I've got to say, I was really disappointed with the Hurt Locker, don't get me wrong the movie was amazing, but Guy Pearce was only in it for 10 minutes or so. Why doesn't any one use him more? Anyways, I apologize for the very mild spoiler.
The Hurt Locker was very well done and very gritty and realistic. Kathryn Bigelow directs the film in a faux documentary style which proves to be very effective.
Jeremy Renner plays Staff Sgt James, the leader of Bravo team, almost perfectly. He's believable and he pulls of the careless attitude well. The scenes in which he really shines though, are the ones where he's showing some range in emotion. The scene where he finds his dead friend is great. My favorite though, was when he was trying to explain why he is able to do his job when he has a son at home. Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty are both great in the film as well. Mackie has a bit more to work with as Sgt Sanborn than Geraghty does as Specialist Eldridge. It would have been nice to see more from Eldridge, who spends most of the film remorseful at not taking down an enemy before he killed his previous staff sergeant.
I found myself relating to the characters very easily, and more importantly, I found myself relating to what they were feeling. There was more than one occasion when i felt that awkward feeling inside my stomach watching as a soldier lost control. One scene in particular that stands out pits two team members under the influence of alcohol against each other. The scene is very intense and almost difficult to watch.
Their are several scenes that were very realistic but none more so than the sniper battle. Which is basically a long standoff with out much happening. It's a nice change to see a realistic sniper battle versus someone running around firing miraculous shots hitting the enemy square in the forehead. The battle lasts several hours and the majority of it has Sanborn and James laying on a pile of rocks with flies flying all over their faces. This among other things in the film really added to the level of realism the film portrays.
The film over all was well done. The faux documentary style took a little bit for me to get used to it, but definitely adds to the film later on. It's good to see a modern war movie that doesn't come across too preachy and is believably executed. I look forward to seeing more from Bigelow in the future, as this film will no doubt get her some Oscar attention, and as always I look forward to seeing more Guy Pearce in the future as well.
January 13th - Avatar IMAX 3D (2nd viewing)
Just a formatting critique. I wouldn't start by saying you are diappointed in the movie and state the one thing that disappoints you, only to go on with how much you liked the film. I would talk about what you liked first, and then have "however I was disappointed with...". It makes more sense to be in that order.
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