Having seemingly been in hiding following Harrison Ford clunker K-19, The Hurt Locker marks a welcome return to action for Katheryn Bigelow, with a true life account of Gulf War II based on Mark Boal’s book about bomb disposal experts. And it’s one of the director’s finest works. A loud and proud combat film that manages to inexorably link itself to Gulf War II, but remains fiercely apolitical, focusing on one small group of men and their mission. Here, bombs aren’t political tools – they’re volatile explosive devices- and this refusal to comment makes for some thrilling cinema.
Tension is top of the list here, with the painstakingly recreated streets of Baghdad a hive of danger, anyone and anything capable of concealing a bomb and the constant on-edge nature of the work will have nerves thrumming as James (Jeremy Renner) leads his squad into one high stakes situation after another. The actors all do solid work and convince you they’re in real danger. This is where Bigelow scores big points – the opening showing us that people can and will die in these situations. A tight cut explosion shows both the inner chemical workings of the bomb and the havoc it wreaks, bodies and dust flying around as a chemical pressure wave rips outward.
Indeed, the movie is all about visceral thrills both subjective and objective, from the opening quote “War is a Drug” it becomes more and more apparent that these men love their work. The film refuses to follow any set story too, avoiding villains or timebombs in favour of a simple set-up and release, blue wire/red wire structure that works tremendously. There are plenty of causes and consequences and it’s a brave filmmaker who refuses to give us black and white, good vs. bad escape routes. Here, the political situation is the root, but it has nothing to do with the men on the ground.
Naturally there’s some sly political elbowing here, but it’s kept strictly background (the US Staging Base has its name changed from Liberty to Victory at one point) and we stay with the adrenaline buzzed troops throughout, displaying competence and bravery under extraordinary stress whilst avoiding the war movie staples of madness and breakdown in favour of riveting, tense action. Some wonderful white-out desert cinematography, effects and sound combine to make this an all-encompassing experience.
War is hell, but war movies are often amazing and this stands head and shoulders above the bunch. It’s arty, but never preachy, giving the audience a real sense of the total immersion that frontline journos experience.
A brave, bold and explosive film that demands to be seen on the big screen.
One Comment
This actually looks ace. One of those ‘hard watch’ films, but worth it…