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A very interesting look at war life in Iraq. Going into it, I had mixed feelings of whether I would like it or not. War films usually do not interest me, but I tried to go into this open-minded. The film is a typical Iraq war film(I swear, a new one comes out every year.), the lead male, his token African-American friend who is ready to whoop some Iraqi butt, they are all there, the clichs. Jeremy Renner plays William James, a specialist is defusing bombs. The job is considered a very dangerous one and the employed in this profession must be some sort of crazy. Small known film actor Renner gives a powerhouse performance. He commands the screen with such ease and brings a likability to the character. However great his performance is, I fear his role was just written that powerful, I believe any actor who fit the part could do the role justice. Needless to say, Renner is still remarkable and deserves the praise. Anthony Mackie plays the token hard ass character, JT Sanborn. Believe me, I do not use token as a racial slur or as a way to express a contrast in the two main male performances, but he seems to have a bit of a typecast. Although this common character, Mackie also does a fantastic job is this film. There is not much to say about his performance, other than he was good. Other supporting players shine as well. I loved Brian Geraghty as Owen Eldridge. Once again, nothing too special, but he gives another beautiful performance. I personally felt the acting talents of Ralph Fiennes and Guy Pearce, more so in the former, were not used fully or completely. The characters just did not click to me, and although they must have been important to the film, I was not fond of them. Evangeline Lilly of "Lost" fame was radiant in her cameo role. Very small, but very rich, solid performance. Kathryn Bigelow's direction was good, not great. I give her credit for being a part of a beautiful film, and I guess the director's always get rave reviews if the film itself is good. Personally, the acting outshone everything, I give that credit to the screenplay. So gritty, so raw. Very, very original, this screenplay may have taken a popular, overused topic, but made the film it's own. The Hurt Locker may look like an unoriginal Iraq was movie on the outside, but on the inside, the movie is so much more. 87% / 100%
You don't have to be a hero to do this job. But it helps.
Cut the red wire.
