Life and Death in a Devastated Country

Rating: 7/10 (2 January 2010)

In the post-invasion of Iraq, three American soldiers from the anti-bomb squad live the tension of the chaotic Baghdad disarming bombs. Their lives are affected by the daily duty, facing the hostility of the invaded people in a devastated country.
"The Hurt Locker" is a good drama of war disclosed through the eyes of three American soldiers, living far from their families and country, in a hostile environment. It is so sad to see the cradle of civilization destructed by bombardments and the population oppressed by invaders that have to follow orders and jeopardize their lives and sanity in a foreign country. If their personal lives are so affected having the power, imagine the humiliated Iraqi population living in such unhealthy condition. There are witty lines, like the American soldiers telling that they are friends or James telling that the taxi drive would become an insurgent after the treatment of the soldiers. The contrast in the end, with the lead character Sergeant William James going peacefully with his wife and son to a supermarket while the population of Baghdad lives in the chaos is heartbreaking. The corny scene of the American soldier trying to disarm the bomb is ridiculous. The nomination of this movie, which was released straight-to-video in Brazil, to the Oscar is another joke of the Academy. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Guerra ao Terror" ("War to the Terror")