The Hurt Locker

The first time that I sat down to watch “The Hurt Locker”, I stopped watching it about 20 minutes in. I just wasn’t in a frame of mind to watch “that kind of a movie”. Reread as “a war movie, because I don’t like them and they confuse and upset me”.

The second time I sat down to watch “The Hurt Locker”, I didn’t stop until it was over. Sometimes I think I forgot to breathe. I called out a few times, jumped several, cried once or twice, and at the end, just sat in stunned silence.

James Cameron had it right (bet ya never thought you’d see me type THAT): this is the best directed film of the year, and any and all directorial awards should be handed to Kathryn Bigelow.

Anything else is a downright crime.

What’s so amazing about “The Hurt Locker”? Well, it’s the first war movie not really about the war. It doesn’t try to make a political endorsement or condemnation. It’s just the story of a guy – what makes him tick (pun intended), and how he copes with the aftermaths of his decisions.

War movies are hard to describe. You can’t really say you like them, because isn’t that an indirect statement about your politics? You can usually summarize the plot in a sentence – “The Americans go to Place X. They invade. People get killed. Stuff blows up. War is bad. The End.”

So why did this hit me harder than other war movies? Was it because this war happened in my lifetime? Because I had heard all the press and the backstory, so it couldn’t really BE sensationalized? Because this war is recent enough not to have nostalgia attached to it?

In the end, I’ve realized that the reason this is better than the classic war movies because it’s one of my favorite types of films – it’s CHARACTER DRIVEN. I may not be able to agree with Will James in his decisions or his lifestyle, but in a crazy sort of way I understand it. I won’t go into detail, because that could be construed as a spoiler, and you really should see this film for yourself.

I wish more people would see this film. I wish I had more people to discuss it with. It will reverberate in your head for awhile after you see it. And THAT’S the true hallmark of a great film.

I’m glad I don’t write one of those “Top Ten of ” Lists, because I’d have no idea where to rank this. I’m also glad I’m not an Academy voter, because there’s no way I could pick between this and that other character-driven film I loved. But I am glad I’m a movie watcher. And I’m especially glad that they made more than one film this year that was that damn good.

Now if only I can get that Bigelow acceptance speech I didn’t get over the weekend…

"The Hurt Locker", Rated R, 131 minutes (****)