I have been lucky enough to watch 2 good movies this weekend, first it was DATE NIGHT and now THE HURT LOCKER 🙂 Both movies come from totally different genres and are good entertainers!
The Hurt Locker is set in Iraq and tells the story of an elite bomb disposal squad. All changes when a new sergeant, James (Jeremy Renner), takes over a highly trained bomb disposal team amidst violent conflict. He surprises his two subordinates, Sanborn (Anthony Mackie), and Eldridge (Brian Geraghty), by recklessly plunging them into a deadly game of urban combat. James behaves as if he’s indifferent to death. During the course of all their missions, you always want them to make it out of their rotation alive, be able to go home to their families and live a happy life. Such is the kind of torchure they face in a war situation.
The performances by each charcaster are praise worthy. Jeremy Renner’s portrayal of James is well deserving of the Oscar nomination that he earned for the role. Even though James is reckless and seems like an over aggressive guy at times, you cannot help but care for him. He takes bold and life-threatening risks but with each one and you wait and hope that he comes out alive. Anthony Mackie makes his character as real as it can be and so does Brian Geraghty.
Both the director Kathryn Bigelow, the first woman director to win an OSCAR truly deserves all the accolades that she is getting and so does the screenwriter Mark Boal who wrote the screenplay after being with a bomb squad in Baghdad. It is not easy to pull off a war film but with The Hurt Locker, Bigelow does a great job. The only thing that I would like to change in the movie is the duration. Two hours sometimes seem a bit long in the same warzone!
Final Word – It’s different and most importantly….OSCAR WINNER so do check it out.
Warning – The movie is as real as it gets and so, it’s NOT for the sensitive hearted, so please STAY AWAY!
My Rating – 4/5
I have seen Hurt Locker sometime last year…A fabulous movie with a touch of craziness on the part of characters in the movie. A must watch…
Yes it is…an amazing take on the situations faced by the soldiers!
Sorry to say sir, but I didn’t find HURT LOCKER as an OSCAR WINNER!!!
No doubt it has some thrilling spin-chilling moments, but they are basically defusing bombs again and again and again!
Even I would give it a 4/5, but still AVATAR was better 🙂
this is certainly one of the best of last year……..till the day i saw this….i was supporting James Camroon…..to win the directors Oscar but after watching this movie i got to know why ….more than 60% ppl voted Kathryn Bigelow for Best Director for Oscar @ IMDB.com …………
i think Jeremy Renner was really good in the movie……i actually didn’t search much abt the cast of the movie before watching it…..and half way though the movie i was mistaking him as James McAvoy…..he resembles him …………….actually this is the first Jeremy Renner movie i saw….that’s why got confused………..
Ok Now a question……….
there was one thing about this movie which i didn’t get……….and i have thrown the same question at some 10 movie review blogs…..same goes for you……can u make me understand this……
“In the movie…….some 30 mins after….when Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner) calls home and after his wife picks the phone……….he didn’t talk to them…..” which was something i didn;t understand……i mean he had a less than a year boy at home…..and even after calling them……he won’t talk to them………….
didn’t get it……but would love to know…..you perception abt the character
@ Yajur – I think we all have are views and it’s great to share them. I love the movie and it’s fine if you didnt. It’s not a movie that everyone would live…would agree on that!
@Hitesh – Your bang on man!…the same question crossed my mind when I was watching the movie…
The primary reason I think there is that his character is different in his personal and professional life…whenever he is alone…he is quiet and a thinker but when he is with his co-militants and may be he was missing them and just cud’nt gather enough guts to talk to them…we can only guess 😉
yea we can only guess……..i thought he some kind of psycho…who doesn’t believe in family….and all….cause as soon he comes back home……..he gets all bored….and goes back to Iraq again……….
though one of my friends explained it…..which i thought was closest to the real character……soldiers are mad people……..they love their country more than their family….the reason he gave me for not talking to the family…..was “he was vulnerable…..and last thing he needed in the battle field was to worry about this is family or feel their love…….cause that may had made him weaker……..and why he came back to Iraq again…….as he said in the end “My people my country need me ther” ”
I pretty much agreed to this explanation……
but i’m thinking of getting to Kathryn Bigelow and ask her wat was that about…????? if only i can reach her………. my bad………
@Hitesh – I would agree with your friend…that comes closest to what could be his character!
And ALL THE BEST for your meet with Kathryn Bigelow 😉
I saw it long before most people had even heard of The Hurt Locker (gives me an ego boost LOL!) and that time I went, WOW it is a must watch. And Once the HDDVD came out, I grabbed that as well. Though honestly, didn’t think it will go to the Oscars because it seemed a different movie and not something that is usually given multiple awards!
Last few words – The rush of battle is often a potent and lethal addiction, for war is a drug. !!!
@ Nishant – I agree…infact nobody expected it to spoil Avatar’s oscar party…but when I saw the movie…I felt it deserved every bit of recognition that it was getting…
and the quote…is INSPIRING…to say the least!
saw it last evening and as you say its the length of the movie that is the problem otherwise its a wonderful peep into the life of ‘bomb diffusal squad’
@magic eye – completely and the best part is it sticks to the reality and no over the top heroics.
@hitesh…I think he did not speak because he knows that he has chosen what he wanted and not what his family needs…he fees guilty about their love for him since his sense of duty has made him chose differently.
It could also be that hearing her voice will help him stay alive to return to her…kind of motivation
I feel bad that I have no time to watch movies when I found good bloggers who write wonderful reviews on them… Sigh!! how far is June???
@ nalini – That’s a good explanation again…
@Farila – If you like watching movies…you should take out time…they are stress busters. If you dont have to to watch it on the big screen, rent a DVD…but do watch the movies you like!
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