As explosive as its subject.

Rating: 10/10 (8 July 2009)

Without a doubt this is the best war film since SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (& I loved BLACK HAWK DOWN & FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS). It is intense & continuously involving. This is Bigelow's best film since (the classic) NEAR DARK.
If the subject, Army bomb squad in Iraq, doesn't intrigue you then you probably think that "Shakespeare In Love" really did deserve it Best Picture Oscar.
The acting is excellent throughout but there is a star making performance by Jeremy Renner that will leave you stunned. It was smart to cast this film with mostly actors that you don't recognize.
The movie has a documentary feel to it which adds greatly to the tension in it. DP Barry Ackroyd also shot the unnerving UNITED 93. The editing is virtually perfect. You know exactly where you are at in the rubble strewn streets where life fights like weeds in cracked concrete to take hold (again). And the shots never linger too long (or too short).
Bigelow has always given us beautifully stylized scenes, but except for one very effective slo-mo shot she seems to have sacrificed that trait for the story (or shooting schedule). It doesn't look like "a Kathryn Bigelow film".
But few films rise above their script. Mark Boal's screenplay is a lesson on how to tell a great story with a minimum of exposition. The characters are defined almost entirely by their actions. I hope the Oscars reward this movie well.
I drove 112 miles to Sherman Oaks to see it & it was worth it. I can't wait to see it again.
Update January 2010: This film is even better on a 2nd viewing. It is just as intense (amazingly). I noticed much more character development this time around. The acting & script retain their original luster I was wrong about it not really looking like "a Bigelow film" because it does. There is no other film-maker that sees things quite like she does. If you missed in the cinemas don't fret; it plays just as well on a decent home screen (my 32" flat screen was just fine).