Movie Review #15 The Hurt Locker

The Hurt Locker (2009) Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie Directed by Kathryn Bigelow

So far in 2009 we have seen a nice reboot (Star Trek), a few great comedies (The Hangover, I Love You Man), and a few other notables...(The Soloist, Pride and Glory..etc) but I'd say a down year for standouts...perhaps the real 2009 standout...just stood up. The Hurt Locker is a wonderfully paced, well executed story of an Army EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) unit that is daily tasked with defusing and handling explosive situations. A well crafted look into a soldiers life in Iraq...it is truthful and honest without being boring and overdone. The action and suspense is enough to keep you on the edge of your seat and feel relieved when some family or personal drama enters into the story...you need the rest after all those bombs, wires, and stress. Kathryn Bigelow oddly best known for...well probably Point Break lol, yeah the Keanu flick with surfer bank robbers, does a great job here, and something tells me an Oscar nomination is headed her way. The cast is great, Jermey Renner is the lead here as Staff Sergeant William James the guy who wears the suit (the protective suit is like a great character in this film), Anthony Mackie also does a good job as his fellow team member, Sergeant Sanborn. The two clash with the usual conflict (one is a loose cannon the other wants to stay alive) but it is all believable. Some crafty casting is done here with some bigger names who show up briefly (Ray Fiennes, Guy Pierce, and David Morse) and are all really important to the story...but they don't need a lot of screen time to make the point...which I think is a credit to both Bigelow and the screenwriter Mark Boal who knows what this story is about and how to keep it moving. James (Renner) is the key here...if you like him, you like this film and I gotta tell you if you don't like him, I don't know what kinda hero you need. He is a badass hero the kind of guy you want to have your back (I'd like to see him take on Megatron). There are plenty of explosions, and plenty of story...it is done in a way that is so easy to watch (unlike Jarhead 2005...much harder to watch), so go out and see the summer's most explosive and dare I say Best? film...The Hurt Locker deserves to be viewed in the theaters...don't wait go see it!.

(The Shawshank Scale 1-10) The Hurt Locker gets the highest mark since last years Milk at a Best Picture nominee worthy 8.0...it is truly a well crafted war film that is now firmly in my top 15 or so war films of all time...and as I re-watch it may even break my top ten.

Food For Thought: Chili homemade...served over rice...but I can't give you the recipe because I would have to kill you. I have stored it in my cabinet with an explosive device attached if you can defuse it you can have it. Jeremy Renner is being rumored to be the next Mad Max (he's got my vote now) and he is being directed by the great Ben Affleck in his next film called The Town out next year. Bigelow has nothing new in the works right now...but something tells me she has some accolades coming to her for this film.