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Movie Review: The Hurt Locker
Nick Mahar
When you hear the title The Hurt Locker, do you think of a gritty dark horror film, or do you think of soldiers in Iraq? Not only is The Hurt Locker an amazing war story, it has 9 Academy Award Nominations, the same as Avatar. This movie is probably one of my favorites of the year and it's great because it uses very little music, which is generally necessary in making a great film. The movie follows a bad ass Sergeant named Sergeant First Class William James who disarms bombs, you already know the movie is going to be a bang.
Story
Sergeant James joins Sergeant J.T. Sanborn and Specialist Owen Eldridge, whose jobs are to communicate with their team leader via radio inside his bomb suit. Right from the beginning of the movie Sergeant James decides
to abandon any rules and goes off to disarm an IED or explosive. He is constantly approaching a suspected IED without first sending in a bomb disposal robot during their first missions together leading Sanborn and Eldridge to consider him "reckless". The movie consistently engages you with new and crazy situations. Each moment of the movie makes you think and wonder what's going to happen next.
While returning from detonating bombs in the desert, the team encounter a British military company. They soon come under enemy attack, and three of the British mercenaries are killed, which ends after Sanborn and James shoot the last of the snipers. This helps bring the team closer together and lead to what happens next and at the end of the story.
Cinematography
This film has beautiful shots throughout the entire film. This movie makes me want to visit Iraq simply for how beautiful it can look at certain time. The camera is generally on a steady-cam but is also shaky at time so that you feel like you are in the action. The film was shot on multiple S16mm cameras to capture multiple perspectives at both microcosm and macrocosm simultaneously. This means the lens shoots at multiple focal lengths which creates a look that is more real to what the eye would see.
Sound Design
Anthony Quinn, a film reviewer says:
Sound editing simply makes this movie deemed “easily the best film to come out of the Iraq war” so far by film reviewer Anthony Quinn in The Independent.
This movie has amazing sound design because it feels like you are really there. Every explosion, gun shot, and heart beat sound so real, that i feel as if i know what it's like to be there. The use of a soundtrack is perfectly done with only using it at certain parts and keeping it out most of the film. It helps bring the audience into the feeling of being there with the actors.
Overall
The film as a whole is a beautiful masterpiece in every aspect and deserves every nomination and award is gets. The film has already won many awards at film festivals and more but is currently in the running for Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Original Score, Sound, Sound Editing, Picture of the Year, Actor, and Writing all for the Academy Awards. It is defiantly a movie to watch with you surround sound blaring and an awesome HDTV. I would recommend to anyone 13 teen and up because it's one of the best films of 2008/2009.
