Soldiers Shouldn't Be That Offended

Rating: 6/10 (14 June 2010)

Those who have experienced the terrors of the War in Iraq and Afghanistan will be greatly offended by the unrealistic scenarios depicted in "The Hurt Locker". As much as I respect the torture and torment they had endured overseas, I think they took this movie way too seriously by saying it's unrealistic and inaccurate and I have to disagree with them to some degree. The anti-war sentiments depicted in this movie is exhibited in a delicate matter. For example taken from the quote by journalist Chris Hedges where he mentions that the desire for fighting is very competitive and addictive, thus in his words "war is a drug." In a way his words prove a point being that near the end of the movie when Sgt. William James goes back to the warzone in Iraq, because of his restlessness of settling down in his American home with civilians who don't know jack of what's going on in that area.
From watching documentary's and newsreels, only handful return to the Middle East due to this self-proclaimed needy obsession. The go back for the goodness of their people, the adrenaline rush and the salaries they make.
Granted it's nowhere close to perfect and that it shouldn't have been nominated for an Oscar (let alone Best Director for Katheryn Bigelow), the actors were dressed and destined to act like seasoned veterans, but instead they ended up performing implausible and dumbfounded tasks that soldiers would never have been permitted to do. Who in their right mind would attempt to achieve something deadly with nobody at their side? I mean come on, I may have never fought in combat, but trying to be a one-man hero in deadly situations is just foolhardy to put it bluntly.
It's a bit of hyperbole to just completely condemn the movie by observing the flaws and faux pas (which come in abundance), but it's not a complete fallacy compared to this self-described "hidden enemy" they like to talk about, and the use of weapons too (IED's). Split-second strategies are a common trend in the Middle East, and it all strings in the matter of life, death or imprisonment for friends and enemies alike. Suicide bombs for children and casual civilian-shield targeting happened there and that's just the icing on the cake. Terrorists have an unorthodox way to define their moral values. For a more accurate viewing of soldiers at war, "Generation Kill" is the one to watch. But still, the heart and the effort in making "The Hurt Locker" should be praised.