A War Film For a New Generation

Rating: 8/10 (19 December 2009)

The idea of war as men in uniform taking turns firing at each other seems extinct, and Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker paints an uncomfortably realistic picture of what war has become, and what it will continue to be. Biglow proves she can generate suspense as well as any working director, and Jeremy Renner leads a fantastic ensemble cast, in a film rightfully generating major awards buzz as a disappointing year comes to a close.
War movies often try to prove, with extended sequences of graphic violence, that "war is hell", but this film tells the story of a man, Sgt. William James, who actually gets his fix on the life and death crises that each day brings. I only wish we had experienced some of that attitude from James' point of view, instead of experiencing it largely through the eyes of his colleagues. Nevertheless, The Hurt Locker is honest, original, suspenseful, and offers some of the best ensemble acting of this or any year. Certainly one of the year's best films.