Treats the viewer with respect and intelligence

Rating: 8/10 (25 January 2010)

Tipped be the main challenger for Avatar during the awards season, The Hurt Locker is a very different kettle of fish. The movie follows the exploits of a three man bomb disposal squad in Iraq: In particular, the arrival and impact of a new Team Leader in the form of William James (played by Jeremy Renner – who looks like Eminem's evil twin). James replaces the previous leader, played in a blink and you'll miss it cameo from Guy Pearce, who was killed in action. Naturally, he is different to his predecessor and this will take some adjustment from the other men – particularly when one of James's main differences is an inclination to ignore protocol and get the unit into more and more dangerous situations. As would be expected, the characters must have some journey of self discovery to go on, but this is handled with a subtlety and realism that enables it to avoid cliché. The movie, excellently directed by Kathryn Bigelow, carries a documentary feel and the look, feel and sound of the locations provides a real insight into how things must be in Iraq. You can almost feel the stifling heat and the atmosphere of living on the edge, when any person on the street could be an insurgent.
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