Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pearce, David Morse, Evangeline Lilly
The prologue of The Hurt Locker is a simple quote: "War is a drug," taken from an article written in the New York Times. Staff Sgt. William James (Renner), a bomb disposal expert in war-torn Iraq, is the reason such a quote was made. The adrenaline rush James feels when he is so dangerously close to being killed is one which can't be replicated during R & R or in civilian life. Once the rush is acquired, he looks for ways to top his previous high. The scary part is that James may not even know this about himself.
Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker, which won six Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director (the only Best Director Oscar so far for a female director), centers its story around Sgt. James and his unit, who don't have the same zest for danger that James does. Sgt. Sanborn (Mackie), the leader of the unit which provides cover for James when he defusing bombs, is less than thrilled with James' reckless nature. At one point, he punches James in the face for taking off his headset during a tricky defusing.
Jeremy Renner, nominated for a Best Actor Oscar as James, doesn't play James as an overly manic or zealous gung-ho soldier. He seems like a nice enough guy, but when he gets in the zone after locating a mine or a complex bomb, he goes to work almost gleefully. It's his job, yes, but it takes a particular personality to be able to face such imminent danger day after day. There are times in which the bomber is nearby watching James with a detonator in hand. James knows this, and this ratchets up the tension another notch.
Renner delicately handles a complex personality like James. He may not be aware of his addiction to battle, but his comrades sure are. They are counting down the days until their tour is over and they can go home, if they make it out alive. James counts down also, but we get the feeling he will be back for another go-round. Shopping at the supermarket stateside doesn't quite have the same appeal for him.
The technical merits of The Hurt Locker are superb. It has a documentary-like feel for its subjects, and the visuals of an Iraq devastated by conflict are authentic. I must admit the movie slows in some spots, dragging out the tension so long we grow impatient. The Hurt Locker doesn't have a plot, per se, just a series of scenes in which James encountering a bomb and racing against time to defuse it. Does this become monotonous? At times, it does, but as a character study of a multi-layered individual like Sgt. James, The Hurt Locker works best.
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