The Hurt Locker

*****

Stuck in the Middle of War


          The Hurt Locker is the best film of 2009.  In fact, it is one of the best films I have seen all decade.  It is a visceral, succinct, and brutally stark depiction of the Iraq War.  It is also a timeless meditation on human conflict in general, and will without a doubt endure the erosion of time’s rust.  The most fascinating aspect of The Hurt Locker however, is the fact that it works individually as both a pro-war and anti-war movie, while functioning as neither.  It opens with a quote from American journalist and war correspondent Chris Hedges: “The rush of battle is a potent and often lethal addiction, for war is a drug.”  Thankfully, The Hurt Locker is as equally addictive in its potency as a film.

          Directed by Kathryn Bigelow (Point Break, Strange Days), The Hurt Locker tells the fictional story of an American bomb squad unit and its missions to defuse bombs in the streets of Baghdad in 2004.  Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal (In the Valley of Elah) strip down all unnecessary war movie clichés, and allow the movie to speak for itself.  With its seamless fusion of directing, acting, cinematography, and sound design, The Hurt Locker is as unbearably intense and realistic a war movie that ever was.  It is a technical tour-de-force with honest performances and an insightful script, and, like every great film, leaves you wanting more.

          The film’s lead role as the bomb squad unit’s team leader, SSgt. William James, is played by Jeremy Renner (28 Weeks Later, North Country).  Given the somewhat reckless sense of abandonment in which SSgt. James approaches the field of battle, one could easily scrutinize him as being the typical All-American cowboy.  Give credit to Mark Boal and his subtle script however, since the character of SSgt. James is written with far more depth and complexity than would any mere stereotypical redneck.  That being said, much of the credit in constructing James as something more than a mere ‘adrenaline junkie’ is due to Renner’s breakthrough performance.  The first few scenes involving SSgt. James give one the impression that he is too heroic for his own good.  But with great patience and a strong understanding for his character, Renner slowly reveals the subtle nuances of a more three-dimensional-like James.  It is a more difficult performance than meets the eye and one which will surely catapult Renner to movie stardom.

          If there is any justice in the Academy Awards, then Kathryn Bigelow will become the first woman in its history to win Best Director.  Her work in The Hurt Locker is nothing short of visionary.  The title of the movie can be perceived as a philosophical reflection on humanity’s perpetual state of war, and throughout every scene of the film Bigelow’s camera acts a visual testament to such contemplations.  Thanks to Bigelow’s direction, The Hurt Locker is a perfect marriage of style and substance.  Her framing, camera movement, and scope help reflect the film’s perception of war as being both an endless drug and an inevitably in the journey of life.  There are some important scenes in the movie that resolve unanswered questions central to the film’s plot.  Unlike many directors working today, Bigelow trusts her audience to digest her visuals, and from them, piece together the answers to the film’s uncertain questions.  Instead of verbally explaining such questions, her decision to resolve them visually makes their realization all the more powerful.  It is a classic example of cinema’s unique aesthetic as an art form.

          The cinematography and editing in The Hurt Locker are both first-class.  Given the relentless tension of the film’s subject matter, these two facets of filmmaking had to be shipshape.  Thanks to the film’s consistently kinetic camerawork, its storyline unfolds like a two-hour session of Russian roulette.  The tension is almost unbearable at times, but it never serves as mere action-like fodder.  Through cinematographer Barry Ackroyd’s dizzying camerawork and austere lighting, the film’s relentless tension mirrors its own thematic concept of war’s endless magnetism and dominion over the human race.  The masterful editing of Chris Innis and Bob Murawski help to connect Ackroyd’s endless stream of images in such a seemingly effortless manner, that the end result becomes that of a visual depiction of a shattered plane of glass that has yet to fall apart.  On its own merit, the editing is a beautiful work of art.  It perfectly brings together Bigelow’s conception of the permanence of war.

          There is no doubt about it: war is hell.  Whether it is a war between nations or tribes of people, or an individual’s own inner battle between the forces of good and evil, war will only beget more war.  Given the undeniable truth of such facts, The Hurt Locker’s portrayal of Chris Hedge’s insightful words (“war is a drug”) seems all the more formidable and realistic.  No matter which way one decides to perceive the philosophical, political, and spiritual outlooks of The Hurt Locker, there remains one underlining message throughout: in order for us to truly live as human beings, we must first learn how to live through war.  Whether it is through outer or inner wars, the result is the same: the battle continues...