I attended a screening of The Hurt Locker, a film chosen for the closing night of the Film Comment Selects series at Lincoln Center. Directed by Katherine Bigelow (Point Break and Strange Days), The Hurt Locker is about an IED squadron approaching the final weeks of deployment in Iraq and explores the attendant emotional and psychological duress that the soldiers experience. However, the film is less of a polemical war film, and more of a serious character study of professional zealotry and viscerally-programmed courage under the pressure of life or death combat situations. The focus of the film is on Staff Sargent William James, played by Jeremy Renner. His performance is fierce, full of raw energy and extreme instensity. Renner's Sgt. James, along with Anthony Mackie's Sargent Sanborne and Brian Geraghty's, Specialist Eldrige, embody the various manifestations of bravery in the face of violence and war, illustrating the all-consuming fear and heightened focus amid cross-fire and ticking bombs.
Most of the film is shot hand-held. This verite approach engages the audience and enhances the action and frenzy of the battlefield, driving up the stakes for the soldiers. A few star cameos punctuate key moments of the film and work seamlessly into the narrative.
Overall, The Hurt Locker is great, experiential cinema, a mix of incredible performances and a fascinating story. The movie opens in June, distributed by Summit.
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