The Hurt Locker

Hey folks, I've just returned from my maiden viewing of The Hurt Locker.

If you're short on time, my overall view of the movie is: "Oh, my God. A masterpiece."

Anyway, the more verbose version of my thoughts follows:

I am a contrarian above all else, so when I heard the first shot on would grip me and not let go, I was skeptical. The Director, Kathryn Bigelow brought us Point Break, K-19: The Widowmaker, and Near Dark (which I was underwhelmed by) after all. That said, I can also admit when I am wrong. And I was wrong to have doubted this film.

The Hurt Locker had me by the balls from the first frame. It kicked my ass, pulled no punches, and inspired me that movies can in fact be this good. As I limped home from the screening at the Grandview Theater in St. Paul, I was amazed at how much I wanted to discuss the events of the film with the characters. And that, I think, is a good jumping off point to talk about the performances. The names everyone have been hearing are Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie, and rightfully so. But Guy Pearce, Ralph Finnes, and David Morse all give memorable "one-sceners". That is, they give performances that involve you in their stories, regardless of their limited screen time. I sincerely hope that Renner and Mackie get Oscar Nods at the very least. They are amazing, with a completely convincing chemistry that carries the film.

I saw this film opening day at the Grandview, with only a handful of other people. There were two other young men there, who obviously glazed over during the opening epigram - and whooped and hollered during the action sequences (I should note also that to the film's credit, I was so engrossed I could ignore them). The other viewers were elderly people (it was a Friday, after all), and an old woman left during a particularly gruesome scene mid-way through. I'm not spoiling anything by admiting that this film pulls no punches in the gore department, without being ostentatious.

Speaking of ostentation, Michael Mann's greatest shortcoming in Public Enemies was the ostentation. Simply put, there's a heavy artiface in Public Enemies, the digital medium. You could tell that the film was handheld, unfortunately. I respect Mann for going big instead of going home. However, it feels clunky and forced in that film. Kathryn Bigelow can chalk herself up next to David Lynch and Steven Spielberg as filmmakers who can utilize the digital camera without being obtrusive and taking viewers out of the movie. The handheld sequences in The Hurt Locker don't FEEL like handheld sequences. They completely achieve what handheld sequences are meant to do: take you into the action.

I must also say that this film is head and shoulders above other war films, especially Iraq War films, for its utter lack of political commentary. I can credit the screenwriter Mark Boal with this, because he was with these men in real life. He knew that men in that situation would not sermonize about the politics, and if they did, they would be reviled. There is sermonizing in a key scene that doesn't quite fit, but it's sermonizing about one of the character's failings. You never hear the word "Bush". This film is a barebones, down-to-earth portrayal of how men function in war.

In Adaptation, the Robert McKee character says, "Wow 'em in the end, and you've got a hit." This is true of the last 10 minutes of The Hurt Locker. You see how and why a character did everything he did. And though his motivations seem grotesque in a way, they are understandable, and identifiable.

So, RUN - don't walk - to see The Hurt Locker right now. I give it an A-