from the action is an addiction for some men.
The action is well paced and the tension frightening at moments, the acting is just superb and the dialogue is believable. The camera work is shaky but this is just to give an uncomfortable aspect to the viewer to make us feel more what those on screen are going through.
It's one of the best war movies in many a year, and in some ways is much more aligned towards "Jarhead" than "Platoon".
I'd highly recommend it to many people. A very interesting film which at times uncomfortable to watch yet still keeps you glued to your seat.