The U.S. Army has this little thing called the “Explosive Ordinance Disposal” unit, or the EOD. Basically, when a bomb is found, they are called in to dismantle the bomb and render it “safe” so it can be disposed of. Safest job ever! Ch-yeah. Where do I sign up, right?
With our current state of being at war, the EOD is set up in Iraq and are forced to play a cat and mouse game where everyone is a potential enemy. Staff Sergeant William James (James Renner) is the new leader of the EOD team stationed in Iraq. He is joined by Sergeant JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty). Together they are forced to not only defuse bombs in the backdrop of a war, but also deal with the psychological and emotional strain that it inflicts.
The Hurt Locker isn’t set to be released until June 26. And it won’t be getting a wide release until some time in July. But that’s why they invented the Interwebs. Anyway, The Hurt Locker is awesome. It gives you, from what I can tell, one of the most accurate views of how day to day life is while being involved in the war in Iraq. I honestly haven’t enjoyed a “war” movie this much since seeing The Kingdom.
Jeremy Renner is a complete character as Staff Sergeant William James. You may know Renner from his quirky detective work on ABC’s The Unusuals. I don’t because that show is garbage. However, he was still cool as Wood Hite in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. In The Hurt Locker though, Renner is a wild man. He is the diffuser. The technician. He’s the one who suits up and faces the bomb on his own. It’s a ridiculously crazy job, but Renner shows anxious delight rather than fear at each obstacle he’s faced with.
Renner’s backup, played by Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty provide you with different views on the mindset of soldiers at war. Mackie as Sergeant JT Sanborn is a man who understands he is at war and has a mission to accomplish. He doesn’t make a fuss about the missions he is assigned to go on. The only complaint he has is when other soldiers do not follow orders or communicate properly. Geraghty as Specialist Owen Eldridge is broken. His performance seemed the most genuine to me. He’s a soldier who expected war to be hell, but nothing like this. He sees a stationed therapist to keep his sanity as best he can, but watching the movie, I thought “if this guy survives the war, he’s still dead, because he’s going to kill himself.”
In closing, The Hurt Locker will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire way through. It’s a non-stop, non-apologetic, emotional view into the lives of soldiers at war dealing with one of the most dangerous duties there is. Definitely one to see.
9 out of 10.
Tags: Action, Anthony Mackie, Bomb, Brian Geraghty, Christian Camargo, David Morse, Drama, Evangeline Lilly, Guy Pearce, Hurt Locker, Hurt Locker Review, Iraq, Jeremy Renner, Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Movie, Movie Review, Ralph Fiennes, Review, Suicide Bomb, Suicide Bomber, Suspense, Terrorist, The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert F, The Hurt Locker, War
