Monday, August 3, 2009

Preemptive Strike: The Hurt Locker

Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker has been trickling out in limited release ever since its impressive debut at the Venice Film Festival in 2008. Stripped to a bare plot, the movie follows a group of three bomb disposal experts during the last 38 days of their rotation.



Films about the Iraq war, a conflict that is still on-going, have not done well. Therefore, it's not surprising that The Hurt Locker has received tentative distribution. That doesn't make the limited ability to see this film any less unfortunate. On a budget of $11 million, Bigelow puts together a film that is at times slick, at times as gritty at its setting. The main cast are little-knowns (Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty) that do an excellent job. My one problem is that some of the dialogue comes off a little canned, but these moments are never suffered for long. The film moves at a brisk pace in the only direction there is: day zero of Bravo Company's rotation.

The Hurt Locker is by no means a perfect film, as some critics have claimed, but it is the film that's been the most deserving of my $7 this summer. If it's playing in your area, go see it. I'd rather it didn't belong among the ranks of the obscure.

No comments: