I’m not usually a fan of war films but for The Hurt Locker, I’ll make an exception. Hubby and my brother-in-law told me they found it really slow at some points so maybe that helped keep my expectations in check a little bit, but I thought it was a great movie. And I didn’t think it was slow.
What really made the difference for me here was how specific the story is. While many films about American troops fighting in Iraq/Afghanistan are busy focusing on topics like government conspiracy and terrorism, this simply tells us the story of a bomb technician called Sergeant James and his experiences with his Company, the locals and, well, bombs.
It was refreshing and engaging, perhaps because it was directed by a woman who wasn’t all that interested in blowing things up every chance she got. I don’t know, I’m just guessing. That said, I couldn’t help wondering if maybe Kathryn Bigelow won the Oscar for Best Director, the first woman in Academy Award history to do so, not just because The Hurt Locker is a great movie, but because it was directed by a woman.
I’ve never made a movie but I imagine it takes a special kind of woman to tell a bunch of men how to play guns and bombs and soldiers. She must have learned a thing or two from ex-hubby and filmmaking (demi?)god James Cameron, who she beat en route to her victory. And in doing so, she not only showed those macho-types how to make a war film, she goes down in my book as the woman who got the biggest one-up-over-your-ex ever.
Verdict: A-
