Genres

Visitors Review

sptmaster 2012-05-25 22:31:30

Decent Iraq War Flick - Doesn't live up to the hype

I rented this film on Netflix after it won all the Oscars, to see if itwas really that good.The Hurt Locker is a very realistic portrayal (for the most part) of agroup of soldier's rotation in Iraq. The film centers around WillJames, a reckless soldier who gets his adrenaline fix from takingrisks, and defusing bombs.Where this film seems to lack in my opinion is the Plot and Directionof the movie. This film has no clear plot unlike other films such asBlack Hawk Down. What this film tries to do is focus more on thecharacters, and their different attitudes about the war. Bigelow doesan okay job of focusing on the characters, but there are many points inthe film where the dialogue seems to drag. Hurt Locker is 131 minuteslong, yet it feels like a 3 hour movie.One scene in the movie that was particularly awful, and ruined thefilms perfect credibility, was the sniping scene halfway through themovie. It was both unrealistic, and very long.Overall, I thought this film was OKAY, but the reason I gave it a 6instead of a 7, was because it was a major letdown for winning BestPicture at the Oscars. I felt like this film could have been so muchbetter considering Saving Private Ryan lost Best Picture, but was muchbetter than this film. Another notable mention is Black Hawk Down whichonly won 2 Oscars. I honestly do not know how this won best picture.If you are looking for an action packed war flick, rent Black HawkDown. This film will be forgotten in a year or two.

2012-05-25 03:17:05

Don't listen to the soldiers who hate this movie because of its inaccuracies

This wasn't my favorite movie of the year, but I did enjoy it on its own terms: as a taut, suspenseful action thriller with a level of psychological insight that was at least a little deeper than most movies of this genre.What bothers me is the amount of vitriol leveled at this film by actual soldiers who served in Iraq. A movie's primary job is to entertain. Inevitably a few--or perhaps many--actual facts are omitted, fabricated, bent, or altered for the sake of a compelling narrative that should at least convey an emotional truth about the very human characters they represent. I believe this film achieves the "emotional truth" part at the expense of the facts. I'm fine with that, especially if you consider the following:Bigelow and her crew made several requests to the U.S. military for assistance and consultation and were repeatedly and categorically refused on each occasion. Given this lack of access and the budget limitations, Bigelow was forced to sacrifice some accuracy in regard to the soldiers' equipment and, perhaps most glaringly, in the implausibly small number of men on the EOD unit.Ironically, the U.S. military DOES frequently lend assistance and consultation to bigger budget--and more blatantly untrue--escapist popcorn movies like G.I. Joe or Transformers.I have a couple of soldier friends who loved the Transformers movies and hated The Hurt Locker. I can only shake my head. I have the utmost respect for their service, but not for the type of cognitive dissonance they exhibit in (some of) their movie preferences.

Prabhakar S 2012-05-24 09:36:56

Brilliant Propaganda.

This is a war movie that revolves around a small team of a bombdisposal unit which is disarming bombs in Iraq for 30 days. How theydiffuse different types of bombs, kills people, get killed and saveIraquies by doing their 'job'.It is a strange and sad fact that the very first woman director to getan Oscar is Kathryn Bigelow who at the same time did that movie as a USwar propaganda. Shame.Technically as a director Kathryn soars high. She excels manycontemporaries by brilliantly captivating the moment of the scenes. Hervisualization is perfect. Added with nice photography along withhand-held cam photography to pitch in journalism-editing. Many commentsread that 'many technical aspects of bomb disposal unit operation' areinaccurate and flawed.Politically Kathryn turns bad. But brilliant. The movie pretends thatit does not deal about the Iraqi politics at all but at the same timesows its agenda that, US solders are 'servicing' in Iraq for their'free country'. You want proof? The film is shot in Jordan, theneighbor country of Iraq and they actually used the Iraqi refugees as'extras'. Hows that ? Compare this attempt with Michael Moore'sFarenheit 9/11. You'll know what sort of delicate poltics KathrynBigelow is playing.During the movie, the (American)audience would get a feel that Iraq isa Jungle full of animals in which US soldiers are fighting for their aswell as their country's life. Lots and lots of scenes, shots placeddelicately, dramatically to give one the effect of 'AmericanNationalism' and their 'Deterrent strikes' all over the world. B.S.Soldier warning a terrorist who is about to switch the button in hiscellphone while few hundred feet away his colleague is disarming abomb... The car bomb diffusing American soldier (showing his brillianceand dedication over this life threatening condition) in the car bombdiffusion sequence... The Arab Kid who is selling DVDs. Hisrelationship with the 'war thirsty' soldier (football playingfriendliness.. wow) and what happens to him... All Iraqui terroristenemies are faceless, ruthless. They were shown passively. Nocharacters. The faces too gives you a creepy idea of 'you are in adangerous place'... The enemies are so ruthless that they plant a bombin a dead body so that it blows during an autopsy by American soldiers.There is also a scene where one guy tied a bomb with his body wasrescued by an American soldier where the soldier finds that the bombwas 'locked' with chains and locks so that releasing him from theticking bomb becomes impossible... The enemies are so cheating that anold man seeking help with loading rocks on to his cart on the roadsideis in fact a lethal enemy... The Americans shooting snipers in thedesert are so 'job' oriented such that in the event of a 'thirstybreak' they do it systematically and drink for the sniper is also'served' with a procedure because they are doing their 'jobs'... Andindeed all these US soldiers do have a 'family home' somewhere in US. Aremote place; surrounded by Meadows lawn and beautiful trees andnatural surroundings. Having beautiful wives and small babies whom theyhave left at their 'family home'. And of course they long to go backbut their 'call of duty' prevents them somehow...wow..and so on..In the Iraq war over 300000 Iraqi people were killed. 600000 Iraqipeople left homeless. A few thousands of US soldiers died in Iraq and a32 thousand got injured. All for what ? To own the oil mines byAmerican companies. After the war everything is done. A pseudo govtsetup that inquires Saddam Hussein and hangs him and put thousands ofpeople in Jail. Who is the victim here ? Iraqi people ? or the USsoldiers ? Whom would you want to portray in a film. Kathryn choosesthe 'winning team', the American team. Find a story (It was found byJames Cameron, her ex-husband)that fits into this American Nationalismstructure. Make it with visually compelling shots and scenes. And oneyear later it gets Oscar in the name of an 'anti-war movie'. sure. Whynot ?I used to fall for such American propaganda films (e.g. First Blood..Rambo) when I was young and only knew American Cinema. Now, I can seemore than that and find out what American Cinema is. I wanted to expose this film's cruelty shot by shot. But stops here asof now.

JP 2012-05-23 19:04:46

Are you Kidding Me??? This movie SUCKS

For the life of me I can not understand the blind hype and devotion tothis totally unbelievable movie......and I think I have thequalifications to say so.... I am a former Special Operations soldierwith 14 years in the "lifestyle" ... This movie was totally totallyunreal and obviously written by someone that did very little researchinto life in the Army, in combat or at a team or platoon level.Three EOD guys trouncing around Bagdad on their own????? Get Real... Nochain of command????? Get Real... EOD clearing buildings??? GetReal....EOD/ Military Intelligence / Sniper qualified buck sergeant????Get Real.... Wait... I shot and killed a bad guy and then let two guystake me without firing another shot or being injured at all???? GetReal....I carjack an Iraqi civilian, while I am only armed with a 9mil, break into another civilians house, get punked by his wife thenmake it back to camp on foot in the middle of Bagdad at night withoutas so much as a scratch or confrontation???? Get Real...There is absolutely no adherence to military protocol {Army} and noresemblance at all to any Army unit that I have even encountered.Totally unbelievable and disrespectful to the men and women of EOD whocontrary to this poor film are not wild adrenaline seeking yahoos butextremely qualified professionals doing an incredibly hard job.

cheechako_1 2012-05-18 03:52:57

Dear Ralph, How Could You?

REALLY??? I am truly amazed to see the glowing reviews here! This is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. It is one bigpathetic, grainy, cliché. I would have laughed out loud, and a lot, butwas on a date with an ex-military guy. I could not hide my otherresponse, BOREDOM. Yes, I think my date, a flat-line "good old boy",liked it. That's not a compliment. I know an actor wants to work....Fine for the others. But Ralph, come on.It was a painful tease from Ralph. I vote a 2 only because Ralph lookedSO STUNNING. But I must plead, Ralph, how could you? And, why?? I'm going to go watch The End of The Affair to heal and recover now....C1

2012-05-17 22:25:43

Reality Check

I have been working in Iraq for 2 years directly with the soldiers. This movie played several times at the theater here on base. When I asked the soldiers what they thought about the movie the general concensus was "Typical Hollywood Cowboy stuff nowhere near reality"

capncubby 2012-05-14 21:38:54

Phenomenal phlick

Saw this last night at TIFF and followed with a "Mavericks" chat withBigelow tonight. It flips between quiet, drawn out tension and momentsof sheer insanity. It skips most of the navel gazing and ... as someoneelse has already said ... is filmed in a straight-up fictionaldocumentary way that lets you draw your own conclusions without forcefeeding anything to you.Special note on the music and sound editing - phenomenal. I'm sure thatwas a big reason I was completely wired at the end of the movie (it wasthe 3rd of the day at TIFF, and probably helped me stay awake for thelast one).Another great effort by Bigelow. And I'd never heard of the 3 leads butwas glad they went with no-names to tell the story of everyday herosoldiers. Was also nice to be spared the obvious "why are we there ...which idiot sent us here?" questions (cuz yeah... you don't need amovie to find those answers).

one_incognito 2012-05-14 18:14:19

Finally, Hurt Locker provides realistic war film

There are those who have nitpicked every scene of the movie Hurt Lockerfor military accuracy. Frankly, daily operations is more like thoseportrayed in this movie than perhaps some of us would like to believe.Instead of portraying the enemy or the troops in a negative light, Ifelt that the Hurt Locker offered a realistic picture of war. It fullydemonstrated that although they are combatants on the battlefield, theyare fully human.There is a scene in Hurt Locker between a soldier and a boy native tothe country that is essential to the emotional plot of the movie. Itdemonstrates that each side often feels sympathy for the other.I enjoyed the movie, but wouldn't rank it as one of my favorites. Itdoes, however have a unique plot and a realistic storyline.The director has left the audience enough space not to become tooemotionally attached, I believe allowing us to feel a measure of whatsoldiers must feel.Hurt Locker is a movie that should be on your list to view.Hurt Locker won an Oscar. If for no other reason than to discover thefilm's redeeming qualities. Action adventure fans will like it. It alsoprovides drama and a glimpse of war from the front lines.Wendy Dawn - Associated Content

Wally_Jenkins 2012-05-13 20:34:57

Rant-Spoilers.

Spoilers.I was really exited to hear that Bigelow was making an EOD movie withRenner, Pierce, and Fiennes. I was sold before I even saw anything.Problems.Most of the good scenes and lines are all shown in the trailer, so ifyou haven't seen the trailer, don't watch it.Fiennes and Pearce are not really in the movie. Neither is Morse. Theyplay their roles very well, but they're really brief cameos.Brian Geraghty, who played a retard-geek in Jarhead and The Guardian,did it again in this movie (stop it already).It is more than 2 hours long when it didn't have to be.The editing was messy and the audience has to often see a lot ofunnecessary pauses, horseplay, and dialogue (like a character asking aquestion, we wait 30 seconds, then it cuts to another scene where itwas never answered. Or we see them drinking and hitting each other for10 minutes).It also gets confusing when the three man team starts doing infantrytype missions at the whim of it's leader, when they don't have to.The chain of command was non-existent as Renner could go and dowhatever he wanted and he never had to answer to anyone in either theEOD chain or in the chain that he was attached to.I was hoping for Renner to either admit why he wanted to die, or forhim to... simply die. Instead, he goes home and tells horror stories,and then redeploys by the time the credits are rolling (Mark Boal, stopwriting movies).The movie set out to "show what soldiers go through", but there'sserious problems with this idea alone.You can't "know" what all soldiers go through. There's too manydifferent jobs, experiences, and personal beliefs that are told in anyfirst hand accounts.I don't think that anyone would consider EOD as a normal job, and isalready far away from the traditional soldiering role, but then theyforce in unnecessary fire fights and sobbing confessions to make itlook more like a 'war film'.Nearly every scene won't make any sense to anyone that knows a littlebit about the military. (Sniper scene, back alley scene, dismantlinglive bombs when they didn't have to, the whole Ranger EOD thing thatI've at least never ever heard of, etc)Boal keeps writing in this very depressing atmosphere that he used inhis other film. But while that was based on a real-life tragedy, thiswas not.I believe that this movie could have been an awesome classic as it hada very GREAT director and actors in it (except for JarJar), but wasbrought down with a low budget and an idiot screenwriter.

2012-05-13 05:55:53

The Hurt Locker does more then make you Hurt

This review is from: The Hurt Locker (DVD) Filmed at time at night, the director capture the frightening situations inBagdad and the horror of war in a great journey. I thought this movie was one of the most accurate depictions of the war in Iraq. No big stars in the film made it seem almost documentary in it presentation. One of the best films I've ever seen.

2012-05-13 10:39:12

Decent, But, Honestly, Overrated

I've served in Iraq several times. I give this movie an extra star for LOOKING like Iraq--up to this point, I have yet to see a film that captured what Baghdad or other large urban areas in Iraq look like. From personal experience, Iraq, Qatar, Afghanistan, and Kuwait, and places within those countries, all look different from each other and this film actually got it pretty-close-to-right in this way. Decent plotline, though it meandered at times. Decent direction, decent camera work, decent special effects. Some things coulda been better regarding the production but overall, a pretty well-made action film commenting on the combination of stress and enjoyment (yes, enjoyment) which many men get while performing their duties in war. Jeremy Renner and Brian Geraghty are pretty solid.If you are in the military and have Iraq experience, be advised there are a number of errors, from the outfitting of HUMVEEs to PPE to uniform wear to the blatant GO violations which are almost rampant. Units seemingly moving willy-nilly on the battlefield without support or apparently even in radio contact with anyone. A war crime which simply occurs and no one comments on. Incorrect terminology is used, astoundingly poor (and illegal) decisions made by "veteran" characters at times. Perhaps Katherine Bigalow would have been well-served by hiring a senior NCO or officer to "edit" her script. It supposedly takes place in 2004 but many things look like 2007, then March 2003, then 2006, it's sorta all over the place in "historical consistency." You just have to look beyond it and acknowledge, like we all have to do when watching movies, certain liberties are taken by directors to make their movies work.Nonetheless, a decent action flick.

Victor RO 2012-05-12 23:21:16

What a waste of time!

Don't waste time or money on this boring movie! .There is no artisticvalue in this movie to deserve any award. Well, it does not deserve anaudience as well. Shaking the camera around to disorient the viewergets old after 5 minutes. That does not count as good editing orcinematography. The so-called 'tension' of defusing bombs becomestedious at the 3rd try and never recovers.This movie is a meresuccession of scenes that do not follow any plot. It is not a goodmovie because it has no main story. It is not a good documentarybecause it does not reveal any truth, new aspects of the conflict. I'mglad I didn't pay to watch this.For "n" reasons it's one of the worst movie,but I don't talk aboutthis! Because is boring!

tubby1 2012-05-11 06:53:14

Strong Set-pieces

The Hurt Locker is a nervy and intrepid story that has strength in itstelling but relies heavily on the combat to provide the psychologicalmeaning without the essential conjecture from the characters involved.There is no denying the intensity and suspense that the Hurt Lockerprovides through its set pieces, which are skillfully brought to lifethrough the reality of the cinematography. Yet the Hurt Locker consistsof these gripping situation which seem to always find the unfortunatethree soldiers. There is a lot of action and a number of static shotsto convey the psychological torment of the soldiers but it is ratherbereft of dialogue to give it a more pronounced emotivity.The relationship between Sgt Sanborn, Eldridge and Sgt William Jamesthe new leader of the elite Bomb Squad Unit is passable but what Ifound particularly frustrating was the scene where they contemplatekilling Sgt James? Was this for real? This scene is acutely bizarre.Naturally the film guides itself to the situation where there isgeneral respect between them, which was rather rudimentary.I enjoyed a number of cameos in the Hurt Locker, which gave a certainjolt to the proceedings, and Jeremy Renner does a fine job in the leadas Sgt James. Although The Hurt Locker has some very good set piecesand the film is most of the time rather riveting it relies on thesemoments to capture the audience a little too much.

2012-05-10 16:07:15

DigitsCD

Okay, this was not totally realistic to me (there were at least two court martial incidences) and I have not served. But, it was an interesting look at the tensions, stresses and psychology of war from a movie perspective. It was very suspenseful entertainment but it also managed to raise a lot questions and is certainly thought-provoking.

2012-05-07 07:58:21

.....

apparently EOD units are similar to SF.. HAHAHA.. no seriously. the movie isn't realistic. popcorn movie yay!!

2012-05-06 19:05:11

Suspense-filled but with no storyline

"The Hurt Locker" is about Sergeant First Class William James and his explosive ordinance disposal unit's adventures in Iraq. While James is an interesting character and there are certainly many suspenseful moments in the movie when bombs are being defused and the unit is being shot at, there is no real compelling storyline to this movie at all. Instead, the movie watcher is taken from one stressful Iraq experience to another in a constant onslaught of tense situations. Unfortunately, even most video games out there nowadays have just as much suspense as "The Hurt Locker," but with better storylines. I have absolutely no idea why this movie is considered one of the best movies of 2009, and can only attribute it to the inherent positive bias that movie critics have for any movie that has a theme of "War is Bad," even if there is no story that goes along with it. Still, "The Hurt Locker" is a good watch on video and much better than the average action movie being made today. However, I don't think that it's anything special. Hopefully, someday a movie can be made that combines the tension of the Iraq War experience with a great story. "The Hurt Locker" is just not that movie.

shanksinha 2012-05-03 21:41:07

A good action film

Kathryn Bigelow is a good director, in the sense that she has made somegood action and thriller films. I can still feel the adrenalin rush of"Point Break" which I saw as a kid.In "Hurt Locker" she delivers a rather good war film. It's tight(though a bit too long in parts) well acted and has the kind offinishing expected from an A grade Hollywood product. It certainlycompares very well to other Iraq War movies in terms of budget andcontent. It also goes easy on the moral aspects that we have come toexpect from war movies. The fact that it has won multiple Oscars is atestament to the overall quality of the film.But despite all the Oscar hype, it remains a good war action film andnothing more than that. I am sure there were many better pictures madein 2009 on various subject matters that deserved the Best Picture Oscarmuch more than this film. I certainly find no problems with the awardsfor sound, editing etc as it indeed is a very technically sound film.But there is certainly nothing extraordinary about this movie. Thestory and plot is just an excuse to show the main players acting outtheir roles. Character development is also minimal. For all itstechnical brilliance it is poorly researched, especially in the way itportrays a US Army EOD team operating. Tension is primarily created bybringing in big name actors like Ralph Fiennes and Guy Pierce and thenkill them swiftly. A kind of 'shock and awe' on the part of thedirector. The overall tone of the lead character as an action junkiewho gets bored at home doing routine tasks like shopping, takes thisfilm in the realms of a US Army recruitment video.The message from the Oscars is pretty clear, US public needsreassurances that their Army is doing well in their current campaignsand Hurt Locker provides just that.

jlswesley 2012-05-03 13:30:16

War Porn

This movie is war porn. You'll either get turned on if that is yourthing or you get sick and bored. Heaven help you either way.Shaking the camera around to disorient the viewer gets old after 5minutes. That does not count as good editing or cinematography. Theso-called 'tension' of defusing bombs becomes tedious at the 3rd tryand never recovers.The Iraqi people are 0% developed other than to be dangerousuntrustworthy "hajis", effectively becoming 'the other' to theAmericans. This might be used effectively to prove certain points aboutthe experience of the protagonists, but here it just makes the maincharacters look like unsympathetic ignorant racists who are themselvesextremely thinly developed.There is not much point to this film. If the main idea is to show theinsanity of Renner's character then this works on a cardboard thinlevel. But if this film is supposed to show a realistic portrait of themilitary experience in Iraq, then it only shows that experience to bemorally bankrupt, utterly pointless and totally insane - and not evenin a very realistic or worthwhile way.Frankly it is shocking that this film would even be considered for anyOscar, much less 8? Screenplay? Editing? Cinematography? What on earthare you guys thinking? How far the sensibility and cultural landscapeof America has slipped since 2003...If this is one of the best y'allthink you can come up with then good luck with that.

naskeaton 2012-05-02 11:05:01

A War Film For a New Generation

The idea of war as men in uniform taking turns firing at each otherseems extinct, and Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker paints anuncomfortably realistic picture of what war has become, and what itwill continue to be. Biglow proves she can generate suspense as well asany working director, and Jeremy Renner leads a fantastic ensemblecast, in a film rightfully generating major awards buzz as adisappointing year comes to a close.War movies often try to prove, with extended sequences of graphicviolence, that "war is hell", but this film tells the story of a man,Sgt. William James, who actually gets his fix on the life and deathcrises that each day brings. I only wish we had experienced some ofthat attitude from James' point of view, instead of experiencing itlargely through the eyes of his colleagues. Nevertheless, The HurtLocker is honest, original, suspenseful, and offers some of the bestensemble acting of this or any year. Certainly one of the year's bestfilms.

tedg 2012-05-01 21:39:02

The Guy

I saw this immediately after "Avatar." It broke my heart because it awakened things in my memory of Avatarthat I would have noticed and not liked. I'm a cinematic sucker. I ameasy to hypnotize and readily fall into the world that the competentfilmmaker can shape, just in time for me. I did not need to think aboutthe fake morality, the tired stereotypes, the prefabricatedcelebration.Here is Cameron's ex-wife. Not for very long, but long enough for me tosee that they share values.This here is effective, darn effective. I can taste the dust. My sweatsmelled of the same fear as that in the suit. I admired what I wassupposed to. But this is about war. Not pretend otherworldly war, but war that isbeing conducted in my name with my dollars, included in the socialcontract. Now this filmmaker made two films that were wonderful. "Weight ofWater" was miraculous. "Strange Days" was strange enough to matter. Sheknows what she is doing.So here is a choice. War is cinematic. We will always have war movies.Do you make "Platoon"? Or do you make "Full Metal Jacket"?This is to say, is it a movie about a man in a war, who bends the warto himself. In this case we will cheer as tides are reversed and themoon flies backwards. We win! Or is is about a war, about the world that grinds us up in spite ofourselves, and incidentally can people flash their eyes in the smoke ofthe tornado? These are harder to make, and we do not cheer. We onlyhave nightmares and sometimes — too rarely — do something about it.Bigelow goes for the cheap shot. It is excellent and AI would see itagain. But she made a clear choice to go for the testosterone flavoredice cream. And because it is so well made, we are possibly worse offfor it. It at least tarnished AvatarTed's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.