It takes all sorts to make an army

Rating: 7/10 (25 November 2010)

Kathryn Bigelow has made a well-crafted and interesting film about the day-to-day life of US troops in Iraq. We follow a three-man bomb disposal team. This gives the opportunity for many tense scenes as they deal with various devices left by Iraqi insurgents.
Two of team want to do their job as well as possible but, having recently seen their previous leader blown up, are also anxious to avoid any unnecessary risks. However the new team leader shocks them by seeming to thrive on taking as many risks as possible. This leads to conflict. The leader(played by Jeremy Renner) is disliked by the others but they all know they have to work together in very stressful situations to stay alive. The bomb disposal scenes are very well done as the director gradually builds the tension and keeps us guessing. There are also scenes of more "normal" army life.
The message of the movie is that while most soldiers just want to survive, some depend on the adrenalin rush of being in danger and cannot replicate this in life away from the front line.
The excellent cast show the fear in the soldier's eyes as potentially deadly situations take turns for the worse.
I was anxious to see this film as it had won the 2009 Best Film Oscar. I was slightly disappointed with it as it is not as memorable or original as I'd hoped. Perhaps the action sequences had more of an impact in the cinema. However it is certainly a movie worth seeing.