The Hurt Locker Film Review

Judging from the trailer for this movie, we expected it to be a good complement to the excellent Generation Kill from last year. But it really isn't, nor is it a great addition to Kathryn Bigelow's directorial catalogue, which includes 90's classics like Point Break and Strange Days.

Some of the same hectic, fast paced editing and composition makes it into Hurt Locker, a title alluding to the pain and claustrophobia a team of army bomb disposal specialists experience in Iraq. Written by Mark Boal, the film takes place in 2004 Baghdad, as US forces go about the task of re-establishing order amidst the growing insurgency. The premise certainly isn't flawed, it's something that deserves to be recounted to audiences everywhere, and Hurt Locker does have some good performances. However, it feels like an unfinished project, and as a result leaves us wanting.

For starters, it assumes ignorance or uncaring on the part of viewers. If it's 2004, then characters shouldn't be seen playing Gears of War on an Xbox 360, a game that came out in 2006 for a console not available until late 2005. This tells us either they couldn't make up their minds when the movie was supposed to happen, or that they failed to convey the passage of time in the story.

Also, there are some very odd scenes - the most glaring of these a standoff between the bomb disposal team and insurgent snipers in the middle of nowhere. This supposedly takes hours and hours, which is very unlikely even for snipers, not to mention bomb experts don't usually pick up a .50 cal Barrett with such ease.

On the plus side, the main cast does a good job. Jeremy Renner plays Sergeant William James, a former ranger turned explosive ordnance disposal professional. He comes to Iraq to lead a small team when the previous chief dies in the line of duty (cameo by Guy Pearce). Aiding James are Sergeant Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Eldridge (Brian Geraghty), and the threesome takes time to gel, especially in light of Sgt. James' unconventional, often reckless conduct.

There are also several inexplicably short appearances by Ralph Fiennes, David Morse and even Lost's Evangeline Lilly, all of whom probably had a lot more to give the story. It would have been better to use them than devote time to some of the overlong sequences that did make the cut. But at least Hurt Locker is one of those movies that don't shy away from playing tricks with audiences - just as you think a character is key, they get taken out.

On the authenticity front, this is good stuff here but not in the same league as Generation Kill - that one sets a high standard. Some of the soldiering skills onscreen aren't up to par, but this is a minor issue.

Overall, The Hurt Locker is worth the admission price. It doesn't close the book on post-invasion Iraq in Hollywood, is a bit too long for its own good and suffers from a rough feel that leaves you wondering why they didn't spend more time polishing the end product, but it's still good to go.

Rating: * * * ½

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow

Starring Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty

2009, English, 120 minutes