Katheryn Bigelow directs, in my opinion, the best film to portray the modern war in Iraq.
In The Hurt Locker, actor Jeremy Renner (28 Weeks Later), plays SSgt. Will James. A member of an elite Explosive Ordininance Disposal team, its his job to come face to face with the improvised explosive devices that make devastating headlines everyday.
His assisting teammates, Sanborn and Eldridge, are played by Anthony Mackie (Half-Nelson), and Brian Geraghty(Jarhead).
At the beginning of the film, Will transfers in to replace Bravo Company's recently killed EOD team leader.
Addicted to the adrenaline and coming off as a reckless show-off, Will doesn't earn the respect of his teammates but gets the spotlight often.
Together, they experience the pain of war, and in turn grow together. As they do, the team finds a crate under Will's bed containing various elements from bombs he's diffused, which he explains are "pieces of things that almost killed him". Will calls this crate his "hurt locker".
The Hurt Locker is full of as much suspense and drama as only diffusing a bomb can bring. As the days count down to the end of Bravo Company's rotation in Iraq, the team, along with the audience, encounters the most dangerous situations facing soldiers on the front lines.
The casting was spot-on, and on-screen chemistry between Jeremy and Makie is a film duo for the history books.
While the film can be gruesome at times, it doesn't skimp on the image of war, or blow it out wildly of proportion for the sake of entertainment.
