The toughest job he ever loved.
With only a month left to go on their tour, bomb disposal team Bravo company loses their team leader in the line of duty. Replacing him is Sergeant First Class James (Jeremy Renner), a guy whom the rest of the three man team quickly learn to dislike due to his lack of safety concerns, disregard of protocol and overall cavalier attitude towards the job.
This movie is at its best when its in the thick of it. Whether the team was defusing a bomb or being pinned down by sniper fire, I became truly concerned for each of the team member’s safety. Since they’re in a civilian combat zone, anything could happen at any moment, and I could feel the impossibility of letting one’s guard down. Even when the actual actions performed on-screen seemed incredibly sloppy and would probably not stand in reality, they still managed to create strong drama.
Where the film lacks are in the scenes in-between the action concerning SFC James. He shows affection for a young DVD peddler, which even manages to provide some brief comic relief, but it doesn’t really help piece together a strong narrative. The attention given to the rest of the team—Sergeant Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Eldridge (Brian Geraghty)—was more revealing, but it also put a spotlight on the fact that the film couldn’t do for the lead what it did for the supporting cast.
Obviously, I don’t want to reveal any more than I have to, but it was hard to understand the whole rationale behind James and his actions. The film begins by saying that “war is a drug”. Since this generalization made sense for only one character in the film (perhaps two if you count a quick cameo by David Morse), it didn’t seem to prove its own point. This made end of the film a disappointment.
Sometimes the journey is more important than the destination. The Hurt Locker is one of those times.
