Filed under: Film review, international affairs | Tags: Jeremy Renner, Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker
Dr. Col. Cambridge talking to Specialist Eldrige about why he needs to suck it up and be a man... tuck that lip in son, war is fun, can't you see?
“Going to war is a once in a lifetime experience. It can be fun.” – Dr. Col. Cambridge
(This interaction between Cambridge and Eldrige is about as out of place in the context of the film as it is at the beginning of this article… Read on for more poignant and misspent criticism)
When I noticed that “The Hurt Locker” and “Avatar” were high on the list of Oscar nominations (nine apiece), I knew I had to see “The Hurt Locker.” Not because the title enticed me or because I knew what “the hurt locker” was. I had to see it because I hadn’t heard people talking about it. How does a movie with so much acclaim get under my radar (I don’t watch T.V. mind you, so it’s not that surprising)? I was insulted, to say the least; apparently it doesn’t stop there either.
I’d hate to think that the writer (Mark Boal) for this film was entirely responsible for its propagandistic nature. But, for all of it’s realism, the lead character (played by Jeremy Renner; Dahmer) was, to say the least, an improbable hero fighting the ubiquitous and sinister forces of evil like some contemporary Beowulf. In the spirit of others before him (Martin Riggs, et al.) the character Sergeant First Class William James did well in taking on some very serious issues facing active duty soldiers and veterans alike, while completely bastardizing reality in order to satisfy some desire we have to justify our own emotions and actions without actually having to be there. Apparently, Sgt. James is a composite character (according to wikipedia; I know, whatever). All I have to say to that is, don’t composite 15 people and expect that you’ve come up with a character who comes to represent an actual human being.
Suffice it to say, while I enjoyed the movie, I was disappointed by the end. I felt as though I was watching the end of Dahmer again (also starring Renner), silently being encouraged to take pity, somehow, on a character which is in one way or another undeserving of such regard. I blame my inability to sympathize with Sgt. James, however, on Boal and not Renner. Jeremy Renner delivers a beautiful performance, fictional albeit, while acting within the confines of one man’s reductive account.
Nine nominations for “The Hurt Locker” and “Avatar.”
The 82nd Annual Oscar Nominations – Carpetbagger Blog – NYTimes.com.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1676793/board/nest/156417008
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1676793/board/nest/132629646
http://www.vetvoice.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2975
http://thehurtlocker-movie.com/
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