War is a drug.

The Hurt Locker

I got really into watching Castle, I hadn't seen any movies I felt like writing about, and I got busy with school work. Sorry. I finally had the time to watch a movie I wanted to pay attention to, The Hurt Locker. This 2009 Best Picture winner is a powerful look at an elite Army EOD team in Iraq. The Hurt Locker is actually the lowest grossing Best Picture winner.

The film is a very non bias look at men in the Iraq War. It doesn't say the Iraq War is good or bad or we should or should not be there. Everyone is entitled to there opinion, but we don't always need movies shoving their opinions down our throats, and hinting that people who don't agree with the filmmakers are wrong. The film just shows men doing their jobs and how that job affects them.

Jeremy Renner gives a strong performance as Sergeant William James, a cowboy-esque bomb diffuser. He mildly reminds me of Robert Duvall in Apocalypse Now. His actions can be infuriating, like when he removes his earpiece and his team can't communicate with him or leading his team on a mission that risks their lives for no apparent reason. But he redeems himself by giving a heartfelt reassurance talk to one of his men. Renner does add depth to the character, he's not just some headstrong soldier. His brief scene with his baby boy shows just how addicted he is, and one of the film's most depressing scenes is when James stands in a grocery store debating what cereal to buy. Renner has been around for a while, picking up minor roles and always doing a good job. Nice to see him as a lead and this will hopefully open some doors for him.

Anthony Mackie also gave a strong performance as Sanborn, one of the men working with James. I've seen Mackie in a lot of stuff and he is consistently strong. He's one of those actors where one says, "Oh I know I've seen him before, and he was really good! But what's his name?" I think after The Hurt Locker people won't forget his name. His final scene where he breaks down and wishes for a son is haunting. He was robbed of a Best Supporting Actor nomination.

There are some really amazing shots in The Hurt Locker. The opening scene, where a bomb diffuser walks between two long rails towards a bomb, is well done. The straight and confining rails point the way to his fate. A second haunting scene is after James has led his men on an idiotic mission and one man was wounded. James enters a shower and turns on the water, still in uniform. Blood and sand wash off him and he seems to struggle to breathe, the water running strong and fast over his face. This scene represents how James' actions, decisions and experiences in the army have been and always will be with him. He can try to forget and wash some of his sins away like dirt, but they will always been a part of him; his time in the army defines him. The sound was another strong aspect of The Hurt Locker.

I did have a few problems with The Hurt Locker. The film is a little over two hours, and it drags. Several scenes feel way longer than they need to be. This could have been an artistic choice, maybe representing how long this war has dragged out. But in a film where there isn't a more specific plot, length can be a problem. Furthermore, there are a couple of scenes that just make absolutely no sense. They are out of character for Sgt. James and distract from the film. Now, again, this could have been an artistic choice. One of the film's themes is war is a drug and drug addicts act erratically and out of character. So, maybe that's why there were two scenes that just confused me rather than furthered the storyline.

I read that a lot of people were bothered by the plot, saying that there was no real plot, which affected character development and moving the story along, answering the question of so what? Well the story was about these men, their scary job, and their day to day happenings and how it affects them. There wasn't some epic plot that involved them hunting one man who kept setting off bombs, that would've been silly. I think these soldiers' stories are interesting and important enough.

2009 was a fairly weak film year; The Hurt Locker is certainly not one of the greatest movies I've ever seen. But it tells a compelling story and has wonderfully filmed action scenes. I wonder if The Hurt Locker's success could be recreated in some way, this time with female soldiers the focus. I imagine women have drastically different experiences in war then men do, and the Iraq War has more female soldiers than an other war we've been in. There has to be some story there.

Liam Neeson in Taken

Liam Neeson, action star? I never thought I'd see the day. But he's actually convincing as a former spy still capable of kicking ass. He performs his stunts well and believable shows a father's unstoppable instinct to protect their child. He balances the intimidating action with strong acting, particularly when he tells his daughter she will be taken. He hears her pleas for mercy over he phone and a wave of emotions subtly wash over his face, from fear and panic to his realization to what he must do. I really love Liam Neeson in every thing he does, I'd like to see him do action again.

Netflix

The Lovely Bones-Heard this wasn't too good, but I want to see it anyway.
Fantastic Mr. Fox-Would love to see my favorite animated film of 2009 again.
Summer Hours-Netflix Instant. Netflix recommended this French film to me.