The day that never comes

A review of The Hurt Locker By Moondust.
The hurt locker, a movie that has been nominated for 9 Oscars this year is a treat for all the Counter Strike fans out there. The movie is based on the life of 3 people on war zone at Iraq – SSG William James (Jeremy Renner), Sgt. JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Spc. Owen Elridge (Brian Geraghty); the trio is part of a team that defuses bombs that get planted unpredictably throughout the territory. James is the tech. team leader who thrives on the adrenaline rush he gets while disarming bombs whereas Sanborn is in-charge of the support team, one who prioritizes his team’s survival over the success of his mission and Elridge is a dedicated soldier who becomes jaded after the death of James’ predecessor.

                At first, James and Sanborn clash due to their opposing methods and ideas, with James acting instinctively and Sanborn working by the books. As the movie progresses, the director Kathryn Bigelow skilfully shows how their antagonistic relationship morphs into one with camaraderie, thus justifying her Oscar nomination.  The cinematography throughout the movie has been breathtaking, and has complimented the story so well that this is one of the key reasons why the movie had me on the edge of my seat.  But for an action movie, this movie is on the slower side.

                This flick tells a lot to the people, not only about how crazy war zone can get and how paranoid it can make the soldiers working there, it also makes us realize how fleeting life is. To quote Elridge- ‘One minute he’s there and then he isn’t!’  In the beginning, one may think that James is nothing but a reckless individual who cares more about his success than anything else, but one’s opinion is sure to change as he is revealed to be a compassionate person whose desire to help people is what fuels him to put his life on the line as he defuses bombs. James has been portrayed exquisitely by Renner and the same can be said for Mackie and Geraghty with respect to their own characters.

The movie opens with the saying that war is a drug and this holds on true till the end. This is a must watch for all the war movie buffs out there, and for those who aren’t, this is a great start!

My Rating: 8.2/10

Dark Defender's Rating: 9/10

PS: I think the song – the day that never comes by Metallica is perfect for this movie, do watch the movie and let me know what you think!

  

OSCAR WATCH


Nominated for:

• ·    Best Achievement in Cinematography
• ·    Best Achievement in Directing
• ·    Best Achievement in Editing
• ·    Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
• ·    Best Achievement in Sound
• ·    Best Achievement in Sound Editing
• ·    Best Motion Picture of the Year
• ·    Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
• ·    Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen