The Hurt Locker

I went and missed The Hurt Locker when it was in the pictures but that's it out on DVD and the like now. It's an incredibly tense film about bomb disposal experts stationed in Iraq. The performances from a bunch of virtual unknowns are universally excellent. But the main props must go to Kathryn Bigelow whose direction is Oscar worthy. Of course she probably won't win, something to do with her having breasts I think. What she has done is create an incredibly claustrophobic experience through an almost documentary like style as she places the hand held cameras right in the action. Only rarely does she break from this for the odd cinematic flourish or perfectly composed shot, but you're pulled so far into the story that they fail to break you out of it.

I suppose the easy comparison is Apocalypse Now, Hurt Locker being the modern day Iraq war update. It indeed shares that movie's eye for the haunting image. But this is no "war is hell" trip. It asks you to question what it's saying. This is mainly thanks to the character of James who it appears is addicted to his job. What's so pertinent about the film is that it doesn't say that that is necessarily a bad thing. Shouldn't a man do what he loves?

Basically what I'm saying is; Go, go and do what you do (legally) to see The Hurt Locker. It's one of the most gripping, intelligent and outright brilliant films you'll see all year.