Bigelows Hurt Locker sizzles with truth and intensity

"The Hurt Locker"
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse
Grade: B+

Not only does Katherine Bigelow prove that a woman can do a mans job, but she finally makes a successful Iraq War film. After many of the genres predecessors have failed, In the Valley of Elah, Lions for Lambs, etc, this film doesn't preach as much as the previous films did. The Hurt Locker is a small film, and one can't help admire its rawness and intensity

A few stars are also made in this film. Jeremy Renner who some may know from 28 Weeks Later and The Assassination of Jesse James, plays William James, a bomb defuser in Baghdad circa 2004. He's the leader of an elite squad that faces danger every day. The film opens with a quote that stresses the addiction of war and how its a drug. Renner's character is the poster boy for this quote.

William James is teamed with Sandborn, played by the underrated Mackie, and up and comer Geraghty. This trio fills the film, as we see these men in everyday action and danger. Screenwriter Mark Boal could have added more depth and development to the characters, but I'm not so sure thats what Bigelow wanted to stress. The film plays in a 38 day period, counting down the days until this squad's service is finished. They go on mission after mission, find a bomb, defuse it, live to talk about it. This is how much of the film is played out, but the audience and Bigelow's keen direction enhances what could have been a very episodic and tedious film.

Thrills are a plenty, as James grazes near death many times. The film also presents not one clear enemy, the city of Baghdad is one and of itself as these bombs could have come from anyone, anywhere. Danger surrounds the film at every turn. Bigelow is most successful in creating a vivid time and place, her atmospheric choices mold the story throughout.

Many have lauded The Hurt Locker as a shoe-in for a best picture nomination now the field has grown to 10. The film is building slowly, with the studio waiting to expand the film more and more in the coming weeks. The more I think about the film, the more I like it, it just wasn't the masterpiece I was expecting. Seek the film for a pure cinematic experience, also keep an eye out for 3-4 star cameos. Something tells me I would like the film better upon a second viewing.