Trailer Tuesday: The Hurt Locker

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Since July I've been hearing exceptionally good things about action war drama, The Hurt Locker. Now, finally watching the trailer, I can begin to understand why the film has been hyped to the (dangerous) extreme it has.

The Hurt Locker centres on the US military's elite Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) squad, who, in 2004, had one of the most dangerous jobs in the world: disarming an apparently endless series of roadside bombs in Baghdad, while battling insurgents and, more often enough, each other. Essentially an independent film, The Hurt Locker stars the underrated Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, along with the more recognisable faces of Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, Evangeline Lilly and Guy Pearce.


The Hurt Locker is written by Mark Boal, a journalist who was embedded with a special bomb unit in Iraq, and witnessed firsthand the immense stress these men live with as they attempt to protect lives and perform a job where there is zero margin for error. The film is the pet project of director Kathryn Bigelow, who is arguably the best female action filmmaker working today - having previously made Point Break and Strange Days among other movies.

It's been a while since there's been a really good war movie that explores exactly what warfare does to the psyche of soldiers. And apparently The Hurt Locker is one of the best. The film has won an impressive number of awards since it began touring the international film festival circuit, including the SIGNIS Grand Prize for the Best Film at the 2008 Venice Film Festival, where The Hurt Locker made its debut.


Along with many Best Film accolades from assorted critics' bodies, director Bigelow and leading man Renner have been receiving most of the awards attention. Currently The Hurt Locker is nominated for Best Picture (Drama), Best Director and Best Screenplay at the 67th Golden Globe Awards, and the film is a shoo-in to receive similar attention come Oscar nomination time in late January 2010.

The Hurt Locker was released in cinemas in the United States all the way back on 26 June. Unfortunately, despite the fact that 6 months have already passed, South Africans are still waiting for an official release date sometime in 2010. Hopefully the awards buzz surrounding the film will ensure we get to see it before the end of March.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I've seen The Hurt Locker and despite being a fan of war movies, I didn't like it much. I gave it 6/10 on IMDB where the overall rating is 8/10.

It was filled with inaccuracies regarding how the military behave in general, and in Iraq in particular. Even after suspending belief and ignoring those I didn't find the story very compelling as it seemed to skim the surface of the character's experience without really giving me a true sense of what they were going through.

But, that being said, I see it has received several nominations including best screenplay. Lost In Translation won the best screenplay Oscar and I hated that movie, considering it to be a disjointed jumble of scenes with not much of a cohesive storyline that I could determine. So clearly my views on what makes a screenplay good may not gel with those of others.
5:35 PM
Pfangirl said…
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the film, craniac.

While I'm keen to watch the film I am well aware that I may not enjoy it. Like you I have often found my views in contrast to the majority - especially when it comes time for awards season. For example, while so many people seemed to adore The Aviator and No Country For Old Men, when I finally got to see them, I found them overhyped and really not that good.
5:15 PM
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