Does any movie ever live up to everyone's expectations?

Rating: 10/10 (9 March 2010)

**This review contains a few major spoilers, so don't read it if you haven't seen the film. Thank you.** I don't understand why people are so fixated about analysing every single detail about a film and calling out faults. As if there's any movie in the history of film that lacks any sort of imperfection. It can't be the perfect reflection of reality, that's why it's called film-making, it's a director's vision, it's done with limited resources, and the filmmakers can't know everything, and they should be allowed to make mistakes. And a few have claimed the film lacks focus and direction. Tell that to the men and women in the army who do this all the time. They don't think what they're doing lacks focus and direction. This story's not supposed to have a regular plot development, it's what they encounter each day of their missions. A new day, a new story. One day can differ greatly from the next. I also didn't find it boring at all. From the very first explosion, i felt what i suppose the men and women in this sort of situation might feel: that it's a matter of life and death, that it means going out there and getting the job done well, or getting blown up in the spot. These characters are faced with the worry of being on the brink of death with each mission, and the three of them deal with that idea differently. That's why Guy Pearce dies five minutes into the film, and why Ralph Fiennes also dies under five minutes of appearing on screen. Bigelow and the filmmakers are telling us that anything can happen, and it will. They will succeed or they will die. That's all you have to take away from this movie. It's not supposed to change the world, or our vision of war. It's supposed to give us a glimpse of what could possibly be going through the soldiers' minds, what drives them to partake in the war. That's what the quote at the beginning of the film refers to. The pacing of the film was fine, in my opinion. i think it goes to show that people have gotten used to war films being all about running around hunting down the enemy, and massive shootouts and huge explosions. I think the film tries to portray the fact that, when you live on the edge, like these men in EOD, it's not about how fast you can go about doing your job, but how well. In this situation, it's not only your life on the line, but the lives of hundreds. It shows us that the army life can be fast-paced one day and very slow the next. Either way, you're on edge all the time. It makes sense. I believe it's one of the best films i've seen. I don't think it's because it's a war film, but because i enjoyed watching this character, crazy and reckless and very good at his job, and not knowing what to expect each time he suited up. I think that was thrilling, albeit a little scary.