The Hurt Locker: Review By Rama's SCREEN

THE HURT LOCKER is not the greatest war drama/thriller but it’s nothing short of intense, pulse-pounding and only because the enemy is practically invisible. I was not a big fan of director Kathryn Bigelow who I think hasn’t made anything significant since Point Break but I’m very impressed with… her work in THE HURT LOCKER. The structure is very simple and yet so engaging because once it takes you into the drama parts, the next thing you know, you’re back in another showdown where the end game is unpredictable.

I really enjoy the concept and appreciate the fact that somebody finally made a movie to pay tribute not only to our soldiers but also specifically to bomb squad units out there that literally got the most dangerous job in the world. They don’t get paid enough to do what they do and they return with nightmares, trauma, and a mark left by the loss of their fallen troops and people around them. THE HURT LOCKER does those aspects justice and more. Right from the beginning, it already shows us how risky the job is but somebody’s gotta do it.

I also appreciate the fact that it’s not a war drama with an agenda to dishonor the soldiers or the nation that sent them to the battle line, or even the conspiracies behind it because we’ve had too much of those already. This movie simply wants to remind you the physical and psychological impact that they have to go through day in and day out. Kathryn Bigelow’s subtle but excellent directing puts us on the scene, to feel the same suspense which by the way is the biggest factor that this movie holds on to, those minutes and seconds, and the time in between being frozen at the sight of a bomb to the little possibility of disarming it.

It’s not an epic movie but it’s made with such careful attention to details that it looks just as gritty as if it was filmed on the actual site. The cinematography was excellent and I especially love the first blast that just grabs you, what an unforgettable opening scene. The cameo appearances by Guy Pierce and Ralph Fiennes is a bit of a proof of how much they believe in this story even if they show up only for a few minutes.

The story centers on 3 characters well-played by Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty but let me just point out that Renner gives an outstanding presence as a tough SOB who has his own unconventional ways of embracing what he does for a living but even underneath that tough shell, there’s a vulnerable man hidden and badly hurt emotionally no matter how hard he tries to disguise or deny it. Whenever Renner approaches the bombs, he’s like John Wayne in a bomb disposal unit suit, unrelenting.

In the end, this is all these guys will ever know, and this is all they’re ever gonna find themselves coming back to again and again.