The Hurt Locker

The Hurt Locker (2009) – on rental. There were three films on the list of nominees for this year’s 82nd Academy Awards’ Best Picture that were serious contenders for that prize: two of them were deserved, the third was controversial. The first two were Inglorious Basterds and The Hurt Locker – both films set on war themes coincidentally – and the third was James Cameron’s Avatar, a film I felt was in the reckoning for Best Picture only on account of its technical prowess and not because its story was original or interesting in anyway.

Between the two ‘war’ films, it was The Hurt Locker that took home the award. That for me was a surprise win. Maybe the good Academy felt that Quentin Tarantino (who directed Inglorious Basterds) had over the years already had enough accolades heaped on him, and someone else deserved equal recognition. I hadn’t seen The Hurt Locker up till that point, though was aware of that film’s premise and cast – so queued it up on DVD rental, and it finally arrived in time for the long weekend.

The film is set in the post-Saddam Hussein fall of 2004 where US Coalition Forces were still trying to clean up Iraq. The insurgency was in full blown steam, and many of us might remember the near daily news reports of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) blowing up, killing thousands of both persons still involved in the fighting and civilians alike. The film follows the exploits of one such bomb disposal team of three members: Sergeant First Class James (Jeremy Renner), team leader and expert bomb technician, and two supporting members whose job is to keep him alive: Sergeant Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Eldridge (Brian Geraghty).

Here’s the twist: SFC James is a replacement to their original team leader (played by Guy Pearce in a memorable cameo), and is nothing like the original leader. James disposes bombs expertly but at the same time seemingly as though he’s got a death wish. That puts him at odds with his two squadies who like breathing as the team traverse across the length and breadth of the country on various missions to dispose of IEDs and complete the remaining 80+ days left in their rotation before they are relieved and can go back home.

Much of the film is built around those missions, and the nervous tension that result from the missions. That tension comes from the fact that these homemade bombs can go off any time: e.g. accidentally, or because they are set to be remote detonated by an insurgent member hiding in the background just waiting for you to get close enough. The other source of tension comes from James and his teammates who find it hard to adjust to his apparent recklessness.

While much of the film is centered squarely on the three team members – and that in turn lets you grow a degree of comprehension of their personalities if not empathy with each – The Hurt Locker also sees support from several other well-known faces. Besides Guy Pearce, there’s also David Morse, a senior military officer who’s fascinated with James’ job, and Ralph Fiennes as the team leader of a small band of mercenaries our intrepid band of bomb disposal experts encounter. Fiennes has an extended scene where they encounter a bunch of well-entrenched enemy snipers, and is a hoot to watch – and without giving anything away, its outcome is a little surprising.

The film however belongs to the three lead cast members, and they don’t disappoint. Of the three, I recognized Jeremy Renner immediately as the similarly reckless devil-may-care Brian Gamble in 2003’s S.W.A.T. film. He plays James with a very fine balance of bravery, confidence in what he has to do, but yet with a crazed tint in his eyes that you’re never quite certain if he’s truly mad or just enjoying the adrenaline rush that comes with getting rid of devices that can turn you into fine, red mist when they explode. Mackie’s Sanborn is the person I think most viewers will empathize with. He’s trying very hard to get the job done, but only by following well-established safety procedures. And Geraghty’s Eldridge is a bit of a mess: he’s comparatively the most inexperienced of the team, suffering from guilt through inaction early on and by the film’s end, has turned bitterly angry against his team leader, James.

The Hurt Locker wasn’t shot in location given how dangerous Iraq is still today, but near its border in Jordan. From accounts, the film crew itself was shot at while making the film too. There’s a great air of authenticity in the visuals and the set locations, and you feel that director Kathryn Bigelow was sincere in trying to tell the story of the kind of conditions explosive ordnance disposal teams work under.

The film hasn’t been without criticism though, with several real world experts veterans of these devices rightly pointing out that James’ personality is exactly the kind they would never want in this kind of job. There’s also a subplot involving Eldridge’s psychiatric treatment that felt tacky.

Still on the overall; not quite as good as Inglorious Basterds (which I five star-ed), but still a film well worth the price of admission or rental. Certainly loads better than Avatar.