About as good as they come

Rating: 9/10 (12 June 2018)

As with most really good war films, the movie is full of zooming shots and hand-held cameras. And you get the occasional soldiers acting as fools in the barracks to show character growth; however, that's basically all the similarities there are to other war films. Which is a positive to the first female best director and picture winner Kathryn Bigelow (beating out ex-husband James Cameron). The movie doesn't have a great flow to it, for it's not meant to be expressed as a story progressing; rather, setting the tone from the first scene, the audience is left guessing as to what will occur next with every encounter with explosives. Even if you are able to predict the outcome to some of these situations, the film still jars you with the suddenness and briefness of life. Now, it is not my favorite war film, but the execution is still a huge accomplishment to behold.
Since the film showcases life on the bomb squad, there has to be a dynamic relationship among the characters. It's honestly pretty typical after Guy Pearce's short run as leader: cocky leader who's great at what he does with little regard to danger (Oscar-nominated Jeremy Renner-- not the best performance, but a career-making performance), Mr. Ol' Reliable who follows the books better (Anthony Mackie-- personally enjoyed his performance the most), and The Kid (Brian Geraghty-- he got this role because of Jarhead). What I do appreciate the most, however, is that the characters are portrayed not by the typical banter thrown back and forth, but how they interact and have each other's back every single day in the field. And it's worth mentioning that Lord Vold-- excuse me, He-Who-Must-Not-- er, Ralph Fiennes, has a great cameo thrown in the midst.
In case anybody was counting, the movie won 6 Oscars and was nominated for 3 more. Did it deserve all that acclaim? No, of course not, but that's just how the Academy works. Nominated for best score, but I hardly noticed any music throughout (which is actually for the better), and nominated for all those technical Oscars. What it rightfully won was sound mixing/editing; for the record, those are two different awards, but it doesn't make too much of a difference to a simple-minded man such as myself. There's a great sniper fight about halfway through with whizzing bullets, and all the explosions throughout will release chest-hair manliness in anybody. What takes the cake is the opening sequence. It is hard to find a cooler shot than the gravel-and-Hell-raising, slow motion fatal explosion that makes the audience pay attention right away.
The Hurt Locker's greatest strength comes from the guidance of Kathryn Bigelow, who would amaze audiences again with Zero Dark Thirty. Yes, the movie is a war film, but there is little ground to compare it to. You may not come out of the film happy, but you will not be dulled, and you will have a new found appreciation for daily tasks of those who risk it all to protect us.
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