The Hurt Locker

Kathryn 'Widowmaker' Bigelow has garnered a fair deal of critical praise from the release of 'The Hurt Locker', her decidely more 'realistic' take on the Iraq conflict, viewed from several levels, but concentrating ostensibly on Bravo company's bomb disposal team and the trials they have to endure whilst doing their job day in and day out in a war torn city that may as well be a million miles from home.

Bigelow has opted against going for the bells and whistles that a hollwywood war movie could easily entertain a greater audience with, concentrating her time on the nuances of survival in a place where anybody and everybody could be your enemy with intentions only to end your life, even at the cost of their own.

Much time is spent in the company of genuine, loyal but sometimes disenchanted soldiers who appear to be at uncomfortable odds not only with their own presence as an alien occupying force, but additionally with their reasons for being there both individually and as a group.

Portrayed largely as almost an entirely dangerous or at least wholly potentially suspicious nation of individuals with a common cause to either infiltrate or exacerbate an already difficult occupation, the Iraqis, for all of the torment witnessed from the perpsective of the US military seem to, from Bigelow's perspective at least, appear to be guilty of something, or about to be guilty of it, given half a chance.

For those of you waiting for the big moment when the film actually kicks into high gear, you have a wait coming as the film never really gets into full flow and this may be because Bigelow has intentionally slowed the pace to a considered canter for large portions of the film. It is never dull for this fact, however, and manages to retain an edge-of-the-seat anticipation throughout most of it's dusty threat-filled two hours.

A fair critiscism of this picture would be to suggest that when you have seen five minutes of hum-vees traversing potentially dangerous streets or vast unknown desert, you have probably seen all you need to. Whether by news, media, internet, friends or in person, we are already familiar with what Iraq is like. Bigelow does have to make this entertaining, like it or not, or no-one would bother watching after all, so to suggest the threat is perhaps more insistent than reality would confirm is something that is necessary, if not in actuality, reliable. So through a necessity of entertainment, Iraq and it's natives, are unfortunately purported to be, to a man, a nation on the brink of implosion.

It is thankfully not my job to comment on the conflict per se, but only the depiction of it in the form of entertainment and we should be reminded at this stage that this is what Bigelow's picture is. This is not a neutral or even bi-lateral documentary or even an insight into the philosophy behind any war, much less sophisticated comment on the complicated mess and potentially irretrievable ham-fisted cock-up that real life would suggest. This is at best a partisan reactionary story told by a moviemaker with the skills and will to create it.

Shot in Jordan, Kuwait and Langley, British Columbia, this Iraq conflict story doesn't get so much of a sniff of a location anywhere near actual events taking place (and with good reason), but aside from the purpose of information, this is merely nit-picking. It does, however, highlight the central thread of this review and running throughout the production that should be considered when handing out awards. (there is Oscar talk of The Hurt Locker doing rather well this season) I would question the Academy if giving this picture serious consideration for an Award for Best Picture as whilst undenaibly partisan, is such a stance the message that Oscar should be giving out?

The character performances are all credible, but just how hard is it make these people real with the admittedly limited amount of scope they are afforded?

The characters are largely one-dimensional and in some cases, actually annoying. Often we are forced to endure unbelievable bravado of the worst flag-waving hero type to the ineffectual commandeering of troops that would simply never be allowed to exist in such an environment. Bigelow no doubt chose the bomb squad as their lives are put at risk more often than most soldiers fighting in Iraq today, but these are the same soldiers that have to be the most careful as their lives could be snuffed out more easily for the reason they do what they do every day. Yes, we know that the US military are not perfect, if you believe everything you read or watch, but they are not stupid. Thoughtless occasionally, but actual idiots?

This is entertaining enough to sit through, but not neutral enough to be called thought-provoking.

If you have a chance to watch Redacted, I would recommend a viewing of that instead of Bigelow's effort. If you are a chest-thumping patriotic American, you will love this.

If you are using your brain, however, you might be forced to question your judgement of a film that fears to tread in any of places or take any of the risks that it's main characters do every day.