© Summit Entertainment

War films are a difficult thing to pull off.  Too much action and it seems glorified, too little and it’s dull.  Jarhead, one of my more memorable war films in recent years suffered for being pretty dull.  Sure it conveyed the everyday life of those stationed overseas well, or as well as I’m knowledgable enough to know, but it didn’t really make for a good film.  For the most part I think The Hurt Locker straddles the midway point of the two extremes that I believe war movies should avoid, whilst at the same time it doesn’t get bogged down in the politics of war.  Those looking for a political agenda in this film will certainly be disappointed.  Come to think of it, those looking for much of a story will be disappointed too.

The film follows Bravo Company, a team of three men whose job is to disarm roadside bombs in Iraq.  New team leader Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner) commands Sergeant JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) as they try to finish out the last 38 days of their tour.  James is a bit of a cowboy but over time the three develop a bond.  That’s about the extent of the story.  Aside from the final five minutes you don’t really get that much insight into the characters, but instead you’re treated to the world they live in and the terrifying job they have to perform.

There aren’t many films I can remember watching and feeling tense and anxious the entire way through, but that’s the feeling you get when you watch The Hurt Locker.  It sucks you in and makes you live the life of these soldiers.  It’s pretty much 2 hours of nerve-wracking suspense with you constantly thinking their next step will be their last.

I don’t really enjoy war movies.  It doesn’t matter which war a movie is set in, the genre just doesn’t appeal to me.  In fact the only war movie that comes to mind which I’d be happy to watch again and again is Paul Verhoeven’s Black Book.  However, because I have such strong feelings about the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan I have a particular distaste for all movies based around these wars.  Part of that I’m sure is because I have no real connection to these conflicts.  Aside from the US and Iraqi/Afghan nationals I don’t think anyone has a real connection to the current conflicts taking place.

I remember being at Seaworld in Orlando back in 2005 and before a show started the announcer asked if there were any servicemen or women, ex-servicemen or women, or families of these two in attendance.  They then asked them to stand and the crowd cheered for them.  This whole concept is completely alien to me.  There’s literally nothing like this that would occur in Australia or England (I lived in England for 18 years just for a little background).  It’s this kind of demonstration and the hyper patriotism, almost borderline facism, which you see when in America that leads me to believe that only an American can truly appreciate a film based in or around the Iraq or Afghanistan war.  They invariably tell the story of Americans and these conflicts have become so entrenched in the American psyche that I feel like I’m approaching these types of films as a complete outsider.

However, just because I can’t fully appreciate the significance of the war to Americans doesn’t mean that I don’t recognise a good film when I see one, and The Hurt Locker is a good film.  Kathryn Bigelow is able to insert you into the environment that these soldiers deal with and make you feel like a part of it.  It’s almost like you begin to fear for your safety not just for the characters onscreen.  The camera work and cinematography are highly impressive, with the alternating warm and cool tones able to once again impress upon you the feel of the environment.  I don’t know if it was filmed in Iraq but it certainly portrays what I think Iraq would look like.  Ultimately the film succeeds for me because it works as a simple suspense thriller with an uncanny ability to fill me with unending tension and to make me feel like I’m actually there living the experience.

CONCLUSION
Like I said, I don’t like war movies, but I think that all war movies should be political because wars are intrinsically political.  In my opinion there’s no reason to make a war movie if you’re not trying to say something.  Come down on either side of the argument but have something to say and pick a side.  The Hurt Locker does neither.  That being said, it does embed you into the experience like no other war movie I can think of, and it makes you realise the extraordinarily frightening situations that these brave soldiers face on a daily basis.  For that alone it’s worth seeing.

FINAL GRADE: B+