‘The Hurt Locker’ trains a magnifying glass on the experiences of a bomb squad in Iraq, to give us a glimpse of the intoxication or anathema that the war means to soldiers thrown into the deep end. It does have its gripping moments but can be seen more as a docu-drama in comparison with movies like ‘Platoon’ and ‘Apocalypse Now’ that touchingly brought out the human fallout of wars with questionable motives.
Based on Marc Boal’s personal account of his time with an American bomb squad in Iraq, the film is largely anecdotal in structure focusing more on the intricacies of situations and the behavior of the characters instead of moving through a pre-defined flow.
Kathryn Bigelow deserves plaudits for her attention to detail in filming ‘The Hurt Locker’. The film is shot with hand held cameras in a deliberate attempt to make the viewer as unsettled as the squad in perilous circumstances. This works to its advantage and makes the viewer wonder, what’s going to go off next and where. But, she could have taken the film further, if she had given more substance and layers to her characters. The anecdotal structure begs for a context and in the absence of it does not deliver the desired impact. Yes we know it’s tough out there. But, beyond that it does rend your heart.
Jeremy Renner’s Academy award nominated performance is noteworthy for his portrayal of the cowboyish Sgt. Sanborn who seems to love the smell of a bomb defuse. He leads his team into dangerous situations with no attention to protocol or safety. He is fighting a war on his own. But along with this, he also shows the dimension of being a protector of his unit, something subtly brought out by Bigelow.
‘The Hurt Locker’ does not stack up against movies made on the ugly reality and the collateral damage of war but does well to gives us a very close view of what happens on the ground. That is its usp, nothing more, nothing less.
