Subjective, Not Objective.

Rating: 9/10 (3 July 2013)

Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker is something I felt was different in a war film. Rather than focusing the film in the reasons why the country goes into war but rather the reason why a soldier wants to be in the war. It details on the experience of these soldiers in their placement in Iraq. This is also the film that made Kathryn Bigelow and Oscar contending director and has proved herself again in her next war film, Zero Dark Thirty.
The plot of the film is a bomb squad that consists of William James (Renner), J.T. Sanborn (Mackie) and Owen Eldridge (Geraghty) doing their service until their rotation is over. The screenplay by Mark Boal captures the deep experiences of these soldiers very realistically. It doesn't try to take notice of the audience using large action and chaotic sequences but rather explore these soldiers' feelings towards their duty and the psychological trauma they endured. I enjoyed the storyline with Eldgridge trying to understand death and trying to shake the fact that one moment you are here and the next you aren't. But the main focus is on James as his reason is that he loves his job and that he would risk his own life, even though he has a "family" back home, to feel the adrenaline pumping. I love that it shows how is actions affect others, especially those close to him professionally and personally. Boal seems to understand the war at a more intimate level, which he did with this film, and he also can see war in a much more bigger picture like in his second film Zero Dark Thirty.
Kathryn Bigelow is a filmmaker that I feel neutral to as she has entertaining films like this one and also has not-so-good ones like Blue Steel and The Loveless. I feel that her next few films after Zero Dark Thirty will really show whether or not she will be the next great director. This film is a fantastic drama of war and this is maybe because Bigelow is handling the film, and also has a great script. If this film was in the hands of more action oriented directors then this may been half an hour shorter and would spend less time on characters but instead on situations.
The film doesn't move really fast in my opinion and so great editing in scenes is needed to keep the audience interested. Memorable and thrilling moments like the sniper battle do stretch for a bit with minimal action but with great editing keeps you in the edge of your seat as anything could happen.
One of the stronger aspects of the film is the cinematography by Barry Ackroyd who did the other war film I enjoyed, Green Zone. This film, that Ackroyd also did for Green Zone, is very gritty by keeping the image very grainy. It's appropriate for the setting and the theme. There are moments that are captured uniquely and may be a little bit pretentious. I see it as ambitious and makes the film different from the war films in recent years. The use of shaky cam in order to create a sense chaos and anxiety may be a little too much but I have seen so many of these in films that it does not bother me so, but I do acknowledge that it is there and it isn't for everyone. The most beautiful moments that Ackroyd has captured is the slow motion events, whether it is the blowing up of a bomb or the fall of a bullet form a fired gun, it is breathtaking.
Beltrami and Sanders' score is not dominating but it is eerie and dark which supports the experiences of these tortured soldiers. There are a lot of moments where it is complete silence in creating a sense of tension but when certain situations happen, their score starts to haunt the scene.
The film has three convincing and breakout leads. They made these guys potential blockbuster acotrs, especially Renner. They fill in the shoes of these characters with such depth and vulnerability. I adore that these are not expendable characters that just have 2 or 3 emotions. The film includes appearances of great actors in small roles like Ralph Fiennes and Guy Pearce. Their roles may be small but it is strong and definitely something noteworthy. Their appearance feels like there is weight when something happens to them.
This film is not trying to make a statement about war but the soldiers that go in and do the hard work. This film may in the future be regarded as a war classic due to its subjective approach and is well deserving of its accolades. If you want a visual spectacle in its approach to war then don't watch this but if a study of soldiers is what gets your interest then sure try this out.