An Adrenaline Junkie's Film about an Adrenaline Junkie

Rating: 3/10 (19 June 2017)

Bigelow attempts to weave an intense character study of interconnected parts during the Iraqi War in The Hurt Locker, but fails completely. In a well-made film technically, every aspect fails to come together to complete a whole. What ends up being produced is a visual masterpiece of well set up nothingness. It's a movie about nothing, but in a bad way, unlike The Big Lebowski (1998).
This is an adrenaline junkie's movie about an adrenaline junkie in war. Each war scene seems like another way to get the adrenaline pumping and the thrills going. While the first two or three are well-made and set up the rest of the film, the viewer becomes tired of the redundant scenarios and the movie accomplishes nothing. In essence, there is a thematic quote displayed across the screen to open the film, "The rush of battle is often a potent and lethal addiction, for war is a drug," – and the movie takes two hours to simply say that "war is a drug." Two hours could have been saved for a film of more artistic value than this one by simply showing us that quote for ten seconds.
Renner's performance is limited to the bounds of the film. He is fantastic in his role, but the role is nothing special. The supporting actors of his team, Mackie and Geraghty, shine in their sole scenes, but can do nothing but fade away when Renner is in the limelight – again thanks to the frame of the film as an action-filled fiasco.
In the end, we have discombobulation. A spattering of scenes stitched together in similar scenarios to deliver a message. The message is delivered well with an apt vehicle. Yet there is no provided depth. What Bigelow tries to add with scenes of empathetic importance, fails to come across. Thus, the supermarket scenes depicting the normal life of Staff Sergeant William James, Renner's character, were more involving and engaging. The character fits with more context into the supermarket than the battlefield. This movie fits with more context in a locker rather than on the screen.