Year of release: 2008
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Stars: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, Christian Camargo, Evangeline Lilly
Genre: Action, Drama, War
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8
Synopsis:For such a gifted and interesting filmmaker, Kathryn Bigelow has had a low output since her career began. If her more recognizable films are "Point Break" and "Strange Days", her other efforts, namely "Near Dark" and "Blue Steel" are cult films. "The Hurt Locker" premiered at the 2008 Venice Film Festival to fantastic reviews and applause. Deservedly so - it's another fantastic film from an artist that has always tried to be original and daring in all her work.
The film follows a group of troops in Iraq that specialize in defusing bombs. The leader of the team suffers a fatal accident and his replacement, Sergeant William James, introduces a new dynamic in the way the tasks are approached. Most of the men on the team are looking forward for their rotation so they can return home. Their hopes are mostly of staying alive to go back.
The film follows the lives of these soldiers up close and personal. The film breathes the tension, fears and hopes of these young men as they risk their lives in a foreign land. The pacing feels real and does the wounds that these men suffer - we feel their anxieties and worries. The film is realistic in it's approach, but never sensationalistic. It touches you with it's emotional core and intelligence. A great film from a very underrated director.
0 comments:
Post a Comment