Well Executed

Rating: 8/10 (5 February 2011)

The Hurt Locker is a movie about a bomb clearing team in the final days of their tour of duty. It lays bare the actuality of the Iraqi war and how the tension of living with the knowledge that you could die at any time wears on the soldiers. The title is a good metaphor for the theme of the film which is how the pain and craziness of the war is locked within the soldier. It can't be shared with the average person because they wouldn't understand and when it is shared with their combat brothers - it is hidden quickly. Quite frankly, I was surprised that at the intensity of the movie and how honest it was about human nature. Jeremy Renner (Sgt. James) played his role extremely well. He took the emotions of the character and made them apparent without being overt. He used body and facial cues more than verbal dialogue. As a viewer, I could see that he was on the edge of madness but was trying to maintain his sanity and do the job at hand. There is a depth of emotion that goes unsaid but is there to be absorbed. The lack of a complicated or overly loud soundtrack was a perfect complement to the film. It left the actions and words to speak for themselves and boosted the feeling of isolation created around the soldiers. There are some off camera sounds that, due to the already tension filled scenes, elevate the feeling of fear and nervous energy. Because these times are shot from the subjective point of view, it makes the view feel like they are there. The editor did an excellent job of keeping the documentary "being there" feeling through the balancing of subjective and objective points of view and the flash shots. There are good transitions between scenes based on the emotional impact they have such as the fade out and fade in. Slow motion is also used well in the film to help the viewer to feel the blast impact on the people and not just the visual impact. In all, I felt that the movie was well acted and presented. The actors brought depth to the characters that had the potential to be one dimensional. It is dramatically fitting to the theme of the movie with a editing, visual and audio that does not detract, but enhances, the intensity and suspense.