To be a soldier of war... can you imagine what it's like?

Rating: 10/10 (19 March 2017)

To be a soldier of war... Can you imagine what it's like? Sergeant William James, Sergeant J.T. Sanborn, and Specialist Owen Eldridge are not just soldiers, but are the leading members of a bomb- disposal unit in Baghdad. These courageous men, alongside a team of others, fearlessly work together to defeat all obstacles set by a team of insurgents seeking to destroy the city with explosives. Despite the risks, they work towards disarming their enemies to protect the innocent lives of those living in Baghdad. Can you imagine what it must be like to look death in the face and wink?
The Hurt Locker is an enthralling war film that is directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Kathryn Bigelow is a popular filmmaker known for her incredible visuals and heart-pounding action sequences; In 2009, Kathryn became the first woman to win an Academy Award for best director for The Hurt Locker (Bigelow, 2014). The main characters of The Hurt Locker are Sgt. William James (Jeremy Renner), Sgt. J.T. Sanborn (Anthony Mackie), and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty), who are joined by four men in combat, Colonel John Cambridge (Christian Camargo), Contractor Team Leader (Ralph Fiennes), Colonel Reed (David Morse), and Sergeant Matt Thompson (Guy Pearce).
The film depicts an action-packed journey of a battle between the soldiers of Iraq and the United States. Sgt. William James (Jeremy Renner), an experienced bomb disposer, is called to take the place of the bomb squad's former leader, who tragically lost his life on duty. Unlike the bomb squad's former leader, Sgt. William James soon earns himself a reckless and wild reputation; his reckless actions soon push his subordinates, Sgt. Sanborn and Specialist Eldridge against him. In efforts of saving both the bomb squad and a desperate country, the team must put aside their differences to fight the grueling war that is ahead of them.
Sgt. Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) are the main soldiers who assist Sgt. William James (Jeremy Renner) with bomb disposal missions. Though they differ greatly in personality, the two work exceptionally well together in assisting James with each mission. Sanborn, "the professional" of the group, can be seen constantly scanning the area for snares and enemies; he can also be seen helping equip James for bomb defusing missions. Sanborn acts as an aggressor in the group, and is quick in making judgments. Eldridge is different; he is insecure and timid in nature. He acts more as a leader than a follower. Unlike James, Eldridge does exactly what he is told; fear paralyzes him from doing anything else.
Like the movie, Saving Private Ryan, The Hurt Locker portrays the overall devotion that a soldier has in serving the country, as well as the communication barriers that soldiers face when working on a team. For instance, in the movie Saving Private Ryan, the soldiers working to save Private Ryan could not advance as a team until they agreed together as a group. Likewise, in The Hurt Locker, Sanborn was responsible for setting aside his differences with James to win the war. Both films depict the patriotism of such soldiers and show the struggles they may face with communication.
Two filming techniques that were used to enhance the quality of The Hurt Locker are shot angles and lighting. Because each scene took place in a different location, Establishing shots were taken from high perspectives and were used to show an area that action was taking place; Point of View shots were used by showing events through a rifle's scope. In using lighting technique, there was minimal use of artificial light used to display night scenes. Because there was minimal use of artificial light, it helped create a more realistic atmosphere for the scenery of the film.
Can you imagine what it's like to be a solider of war? As stated by website article, The Hurt Locker, by Roger Ebert, "Bigelow uses no phony suspense-generating mechanisms in this film. No false alarms. No gunge ho. It is about personalities in terrible danger. The suspense is real, and it is earned. Hitchcock said when there's a bomb under a table, and it explodes, that's action. When we know the bomb is there, and the people at the table play cards, and it doesn't explode, that's suspense" (2009). The Hurt Locker does an effective job of depicting the patriotism of soldiers and showing the struggles they face with communication.
References Kathryn Bigelow. (April, 02, 2014). Kathryn Bigelow Biography. http://www.biography.com/people/kathryn-bigelow-546542 Roger Ebert. (July 08, 2009). The Hurt Locker Movie Review & Film Summary. http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-hurt-locker-2009