Good stuff but missing some crucial elements

Rating: 6/10 (26 May 2011)

Hurt Locker is a film about the struggle of war, families, the lives of soldiers, love of country, and courage. It succeeds on many levels. First, there were many well crafted actions scenes - from the desert standoff to the guys with the bomb strapped to his body to the disarming of serious ammunition. Many times I caught myself saying, "No way!" Secondly, I liked many of the variety of camera shots. The editor included lots of gun scope shots with documentary-type shots and creative shots like the close-up of the water puddle reflecting the soldiers image upside down. The camera made you feel a part of the story. Lastly, I felt the casting, lighting, and setting was all very appropriate. All of these contributed to "the bringing in" of the viewer.
In my opinion, the filmed struggled in two major areas. First, there was character development. Who are these men? What are their stories? How did they end up? These are all hanging questions to the viewer. Secondly, the film struggled with plot and storyline. Hurt Locker had many gutsy scenes of courage during war but the storyline surrounding these spurts of action was bland. The film seemed to drag on at many points with unproductive, meaningless silence.
In all, the film made bold steps of inviting viewers into the tragedy of war. This is an important and crucial step to the success of this film.