The Hurt Locker

I probably would not have seen this movie if it were not for the fact that it won the Academy Award for Best Picture and 5 other categories including Best Director. Several times in the past, I have not agreed with the Academy in their choice foe Best Picture, so I wanted to see for myself if they chose the best.

The Hurt Locker follows the deployment of Bravo Company during their deployment in Iraq in 2004. When Sgt. Thompson (Guy Pierce) is Killed In Action, Staff Sergeant James (Jeremy Renner) joins Bravo Company for the final leg of their tour of duty. James is a bomb tech who specializes in disarming IED (Improvised Explosive Devices). His presence in the Bravo Company and his manner in which he does his job pushes some of his fellow soldiers to the edge. Will James and his men survive to return home or will their last resting place be on a street in a city in Iraq?

This movie is an intense drama that makes you feel like you are in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. There are multiple scenes where you are sitting on the edge of your seat, wondering if they are going to deactivate the bomb or will someone trigger the arming device before they can get away.

The problem I had with this movie are that it was somewhat slow. I understand that you can't have a movie that is all action and fast paced content, but to me, it seemed like it drew on too long.

The movie had a few subtle hints at some political propaganda, but I was actually surprised that Hollywood produced a movie that was not a bash a former President and the war movie. I was happy to see at the end of the movie that they made a point to put an emphasis on the fact that these men are serving our country in Iraq so that we can continue to have our freedom in America.

Overall, I rate this movie a 4 stars out of 5. It was put together really well, but did it deserve Best Picture when comparing it to the other movies that were nominated? No. I liked the movie, but it wasn't a movie that I would have watched and said, "Hey! That movie is gonna win Best Picture for sure!"

*edit - Also, for a movie that won Best Director, you think they would get some of the goofs right. For example, the movie was based in 2004, but during the movie, one character has a iPod touch that was released in 2006 (or 2007), and is playing Gears of War on an Xbox 360, which wasn't released until 2005.