The Hurt Locker

The Hurt Locker Katheryn Bigelow has more testasterone than most men. I had to keep my eyes closed through a lot of this but that's a compliment. Of course, anyone who makes a film about a bomb squad and isn't able to muster megadoses of tension would be truly deficient. Some have objected to her using the Iraq war as just another roller coaster ride for moviegoers but I have no such complaint. I have also read that the film is entirely implausible but implausible is a feature filmmaker's business. It just needs to feel plausible enough to us within the rules of the world Bigelow has created. Her message is that war, violence in general, is an adrenaline addiction for men. Nothing new or earth shattering. She leaves women out of the equation, which we're awfully used to. (I did enjoy a glimpse of the actress from Lost.) The whole idea of the film is a big cliche, but cliches dramatised well make for satisfying movie watching. The subplot of the wimpy doctor was a shame. I knew he was a gonner the moment he came on screen and watching his fate play itself out was unpleasant in that his character was totally unsympathetic, his liberal condescension towards everyone too easy. The more I watch and think about movies, the more I have come to understand that they all have some level of porn, and this is war porn, artfully enough done. The acting was excellent, except for the doctor, but then again his part was poorly written. What I think I liked the best were the spots in which Sergio Leone and Ennio Moricone were referenced. This film will never be on a par with The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, but you've got to like a girl who has such ambition.