Friday, Feb. 19, 2010

The Big Screen: 'The Hurt Locker'

Kathryn Bigelow's film "The Hurt Locker" takes place amongst the uncertain chaos that is Baghdad, but is less a film about the conflict in Iraq than a deeply visceral meditation of armed conflict and the toll that it takes on the men whom are directly involved.

It would be unfair to label this as a film that is specifically about Iraq, Bigelow's film doesn't discuss politics, petroleum or dissect the global world order, rather she carefully explores the personalities of three men on an elite bomb squad, who are struck in different ways by the violence of war and the imminence of death. These three men could easily be placed in Israel or Vietnam and their stories would still be the same, resonating with equal tangibility.

The film begins on a Baghdad street, the scorching heat can be felt by the bleak and colorless cinematography of Barry Ackroyd, who previously shot the ethereal Sept. 11 picture United 93. There is a suspicious looking pile of garbage in the street -- in Baghdad everything is suspect -- and SSgt. Thompson (Guy Pierce, in a brief but wonderful role) is suiting up to investigate. As his squad members stand guard, Thompson investigates the garbage, which turns out to be a large bomb. Before he can finish diffusing it the bomb explodes in his face. His team Sanborn and Eldridge (Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty) bear witness to their greatest fears.

The title pops on screen and the credits begin to roll. This is war Bigelow is telling us. Unpredictable. Anxious. Explosive.

Enter Sgt. James (Jeremy Renner) a consummate Army specialist, who fears nothing and nobody. But he is reckless and irresponsible, willing to put the lives of everyone at risk to get his adrenaline fix. He is motivated by the threat of death and by the cerebral challenge of figuring out how a bomb ticks, and how the mind of the bomb maker works as well.

Renner could very likely pull a fast one over Oscar favorite Jeff Bridges, and he would be justified in doing so. Renner handles all aspects of his character with absolute bravado, he is absolutely ruthless while dissecting bombs, but playful and tenderly human in his interactions with a young Iraqi boy named Beckham (Christopher Sayegh). If war is a drug, Sgt. James is an addict, and Renner portrays this to absolute perfection. The supporting performances by Mackie and Geraghty are surprisingly well-developed, uncommon for a war film, as many characteristics of their personalities are revealed in subtle but heartbreaking ways.

But this is truly a big moment for Bigelow, whose most well-known picture is the rather bland "K-19: The Widowmaker", in this picture she demonstrates a great eye for situation and atmosphere, as every mission grows more and more tense, much like in the light of Coppola's "Apocalypse Now", the film progresses into the likeness of a nightmare. Yet the film never feels too heavy, it is an adrenaline rush to watch, a ride that will test your nerves and challenge the mind.