CinePhillyist Reviews... The Hurt Locker

I'll be honest. I normally have a little trouble with war movies. When I say trouble, it's not some big moralistic debate, it's more like a bizarre phenomena in my brain that causes me to nod off whenever the subject is depicted on screen. It took me five tries to get through Braveheart without falling asleep and I don't think I've ever successfully seen Saving Private Ryan all in one sitting. Unless Jake Gyllenhaal is taking his shirt off (thank you, Jarhead), I simply have a hard time paying attention to films with bombs and guns. Well, at least when the bombs and guns are in the hands of actual soldiers. When they're in the hands of Bruce Willis as John McClane, I'm totally on board.

The point is, despite the positive buzz, I had low expectations as to what my reaction was going to be prior to watching The Hurt Locker. Still, I like a challenge and I thought to myself, "Self, any film that gets a ten minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival must be worth checking out. Do your best to not fall asleep." Also, Kathryn Bigelow is pretty much the only well respected female action director (no, it's not an oxymoron) in the whole of Hollywood. So I am proud to announce I have to give the lady credit where credit is due: The Hurt Locker is the exception to my war movie sleepy-time rule. I had no trouble whatsoever paying attention to this intense, suspense-filled ride. Better still, even without the power of a semi-naked Jake, I was actively drawn into the hyper realistic tension of each ticking time bomb of a day in the life of the U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Unit depicted on screen.

Shot in a pseudo documentary style (Think The Hills but with way better acting, tons more realism and excitement and far less obnoxiousness), The Hurt Locker is daring in the way it kicks traditional Hollywood formulas to the curb. Here we've got less of a plot and more of a character-driven serial that builds with each life threatening mission. Jeremy Renner is genius as Staff Sergeant William James. Steely and steadfast in his dedication to a deadly task, James is simultaneously composed and reckless. He realizes that the risks he takes may get him blown up, but he's cool with that because he's the one guy who can keep other people from being killed by hidden insurgent explosives. As the missions get progressively more dangerous, they also seem to become more personal to James. As the film progresses the sense of anticipation and danger increase proportionately to our insight into his character. He's an adrenaline junkie and as an audience, it's almost impossible not to be right there with him, craving a more intense fix at every turn.

As the days count down to the end of the EOD's deployment you're left tense, perpetually on the edge of your seat wondering who will live through it all. Will James make it back home to his wife (Evangeline Lilly) and child? Will his teammates, Sergeant J.T. Sandborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Owen Eldrige (Brian Geraghty) follow their unpredictable leader? Or will they all die trying? Just don't expect Guy Pearce or Ralph Fiennes to be among the survivors. Casting another blow to convention the acclaimed veteran actors disappear as quickly as they appear. It would be impossible to represent the volatile nature of the Iraq War without a few deaths and in Bigelow's topsy-turvy world of filmmaking big names are expendable resources.

The Hurt Locker opens in Philadelphia and other select cities on July 10th.

Image Credit: Internet Movie Poster Awards Gallery