Intense War Film ****May Contain Spoilers*****

Rating: 7/10 (9 December 2012)

The Hurt Locker (2008)
This was a very intense film based on one of the most dangerous jobs in the military. The film was about an elite Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team in Iraq. It shows the conflict in the Middle East first hand from the soldiers that are there fighting to make it a safer place. The three man team is faced with the ongoing threat from the Iraqi people and is always on guard. Director Kathryn Bigelow does a fine job expressing the reality that is faced in the Middle East and this supported the theme of "war being hell but it can be addicting."
Army Sergeant First Class Will James, played by Jeremy Renner, took over as the team leader after SSgt Matt Thompson, played by Guy Pearce, was killed while disposing a bomb. SFC James had a very different style compared to Thompson; he was a risk taker or "wild man" as stated in the film and likes to take things into his own hands. Sergeant JT Sandborn, played by Anthony Mackie, was a more serious by the book kind of solders that doesn't like SFC James's style. Specialist Owen Eldridge, played by Brian Geraghty, was a more timid solder and unsure of the thought of war.
SFC James is a bit of a loose cannon, during the part of the film when he is trying to disarm the bomb in the car and he is told that they need to go several times by Sgt Sandborn and Sgt James throws off his headset and continues to look for the detonator displays his adrenaline addiction. He placed the whole team in danger so he could satisfy his own need to succeed.
I think the editing played a huge part in the effect of the film. The scene when the car caught on fire and they slowed down the film speed or when the bomb attached to the Iraqi man went off because SFC James didn't have the time or tools to remove it. The slow film speed showed every detail of the explosion and the adrenaline of the actors. The film used a lot of hand held cameras which made the shots shaky and feel like you were there.
War movies tend to be intense suspense films based on adrenaline. Inside the Iraq War was similar in the way the film was shot with handle held cameras although this film is a real documentary. It shows the adrenaline of the solders and the real live hell that had to endure.
I feel that war movies such as "The Hurt Locker" are good at showing the viewers what war is really about. I don't think that most people realize what these men and women go through to protect our country. Even though every aspect of the film many not be correct, it still gets "civilians" insight on the adrenaline affects and hell that they are put through on a daily basis.