The Hurt Locker

Rating: 8/10 (10 September 2015)

The "Hurt Locker" is an American war film about a three-man bomb disposal team during the Iraq War. This movie specifically stuck in my head for various reasons. To start, I had to see this movie twice to fully comprehend the concept. The first time I watched the movie I was mainly paying attention to what the war scene looked like. Once I watched the movie for the second time I noticed the underlying concept being portrayed. I realized that this movie is about a veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder. Sergeant William James believes he is solely meant to disable bombs and enjoys feeling that he has a purpose in life. Once his rotation ends and he returns home from war, James resumes living with his ex-wife and their infant son who both still live with him in his house. However, he is bored and disconnected from routine civilian life. One night, James confesses to his son that there is only one thing that he knows he loves. Thereafter, he starts another tour of duty as they are starting their 365-day rotation.
Finally realizing this very serious matter in the movie I was shocked to discover that most war veterans suffer from this disorder. This hit me hard and made me very upset. Once I discovered this I began to get very emotion at the end of the movie, yet it is not necessarily a sad ending. Sergeant James is happy to be getting back into service and disabling bombs. He does not feel pain or remorse returning war because he feels that it is his purpose in life. Therefore, I was a tad bit confused by the end of the movie. In my opinion, this is a movie that needs to be watched more than once to fully comprehend. I was shocked by the ending, yet moved in a way I have never felt before. It really opened my eyes to what veterans go through once returning home from war. I took this into consideration and view this topic in a whole different light. Overall, this movie had a very significant impact on me.