Synopsis:

Iraq. Forced to play a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse in the chaos of war, an elite Army bomb squad unit must come together in a city where everyone is a potential enemy and every object could be a deadly bomb.

The Freak's Rating: B+ : War movies are a dime a dozen typically. The best of the best focus upon a single event in military history and the people who made it significant. The worst are those set against war, with little to do with the reality of the situation they are in. Often I start a war movie not knowing what it is about with the exception of its general theme. I know the main good guys will live, I know the main bad guys will die and I know a lot of the filler roles will perish, most likely having a note to take home to grandma in their pocket.

The Hurt Locker has been on my radar for over a year, since it first premiered at Indy film festivals across the globe. Never garnering a national theatrical run, the film stuck to critical top 10 lists and slowly made its way onto Blu Ray recently. Excitedly, it hopped to the top of my Netflix queue and made its way into my home theater.

Jeremy Renner, formerly a bit part actor, gets the role of his life here as SFC James, an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) disarming specialist, in for another tour of duty in Iraq. He quickly becomes the "hero" of the film, if for nothing less his bravery that goes beyond anything I could have imagined. One of my younger brother's good friends is a member of this squad and currently in Iraq, so this really hits close to home for me. I can't wait to see the guy again and ask about the realism here. I'm sure it is really close to what he sees on a daily basis.

The film is tightly directed, staying away from most of the high shutter speed filming that many directors take with this genre. There are some scenes here that are incredibly well done for tension. Many people you think will die, do. Many you think won't, do. The film takes a few dramatic turns that I wasn't a fan of, but overall this is a good piece of work and a welcome addition to the genre.

Angie's Rating: A : I can't blame this film for falling into the pitfalls of war films, b/c that's what it is.  I thought this movie was wonderfully done, speed of storyline was a slow enough to keep me involved and not so fast that I never got to know the characters.  Many times I feel that action scenes are too chaotic and while some may feel that this adds to the realness of war, I find it hard to follow and loose interest.  With that being said, I thought the 'action scenes' are well done... giving you the feeling of tension and chaos without loosing you in tight twisting frames.  I am impressed with this film and am certain this is the best depiction of our generations war made.  I would definitely recommend this film, I may even add it to my collection.  (If this helps - some of my favorite war films are Band of Brothers mini-series, Saving Private Ryan, Platoon, Braveheart, etc... )

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