The Hurt Locker
Here it is, the first post after the longest hiatus we’ve ever had at Cat Fancy. Why it happened I’m not sure, but now that we’ve seen a couple new flicks and are entering the MLB’s All Star week, I think it’s safe to say the blog will now be returning to it’s normal state.
Anyhow, here’s one of the film’s I saw this weekend. From director Kathryn Bigelow (Known for such films as; Point Break, Strange Days and possibly my favorite movie about vampires Near Dark) The Hurt Locker is a bleak, suspenseful film about both the physical and emotional damage that war can have on a person.
Set in post-invasion Iraq, The Hurt Locker follows the day to day lives of an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal, which is basically a bomb squad) unit lead by the seemingly fearless Sgt. William James played excellently by Jeremy Renner. Accompanied by his teammates Sgt. JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and an often shaken specialist named Eldridge (Brian Geraghty), The Hurt Locker delivers marvelously genuine and emotionally powerful performances (Look for some welcomed cameos as well). Filmed on location in the Middle East, The Hurt Locker strives for authenticity in both it’s style and intricate detail and leaves for an exhilarating experience.
Although a razor-sharp war drama, The Hurt Locker certainly has it’s fair share of high adrenaline action sequences. Your heart pounding away as men become engulfed in shrapnel filled explosions and get shot down by unseen foes. Perhaps it’s the film’s documentary style camera work that makes the experience seem so real, but this film has some surprisingly elaborate effects work that easily rivals any major Hollywood production.
Somehow, I feel like I’ll need to see this film again someday to fully judge it. There’s a lot to take in as The Hurt Locker is hardly a conventional war picture. If there’s anything I didn’t like it was probably the over use of some shaky cameras. I found a few quick cuts and wobbly movements to be distracting but I got used to it as the film progressed.
I was reading in an issue of Entertainment Weekly today that they believe The Hurt Locker could be a serious contender for the Oscars later in the year. Though it’s far too early to tell I wouldn’t be surprised if this film was put into consideration. I mean now that the best picture category has been extended to 10 nominees who knows what could happen. Some have said that it may possibly be the best “non documentary” made about Iraq yet.