Adam Mast reviews the Kathryn Bigalow flick...
Studio embargo often prohibits writers from discussing movies they see at functions like ShoWest. Usually, its because we're being permitted to see these pictures far in advance of their respective release dates. While The Hurt Locker doesn't open until late June, I'm going to talk about it anyway. Partly because I've seen it reviewed on several other sites, but mostly because I think it's an amazing film. In fact, don't be surprised if you see this baby on my best of 2009 list.
Before the screening, director Kathryn Bigelow came out to say a few words, and may I just say that at 58 years old, she looked drop dead gorgeous. Bigelow has quite a bit of street cred amongst the movie geek crowd. How could she not? We're talking about the woman responsible for the underappreciated bloodsucker opus Near Dark, the adrenalin pumping Keanu Reeves actioneer Point Break, and the gritty sci fi gem Strange Days. While she's offset these winners with the occasional misfire (i.e. K19: The Widowmaker), I'll forever be a fan.
With the stark, tension filled, military thriller The Hurt Locker, she may very well have crafted her strongest work to date. The Hurt Locker is a great commercial entertainment. It crackles with undeniable tension, but the film also works tremendously well as a character driven piece.
The hand held camera work really plays to this film's strengths. It isn't a distraction like it was in Rachel Getting Married and it doesn't serve as a gimmick as was the case with the entertaining Cloverfield. Here, the hand held camera work puts you in the thick of the action and lends a much welcome documentary feel to the proceedings.
The performances are stellar right across the board. Anthony Mackie is terrific as Sergeant Sanborn, a dedicated soldier whose life is turned upside down when he's teamed with a seemingly reckless bomb disarmer. Jeremy Renner (28 Weeks Later) is the disarmer in question, and the film really belongs to him. As the cocky, danger craving Sergeant James, Renner oozes charisma, but as the film progresses, you'll discover there are many layers to this fascinating and incredibly complex individual. His James is Top Gun's Maverick only with a hell of a lot more depth. Renner delivers a compelling, star making turn here.
The central leads in The Hurt Locker are complimented by an onslaught of outstanding supporting players including David Morse, Guy Pearce, and Brian Geraghty, but again, it was Renner I was really thinking about as the end credits rolled.
Kathryn Bigelow mounts some truly
impressive bomb disarming sequences. The most intense piece to speak of
involves a deserted, run down vehicle, with an intricately placed
explosive somewhere inside. There's also a brilliantly conceived
explosion that I could feel with every fiber of my body. Terrifying
stuff.
While the majority of The Hurt Locker deals with these men
and their disarming of explosives, there's a mid section piece in which
the lead characters team with another squad and attempt to outwit a
band of Iraqi sharpshooters in the middle of the smoldering desert.
This particular portion of the film is a bit long winded but it gives
the central characters a chance to bond, and this adds to the overall
impact of the film.
Mark Boal's screenplay is powerful, and I was surprised to find the film extremely well rounded in it's political views. The Hurt Locker certainly never glorifies war but at the same time, it also makes a strong argument for why our men should be out in the field. It's a tricky balance, and Boal pulls it off nicely. Boal also sets up a subtle bond between the lead characters in the film. There is a high level of contention between Sanborn and James early on in the picture, but The Hurt Locker never offers up a defining connection between the two. These characters form a bond that's built through tiny nuances. Thankfully, there is no big, cliched Hollywood movie moment that brings them together. The mutual respect they ultimately share comes out of enormously tense situations and through their getting to know one another, and while you won't necessarily get the sense that these men would be best friends off the battlefield, you'll certainly believe they'd to anything for each other on the battlefield.
The Hurt Locker goes into some really tough, uncompromising directions. Some viewers will be shocked by the path choice James chooses at the end of the picture, but given who this character is, it's perfectly fitting.
We've seen many different sides of war depicted to varying degree in the world of cinema, and The Hurt Locker manages to find yet a new perspective. It's been a tough road for films dealing with the conflict in the Middle East, and how The Hurt Locker will perform remains to be seen. Two things are certain though. With this picture, Bigelow has fashioned her strongest work, and a star has been born in the form of Jeremy Renner.
Grade: A-
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