Hurt Locker
A warning, the content below does contain spoilers.
I saw the film Hurt Locker last night, one I had been hoping to get to for awhile. I remember first reading something about it when it was released back in the summer of 09 and thinking it would be an interesting film. The pedigree of Kathryn Bigelow, a very bold director who did a film I really liked called K-19, and the story focusing on an elite bomb squad during the last six weeks of their tour in Iraq was plenty to attract me. It received such a small release I decided to wait until DVD. Now I have finally gotten to it.
For starters, let me say I have never been in combat nor would I likely have much to offer if I were in it. That being said, from a cinematic sense, if Platoon is the definitive film on the Vietnam War from the soldier's perspective, Hurt Locker will likely receive a similar distinction on the Iraq War. Many of the real threats in this war come from the bombs that outnumbered insurgents leave out, the sudden shooting that can come from anywhere, the instinctual urges that can come from within squads whose members do not trust each other. The soldiers who are fighting in this war have an incredible task and I think every American should watch this film to respect what they are doing on our behalf, even though they will not like much of what they see, even from our compatriots.
Life is complex. Films nowadays seem to realize that and the Hollywood Ending, while it still does exist, is becoming less and less prevalent in films these days. I see more and more films ending on ambiguous notes which is much more common to real life and I think audiences are mature enough to recognize it.
The production design on the film is amazing. The viewer feels the sand, the dust, the grime and the heat. I felt like taking a shower after finishing it. The torn up buildings, the amount of effort to put out a car on fire, and poverty of the area all give the place a sense of time and place. I was very curious to see where this was shot and it turns out it was in Jordan, in some spots very near the Iraq borders. If I had been told that somehow the film had been shot in Iraq, I would have believed it. One element that I liked was the merchants selling bootleg DVDs, something very common in the Third World. The negotiation over the prices felt very authentic.
Several of the scenes capture the unknown of the situation. In scenes where the soldiers see people staring at them from balconies or a car driving quickly down the street all represent things that are either potentially harmless or very dangerous threats because of the free for all tactics of the insurgents.
Bigelow's casting truly distinguishes the film. By using actors who are less known, one senses that anything could happen. If, for example, Leonardo DeCaprio played the lead role one would expect him to survive to the final reel. In this film, there are set expectations and using Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, and Brian Geraghty as the members of this squad in this situation they have very little control over makes them feel like real people.
Renner has the toughest job, but also the flashiest role. His character, Sergeant James, is completely addicted to the adrenaline rush of combat. He does not want to die but enjoys the heightened sense that a threat brings about. He has potentially the most dangerous job as he is the one that actually deactivates the bombs. Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty play Sanborn and Eldridge, soldiers who have the task of providing cover for James and giving him support. James is extremely dedicated and several times in the film goes a little too far to deactivate the bombs, but dues more to his adrenaline rush than a desire to save people. One time in deactivating a car bomb he puts the members of his team at considerable risk by keeping them exposed in an extremely hostile area. This, and other incidents keep them at odds with each other even though they have to support each other in other ways.
Sanborn is a tough solider who is more practical. Eldridge is probably the youngest of the group, a little less seasoned but well trained and has a history with Sanborn. Guy Pearce appears in the beginning of the film as the head of the squad whose death puts James in his position. James is in the position of being a more extreme person without the having the respect that the Pearce character had earned.
David Morse has a brief role as a Colonel who has developed a bit of a bloodlust and Ralph Fiennes appears also briefly as a British military contractor.
James develops a bit of a bond with one of the kids who hangs out on the base selling DVDs, nicknamed Beckham, for David Beckham. The development of that story thread happens in a very unpredictable way, reflecting the chaos and uncertainty of the war. James' attempts to make sense of it only exposes how futile an effort it is.
For me the two most significant scenes occur near the end of the film. First an Iraqi father of four becomes a reluctant suicide bomber. Insurgents have clearly strapped several bombs to him and ordered him onto a street. James is unable to prevent them from going off, after initially appearing to have some success. In a more conventional film this failure might have occurred in the middle of the film, setting up a successful finale. In this film it indicates the ongoing struggle despite all they have done. The situation breaks Sanborn who admits, after failing to earlier, that he wants to be a father and cannot handle the stress of this situation, a reaction that many would eventually hit. James has a different reaction which leads into the finale.
James is seen in a supermarket, after his tour has ended, overwhelmed by the choices of cereal, after being in an area where people can barely survive. He has a son and a strained marriage and he tells his wife about a bomb that killed several people as a hint that he feels needed in Iraq since he has this unique skill set. Following that he speaks to his young son and admits that there is only one thing he really loves. The unspoken words are that it is his adrenaline rush, which goes far beyond any love he has for his family. In the final scene he is back in Iraq starting another tour, in his bomb suit, on the way to deactivate another bomb, completely in his element. ****
I saw the film Hurt Locker last night, one I had been hoping to get to for awhile. I remember first reading something about it when it was released back in the summer of 09 and thinking it would be an interesting film. The pedigree of Kathryn Bigelow, a very bold director who did a film I really liked called K-19, and the story focusing on an elite bomb squad during the last six weeks of their tour in Iraq was plenty to attract me. It received such a small release I decided to wait until DVD. Now I have finally gotten to it.
For starters, let me say I have never been in combat nor would I likely have much to offer if I were in it. That being said, from a cinematic sense, if Platoon is the definitive film on the Vietnam War from the soldier's perspective, Hurt Locker will likely receive a similar distinction on the Iraq War. Many of the real threats in this war come from the bombs that outnumbered insurgents leave out, the sudden shooting that can come from anywhere, the instinctual urges that can come from within squads whose members do not trust each other. The soldiers who are fighting in this war have an incredible task and I think every American should watch this film to respect what they are doing on our behalf, even though they will not like much of what they see, even from our compatriots.
Life is complex. Films nowadays seem to realize that and the Hollywood Ending, while it still does exist, is becoming less and less prevalent in films these days. I see more and more films ending on ambiguous notes which is much more common to real life and I think audiences are mature enough to recognize it.
The production design on the film is amazing. The viewer feels the sand, the dust, the grime and the heat. I felt like taking a shower after finishing it. The torn up buildings, the amount of effort to put out a car on fire, and poverty of the area all give the place a sense of time and place. I was very curious to see where this was shot and it turns out it was in Jordan, in some spots very near the Iraq borders. If I had been told that somehow the film had been shot in Iraq, I would have believed it. One element that I liked was the merchants selling bootleg DVDs, something very common in the Third World. The negotiation over the prices felt very authentic.
Several of the scenes capture the unknown of the situation. In scenes where the soldiers see people staring at them from balconies or a car driving quickly down the street all represent things that are either potentially harmless or very dangerous threats because of the free for all tactics of the insurgents.
Bigelow's casting truly distinguishes the film. By using actors who are less known, one senses that anything could happen. If, for example, Leonardo DeCaprio played the lead role one would expect him to survive to the final reel. In this film, there are set expectations and using Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, and Brian Geraghty as the members of this squad in this situation they have very little control over makes them feel like real people.
Renner has the toughest job, but also the flashiest role. His character, Sergeant James, is completely addicted to the adrenaline rush of combat. He does not want to die but enjoys the heightened sense that a threat brings about. He has potentially the most dangerous job as he is the one that actually deactivates the bombs. Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty play Sanborn and Eldridge, soldiers who have the task of providing cover for James and giving him support. James is extremely dedicated and several times in the film goes a little too far to deactivate the bombs, but dues more to his adrenaline rush than a desire to save people. One time in deactivating a car bomb he puts the members of his team at considerable risk by keeping them exposed in an extremely hostile area. This, and other incidents keep them at odds with each other even though they have to support each other in other ways.
Sanborn is a tough solider who is more practical. Eldridge is probably the youngest of the group, a little less seasoned but well trained and has a history with Sanborn. Guy Pearce appears in the beginning of the film as the head of the squad whose death puts James in his position. James is in the position of being a more extreme person without the having the respect that the Pearce character had earned.
David Morse has a brief role as a Colonel who has developed a bit of a bloodlust and Ralph Fiennes appears also briefly as a British military contractor.
James develops a bit of a bond with one of the kids who hangs out on the base selling DVDs, nicknamed Beckham, for David Beckham. The development of that story thread happens in a very unpredictable way, reflecting the chaos and uncertainty of the war. James' attempts to make sense of it only exposes how futile an effort it is.
For me the two most significant scenes occur near the end of the film. First an Iraqi father of four becomes a reluctant suicide bomber. Insurgents have clearly strapped several bombs to him and ordered him onto a street. James is unable to prevent them from going off, after initially appearing to have some success. In a more conventional film this failure might have occurred in the middle of the film, setting up a successful finale. In this film it indicates the ongoing struggle despite all they have done. The situation breaks Sanborn who admits, after failing to earlier, that he wants to be a father and cannot handle the stress of this situation, a reaction that many would eventually hit. James has a different reaction which leads into the finale.
James is seen in a supermarket, after his tour has ended, overwhelmed by the choices of cereal, after being in an area where people can barely survive. He has a son and a strained marriage and he tells his wife about a bomb that killed several people as a hint that he feels needed in Iraq since he has this unique skill set. Following that he speaks to his young son and admits that there is only one thing he really loves. The unspoken words are that it is his adrenaline rush, which goes far beyond any love he has for his family. In the final scene he is back in Iraq starting another tour, in his bomb suit, on the way to deactivate another bomb, completely in his element. ****
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