Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The Hurt Locker
After watching this movie last night my first reaction was, “And why are we in Iraq?” Certainly not to make friends as the booby-trapped body of the urchin who got too close to an American demonstrated.
My second reaction was horror at the thought that the human psyche is capable of adjusting to such conditions and accept them with a sense of normalcy. Instructive is the fact that the only way Sergeant James could cope with life back home was to re-up.
What is it about padre’s and army psychologists along with guidance counsellors? The type of person who gets attracted to the job or the perceived uselessness of the task they perform? The embedded staff doctor gets blown up mid-way through the movie and made to look a fool in the field. This kind of treatment is almost cliche in the genre.
The director manages a truly ensemble cast, even known actors looking barely recognizable. I couldn’t possibly comment on the authenticity of the experience and wouldn’t want to have that capacity. The true star of the piece is the hot, rumble-ridden desert landscape. The pyro-technicians surely make it blow up real good. I would hope that unlike real life no one was hurt in the exercise. The movie was shot in the Middle East and Langley, BC, Canada!
# posted by garthmailman@gmail.com @ 3:22 pm 
