The Hurt Locker

The 1st time I watched 'The Hurt Locker' I watched it with the anticipation that it was going to be a action heavy movie based on the war in Iraq. So naturally I felt sorely empty at the end of the movie, it wasn't a bad movie par say, just wasn't what I expected out of a war movie like say Black Hawk Down.

Then THL got nominated for Best Picture, followed by raving reviews by every single movie critic, and even my friends were talking about this movie. So I got intrigued again and decided to watch this movie once more from a fresh perspective. So what is THL about? It is in my summary, not a war movie, it is not even an action movie, it IS a human drama exploratory movie that is based on the conflict in Iraq. The controversies surrounding the Iraq war (George Bush administration) made it almost mission impossible to portray the war on celluloid and still win over audiences convincingly. Taking on the side that supports the Iraq war will naturally pit yourself against the anti-war groups.

What managed to work for THL is for once it is a war movie that examines war from the female perspectives. Katherine Bigelow has demonstrated her ability to tackle male oriented themed movies with a female instinct allowing for a less testosterone filled drama and fewer senseless on-screen violence. THL follows a group of bomb disposal unit as they attempt to complete their tour in the world's most dangerous place. Improvised Explosive Devices or IED is responsible for the highest number of US soldiers and Iraqi civilian deaths in Iraq. It IS the most dangerous job in the world!

THL worked on several levels, it is shot in a newsreel style and you can mistake that you are watching an actual news footage on screen. The absence of big name actors in the leading roles take away any sense of safety that you may reserve for them if it was otherwise. The action pieces are not your standard shoot'em up scenes with loud explosions, but it is a battle of wits and nerves without any political inclination. It is simply kill or be killed. THL also has one of the most engaging sniper action scene ever filmed, and I was very surprised to see Ralph Fiennes in a supporting role as a British mercenary.

But what can be the success for THL somehow ended up as the weakness for me too. The overall surreal realism portrayed achieved it at the price of stripping away the layers of characters that could have been dramatically developed. By doing so, sometimes I feel like I'm watching episodes of COPs but set in Iraq. Maybe this is the result of seeing war through the perspectives of a female, where men are accustomed to honor and glory. A female's version of war is somewhat more sentiment and personal, and admittedly this is new territory for me. What THL has undoubtedly given us is a real look at the war in Iraq. Whatever reasons this war was waged on has long been forgotten. In the end it is nothing but a daily struggle for survival to the men and women still stationed there, for them to make sense of whatever reasons there maybe left to continue with the conflict.