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| Movie Review: The Hurt Locker Alternate Title: Soldier of Misfortune
Story: This is one of the most
compelling war movies I have ever seen. I cannot stop thinking about
it. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by Mark
Boal we meet three men from Delta Company who are on a 365
rotation in 2004, Iraq. Their unit has the daunting job of finding IEDs,
defusing them or very carefully detonating them. The most remarkable
thing about this adrenaline rush of a film is that their is no point
of view about the war. No politics, no lectures, no right or wrong,
no pontificating. It is about the day to day job of the soldier at war
and it is exhausting. We get to see what they do, day after day - and
I salute them all. The three main characters are well developed,
riveting and sympathetic. The conflicts and resolutions that we view
in their daily lives are real. Specialist Eldridge is your boy next
door soldier with real fears, depression and anger. Sgt. Sanborn is
more mature and prefers to stick to the manual when it comes to protocol
and procedure. Staff Sgt. William James is the heart and soul of this
powerful film. He is the soldier that gets addicted to the rush of war.
He is reckless, wild and does an amazing job of defusing the bombs.
Yes things blow up in this war movie, but it
also has long sequences of quiet conflict that convey the monotony,
fear and the nightmare of war. This is not a film for everyone but if
you have the guts to see it - I assure you it will be a rewarding movie
experience. Watch the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GxSDZc8etg Acting: Jeremy Renner as Staff Sgt. William James
is a star in the making. He owns the screen. He reminded me of a younger
Daniel Craig. Anthony Mackie as Sgt. J. T. Sanborn
was great as was Brian Geraghty as Specialist Owen
Eldridge. Ralph Fiennes, David Morse and Guy
Pearce have interesting cameo appearances. Trivia: Director Kathryn Bigelow
is also a very talented painter and was one of James 'Titanic' Cameron's
many wives. She spent two years at the San Francisco Art Institute.
At 20, she won a scholarship to the Whitney Museum's Independent Study
Program. She was given a studio in a former Offtrack Betting building,
literally in a vault, where she made art and waited to be criticized
by people like Richard Serra, Robert Rauschenberg and Susan Sontag.
She later graduated from Columbia's Film School. She was also a member
of the British avant-garde cultural group, Art and Language.
Predilection: None
Critters: Goats and two street cats. One cat is very
scruffy looking and one has a limp.
Food: No time to eat.
Sex Spectrum: None
Opening Titles: We are immediately thrown into a
tense defusing of a bomb situation. Titles are at the end.
Visual Art: It was filmed in Jordan. There is a lot
of sand.
Theater Audience: Fairly crowded and mostly filled
with men who could have been soldiers in any of our wars.
Weather: Hot, hot, hot.
Sappy Factor: 0
Quirky Meter: 0
Squirm Scale: There are a few very squirmy parts
but watchable.
Drift Factor: I paid attention throughout.
Predictability Level: I was not sure what was going
to happen.
Tissue Usage: 0
Oscar Worthy: Yes. It was the winner of the 2008 Venice
Film FestivalSIGNIS Grand Prize
Big Screen or Rental: Big screen would be my recommendation.
For other Kathryn Bigelow films you can rent: K-19:
The Widowmaker, Strange Days, Blue Steel and Point Break.
Length: Two hours and 10 minutes.
LOBO HOWLS: 9
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