"The Hurt Locker" Review: A+ - Go go see it now

I can already tell "The Hurt Locker" is going to be difficult to give its proper due. Part of me thinks it's going to be dismissed as another Iraq movie rather than a serious contender for best picture or, frankly, among the best war films ever made. At the very least, it's the defining film on the Iraq war. "The Hurt Locker" uses the vehicle of a war to make a film about human nature, living on the edge, and the things that motivate us. As a result, it looks for insight into the human experience during war rather than a cheap politically dig.

I'll be upfront about it, I'm getting tired of the brash nature of political commentary in films today-all most accomplish is an excessively negative and basic criticism that rarely, if ever, borders on something nearly as constructive as most of the love and diversity messages in children's television. Don't get me wrong, it can be well executed like "Wall-E", but documentaries are the most successful medium here. Most of Hollywood's attempts seem self-serving or so shallow you wish they'd never tried in the first place.

For my money, movies that have genuine insight into human relationships are the ones I'm bound to find profound. Last year's "Rachel Get Married" blew me away on that front and films like "Requiem for a Dream" and "American Beauty" get multiple viewings a year in my house. If the end of art is to communicate experience, I think that films that really put you into someone else's shoes are so much more incredible than these cheap-thrills-huge-special-effects-so-dumb-you-don't-even-have-to-think blockbusters. Besides, I'll take the thrills in "The Hurt Locker" against pretty much anything else anyway. I was borderline exhausted entering the theatre, but my adrenaline pumped for 2 hours and 13 minutes and the classic Craig falling asleep in a movie he really wants to see trap never had a chance.

"The Hurt Locker" follows Jeremy Renner (the marine from "28 Weeks Later") who deserves Oscar consideration for his portrayal of Staff Sergeant William James, a bomb specialist working with Anthony Mackie (Papa Doc from "8 Mile"), also masterful as his by-the-book Sergeant Sanborn, to diffuse the IED's, car bombs, and suicide bombings that happen all too frequently in Iraq.

It is the grittiest, most realistic portayal of a soldier's life in Iraq I've seen and goes much further than "Three Kings" did years ago. It's 2004 and Renner replaces Guy Pearce, who played it safe and still gets dusted in the first five minutes. Renner is reckless-he refuses to use the bomb robot and while diffusing a huge car bomb he takes off his protective suit saying, "If I'm going to die, I'm going to die comfortably." He's a badass because, despite his bravado, he's incredible at his job; he can think like the bomb maker and stays in the line of danger until the very last second.

The movie opens with the line "War is a drug" and the adrenaline is something that keeps Renner hooked on war. He's disabled 873 bombs, which is an absolutely staggering amount and makes it tough to balance his need to be with his family. This isn't unique to bomb techs-those who publish newspapers or become investment bankers get hooked on the constant rush and often can't settle into less exciting environments; however, the adjustment is so extreme for those coming home from war, from fighting for life and death on a daily basis to the mundane of the American routine. We feel for Renner, who, despite his swagger, is a good guy who's just a little nuts. You have to be a little crazy for that job, right?

The movie itself is excellent-it's taut and provides the kind of details that bring the soldier's experience to life. Pinned down by snipers, the soldiers must remain alert for hours and hours after they're pretty sure they've finished them off. They can't take chances. Running out of water packets, they are fighting fatigue and dehydration as they bake in the heat. You feel how brutal that must be. One of the squad members constantly struggles with his fear of the front-line ("Does be all you can be mean dead on the streets of Baghdad") against the party line of the military psychiatrist ("War doesn't have to be a bad time in your life.") and the tension is palpable.

The cinematography and direction are perfect here, really illuminating the story without making it feel too Hollywood or dramatic. The attention to detail, from the details on the bombs to the realism of the scenarios, lets this incredible reality speak for itself rather than dramatize the situation. I recently watched "Pearl Harbor" at the behest of a friend and I feel grateful for a war movie that doesn't feel the least bit exploitative. The characters in "Pearl Harbor" feel shallow and unlikable and you come to understand and admire the ones here.

I could really talk about this movie all-day and I suspect I've already spoken about it too much. Do yourself a favor and go see it, I'm going to go see it again soon.

Grade: A+