The Hurt Locker
In 1995, Kathryn Bigelow directed 'Strange Days' - one of the best, yet most underrated and over-looked examples of dystopian science-fiction. With 'The Hurt Locker', she's delivered one of the most important war films of the last 25 years.
Shot in pseudo-documentary, vérité style, Bigelow chronicles the day-to-day activities of a bomb-disposal unit serving in present-day Baghdad. Their work is shown to be extremely hazardous - leading to some incredibly tense set pieces - but one member of the unit (Jeremy Renner) considers it to be totally monotonous. His compulsive need to put himself in harm's way is at the core of the film.
This is not a polemic about the conflict in Iraq: the film does not condone or condemn America's presence in Baghdad. Nor does it seek to pass judgement on the soldiers' actions or motives. It merely shows them as human beings affected by extraordinary circumstances.
This is familiar territory for anyone who saw the excellent TV mini-series 'Generation Kill'. And while it's not as satisfying (David Simon and Ed Burns had seven hours to develop their characters and themes), it's a gripping exploration into the psyche of a man addicted to war; obsessed with "cheating death" again and again.
