SYNOPSIS
The Hurt Locker, starring Jeremy Renner, follows three members of the EOD bomb squad in the Iraq War, taking place in 2004. After the leader of the bunch gets killed, the new guy, Sergeant Will James, is recruited. The funny thing about this guy is that he’s an adrenaline junkie and does some things that many people in war don’t normally do. The question is, which will get them killed first; the haji or him?
OVERVIEW
Since summer of last year all I’ve been hearing about is The Hurt Locker. How so many people love it and how it was so brilliant. It appeared, many times at number 1, on several top ten lists. And of course it just won 6 Academy Awards a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately it took me awhile to get around to it because seeing as people think limited release is a “good thing” I didn’t get to see it.
I can tell you right now, that if you haven’t seen this film and have been hearing all this praise about it, everything you’ve heard, and every number 1 spot it is on, and every Oscar it got, it downright deserved it.
THE GOOD
Where to begin? Jeremy Renner was brilliant in his role. You focused so much on him and the way he acts, you’re always wondering, “What’s up with this guy?” And he just nails it. I haven’t seen Jeff Bridges performance in Crazy Heart, but I think Renner would have been at least runner up if Jeff hadn’t gotten it.
The first scene of the film pulled me in, and from then on I was instantly hooked to this film. You get into these characters, not just Jeremy Renner, but the other two characters as well. You’re hoping they won’t die and each scene where their life is in danger, you’re thinking “Oh shit oh shit oh shit.”
This film is a real insight on what it is like down there in this war. And you know, there has been a lot of movies that have shown war perfectly, but none about the war we are in right now has succeed like Hurt Locker has. By the end, you really get to see that while war is terrible, some do get through it and are able to become addicted. And it’s so fucking true.
I’ve only cried during three movies, and at the end of this film I came so close to crying during the scene where Sergeant Sanborn talks about not be able to fight anymore. That got me.
Oh, and you also get to see some cameo scenes with three actors: Guy Pearce, David Morse (Brutal from The Green Mile) and Ralph Fiennes (the other Liam Neeson). While short, they’re all great.
THE BAD
Oh, don’t be so negative about everything!
OVERALL OPINION
To call The Hurt Locker best movie of the 2009 isn’t a high enough complement. It’s incredible, and it’s now one of my favorite films. It gives an incredible look at the soldiers fighting in this war and it does that better than many other modern day war films that come out.
Overall Rating: 9.8/10 (Even though I normally only go by the 1, 1.5, 2 type of rating, in that case it’s a 10/10). Go see this movie NOW.
