War Is Painful And This One Hurts You In The Heart..!

Rating: 10/10 (19 April 2010)

"The rush of battle is a potent and often lethal addiction, for war is a drug." The Hurt Locker is about the soldiers involved in the Iraq war. Thompson is a bomb disposal expert and he gets killed during a mission to dispose a bomb. Then Sergeant First Class William Jones takes over Thompson's job and he becomes the team leader of the EOD unit. He has Sergeant JT Sanborn and Specialist Owen Eldridge in his team. Will is kind of a free spirit who doesn't give a damn about his life, this is what Sanborn thinks about him and is weary of Will. Owen is a newbie and he is very scared for his life every moment of everyday that he is out there outside his camp, he doesn't want to die. But theoretically, everything out there could be a bomb meant for them to die and they have to survive. 'War is really hell on earth' is what these young soldiers will learn on their journey.
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, this film is a very great character study of the soldiers in Iraq rather than just another mediocre war movie. This made me feel sad both for the USA soldiers, the children struck in Iraq and also some good Iraq people. They are just stuck in somebody's war and live in fear most of the time. The film has many moments and dialogues which bring a smile on the face, but beneath it all you can still feel the gloom the war brings. Will knows that he lives for the adrenaline rush that only a war can bring. Without it, in the real world back in America with his family, he feels like a nobody and he wants that rush of adrenaline. Sanborn and Owen are very angry over Will's 'devil may care' attitude because he is also putting their lives in danger. There is a scene with snipers in the hot desert and it is very heart breaking to see them suffer. Also the scene in the shower is very good. William, even though he has a lethal addiction to war, is a very sympathizable character. The little Iraqi boy, Beckham, I liked him a lot. When he becomes a human bomb, I cried for him, the pain in Will seeing him dead like that overpowered me and I just couldn't stop myself. I have seen loads of deaths of kids and people in movies, but never have I been this affected by a war film. I cared so much for the characters. The movie gives an insight into the everyday life in Iraq and its very agonizing to see what they do. All of them have just over a month to survive in Iraq, before they can come back to America and new recruits are brought over for one more year so that the whole cycle repeats itself.
William Jones, Sanborn & Owen Eldridge give very good performances in the film. And how could I forget one of my favourite actress Evangeline Lilly (Lost, the TV series) who plays Connie James, wife of William James. She gives a highly believable performance as the hurting wife of Will. She just wants him to stay with the family, while he thirsts for war. This isn't like all those other war movies which just wants us to say "look at those soldiers suffering, I want to help." This is an intense film and is made with a lot of passion. You will have to decide for yourself, what moves you in this film.
I went to see Clash Of The Titans and couldn't get tickets, so I went for this and am I glad I did. I think it deserved all those 6 Oscars that it got. I didn't know before this that no woman director had won, how sad, but I am very happy she won. But, this a film which will be always remembered as the film which resulted in the first Oscar for a woman director. Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker is a winner all the way. Go and see it if you still haven't seen it. The dialogues, camera-work, setting and everything is made to perfection.
P.S: I can't believe how hot Kathryn Bigelow is:) Me & my mom thought she was only 34-38 when we first saw her in the BAFTA Awards on TV and we wondered why James and her separated. Also she is thrice my age and I have the hots for her!! Why James Cameron would divorce her, I don't know. Don't you agree?
10/10