Time is of the essence

With “The Hurt Locker,” Bigelow gives us her most powerful piece of work, which combines the edging and disturbing thrill of war with the paradoxically delicate dynamic of combat camaraderie.

In present-day Baghdad, the streets may look calm and quiet, but looming danger still lies within the rubble of the city, manifested through bombs waiting to explode. The bomb detonation squad is headed by friendly technician Sgt. Matt Thompson (a brilliant Guy Pierce) accompanied by Sgt. JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty).

All seems quiet on the eastern front until one day, off to detonate a bomb in an evacuated marketplace, Thompson is blown to bits. His replacement is Sgt. William James (Jeremy Renner), the epitome of what Uncle Sam wanted his soldiers to be: rough, simple, action-driven and focused solely on the mission. But James will not be liked by his crew; his reckless attitude and overbearing ways only create further resentment in an environment where "safety" and "normalcy" are words that are unheard of. The worst part is that James refuses to use the army's robot detonator. Every time the squad gets a call he ventures out into the streets by himself with his Kevlar suit, which for him is more than a suit: It is the symbol of his manhood as he dismantles all the bombs. He likes to get his hands dirty.

The crew's mission patrol will last 60 days, and while Sanborn and Eldridge's main concern is trying to remain alive through this time period, James looks like he's getting an ultimate kick out of throwing himself willingly into the line of fire. It is as though he is most full of life when he is at the mercy of the ticking clock of a bomb. The bombs he defuses are his conquests, and it is no surprise that he keeps a part of each one under his bed. He calls the stash “things that almost killed me.” His wedding ring is stashed in there as well.

No international politics

The film is undoubtedly one of the best war films ever made, even though some will be surprised that it does not indulge in any kind of international politics and exudes any kind of patriotism. You won't be seeing many American flags, and there isn't any talk of the troops doing everything for their country. There is a given situation that does not demand any kind of reflection or intellectual explanations but shows the struggle to go back home in one piece in a race against time. And perhaps this is where Bigelow excels, as she focuses on the psyche of the individuals who are in the combat zone, not a generalist viewpoint with grandiose ideas.

The main feelings are those of claustrophobia, misplacement and alarm, and as we watch tightly edited close-ups we become as tense and on our toes as those who directly experience the war. Thus, Bigelow's film's success lies in this visceral and experiential realm.

But even further, with the support of war reporter Mark Boal's screenplay (who also wrote “In The Valley of Elah”), she carefully trails the story of the team's evolution from dislike to solidarity without resorting to any over-the-top dialogue. One of the best scenes entails the three men trapped in the sweltering desert for hours on end, in a gunfire battle with insurgents. There is no talking, only the minimal movements of the three men covering each other's backs.

The most interesting part about “The Hurt Locker” is that its most horrifying scene is not during combat in Iraq but when Sgt. James is rummaging through the massive isles of a supermarket back home in the US. He is back to his normal life, but he looks like a zombie, and at that point we understand that the only thing he truly knows is the whir of war. Through the disposition of her characters, Bigelow shows one of the most faithful depictions of the effect of war on individuals and thus brings to life one of the best films of the year.