25 January 2010
It’s very hard to know how to explain why The Hurt Locker is so good and not just because as a filmmaker I am already an avid fan of director Kathryn Bigelow (Blue Steel, Point Break, Strange Days) who, it has been joked, taught her ex-husband James (Avatar, Titanic) Cameron everything he knows.
To this day directors still emulate the chase sequences in Point Break and copy the fetishised close ups of Blue Steel. Somehow Bigelow transcends the standard war genre film in her exploration of the strange twin conditions of boredom and adrenalin that war presents this bomb disposal squad in Iraq and keeps us on the edge of our seats throughout.
But this is more than your standard action/thriller. Bigelow’s mastery, an extraordinary script and beautifully nuanced performances by all the actors leave us profoundly moved and disturbed.
It received a ten minute standing ovation at Venice, a slew of awards and may finally bring Kathryn Bigelow the Oscar she so richly deserves.
Five thumbs up
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