The Hurt Locker: Showing the Lives of Soldiers in Iraq, Not Politicians
I recently was privileged with a viewing of The Hurt Locker written by Mark Boal and directed by newcomer Kathryn Bigelow. The Iraq war genre has finally found the true unbiased representation of the events happening behind the “war on terror” that it’s been looking for. The last film in this genre that affected me similarly was Saving Private Ryan, and Bigelow was able to match the portrayal of soldier kinship and dedication in her own way which Howard also showed us in his interpretation of the events of WWII. Bigelow was able to reveal the disdain involved in war on both sides when humans forget what they’re fighting for and continue, not because they want freedom, or oil, or peace in the Middle East, but because they want retribution for their fallen comrades and they’ve forgotten how to live a normal life. Once the first shot is fired a war spins out of control and the bigger picture is forgotten on the battlegrounds. Bigelow has made her mark in Hollywood after years of struggling with films such as K-19: The Widowmaker, Point Break, and Strange Days, but has finally found her niche in a genre that many have failed to successfully represent. Film gurus such as Ridley Scott, Robert Redford, and Brian De Palma have all fallen to the challenge of bringing audiences into the life of a soldier fighting in the Middle East. As a woman director, Bigelow has faced harsh criticism and obstacles in Hollywood to have her film made that any male film maker never would have endured. She was still able to successfully sell the “Midas genre” to a crowd soured by the partisan taste left in their mouths by previous Iraq war based films.
Staff Sergeant William James played by Jeremy Renner
WARNING: Possible Spoilers Ahead
The film initially introduces us to an elite bomb squad sent in to examine a suspicious package left near railroad tracks in the slums of the desert city. In the first five minutes Bigelow is able to establish a love and trust in the close knit group of soldiers which we, the audience, are sucked into. She uses an homage to the great Alfred Hitchcock by introducing us to an A-list actor such as Guy Pearce and than pulling the rug out from under us and replacing him with an even more appealing character, which the audience can cling onto as their constant throughout the rest of the film. This isn’t to say that the acting wasn’t spot on for both Pearce and Renner, but it was the writing that helped this transition explain so much about the premise of the film in a single event. By replacing an older and wiser, yet still very lovable character, with a younger, more spontaneous and ambitious version, Boal is able to bridge the gap between the older and younger generations involved in the Iraq war as a metaphor to the revolving door of the American occupation in the Middle East.
I believe the consistent nail biting action involved in diffusing a bomb intertwined with the close relationships of the soldiers are what made this film such a success. By leaving out the political controversy Bigelow has finally shown a true portrayal of the events from the eyes of those closest to the action. The chaos of the Iraq war and utter impossibility to make a sensible time line out of the day to day events have been the Achilles’ heel of other film makers who have tried to cash in on such a popular subject matter. Boal was able to take those events and manipulate them to show the absurdity of fighting an endless battle. Instead of setting long term goals for re-establishing a dying country, the soldiers spend their days reacting to situations after they occur frequently all around them. Since there’s no more honor in war, the film shows the constant barrage of bombs that are forced upon innocent people’s lives while our soldiers do all they can to stop an enemy camouflaged in a disguise that even the most expensive night vision can’t see. An enemy surrounded by civilians will lead to a war that can’t be won, leaving us only with vengeance and arrogance as our driving motives.
Staff Sergeant James epitomizes the rebellious spirit that leads to a passionate turn of events involving a new strategy which he convinces his fellow soldiers to follow against his superior’s orders. When he befriends a local boy selling DVDs in the Iraq market the film changes direction as the team creates their own mission. Trying to climb the ladder in their investigation of the boy’s death, James accidentally incapacitates Eldridge, showing the audience that good intentions, without a well thought out plan, can lead to mistakes in war time. The writer, Boal, decided not to kill off Eldridge which most audience members would have predicted, but instead took him away from his comrades and out of the only world he’s comfortable in; no matter how absurd it may be. Sergeant James falls into this downward spiral of gripping onto the only world he knows when he returns to his family and the noise stops and all is peaceful. Bigelow does a fantastic job of contrasting visual images between the colorful world of reality and the moon-like bleakness of Iraq, along with the sound of mortars and gun fire in comparison to the gentle monotonous tone of a supermarket’s PA system. This observation evolves into the bigger picture which Bigelow and Boal were trying to convey that the brainwashing involved in fighting a war doesn’t come only from taking orders, but instead from living a life of uniqueness and solidarity which can’t be matched in a cubicle or behind a picket fence.
For once, the film makers weren’t worried about which side is “right” or “wrong”, or trying to criticize the political ambiguities of the situation, but instead showed the environment which people we can actually relate to endure everyday. The adrenaline drug which the soldiers reference throughout the film is one that no therapy nor medication can fix. It’s a permanent state of mind which the soldiers continue to crave after the insanity ceases. By placing impressionable minds into a drastic situation you’re creating a brotherhood and excitement that can’t be fulfilled by anything else. The countdown of days left in the companies’ rotation signified an end for the audience throughout the film and I couldn’t have thought of a more fitting finale than to begin the countdown again as Sergeant James walks once more unto the breach.
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