An intense war movie that brings us inside the head of a complex war adrenaline junkie

Rating: 9/10 (24 December 2018)

The Hurt Locker brings intensity from start to finish, with great visuals and clear writing. It's a personal look at a three-person bomb-defusing squad that brings tension with good action scenes and is a character study of James. He seems to be an enigma early on, almost flippant which seems unrealistic given his high-ranking position. As the movie progresses, a great performance by Renner shows us layers of his character, and that it's not that he doesn't care, but that he is unafraid and welcomes risk and the adrenaline of a dangerous situation. He does care about the people around him, he just shows it selectively. The performance that captivated me throughout the movie and who presented a perfect foil to James was Mackie's, showing the intense and unflinching but also human soldier representative of many in the military. It's not a movie I could imagine anyone finding boring, but it doesn't rely on nonstop action and explosions, instead taking its time with its shots and letting the characters control the pacing. The last 15 minutes or so are what made me realize what a great movie it was: the realistic but extremely intense attempted bomb removal, followed by a touching scene that highlighted the contrast between James and Sanborn brilliantly, and then the small scene that amazed me: the grocery store, with James looking at the aisle full of cereal, that both made me realize how utterly captivated I had been by the war developments and see through James' eyes the mundane dullness held in everyday life. The speech to his son and ending sequence brought everything together as a character study of James. Like they say in the opening credits, war is a drug, and while it treats everyone differently, it sure hit James hard. I wouldn't be surprised if I never see a better war movie.