The Hurt Locker

Released 28th August 2009, The Hurt Locker follows an EOD group deployed in the Iraq war as they work through their tour. As an insight into the Iraq war, the film connotes themes of violence, trauma, life, incompetence and comradery; these are all communicated through the strong cast. In particular, the violence is never shied away from with every wound having an impact and aftermath: it is grotesque in its visualisation yet suitably implemented and poignant. As far as the communication of military incompetency through the film, it predominantly rests the theme on Christian Camargo’s Lieutenant Colonel John Cambridge; as the camp’s psychiatrist, he is presented as someone who is unable to empathise with the soldiers due to his presence behind a desk instead of the barrel of a gun. As the narrative develops, he is taken into the forefront and his military nature manifests.

Jeremy Renner acts as the film’s protagonist through Sergeant William James. Renner provides his usual cocky charisma to William and is able to physicalise his responses or information to characters through direct gestures and his poise across scenes. He also manages to have a strong one-way chemistry with Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty as Sergeant J. T. Sanborn and Specialist Owen Eldridge, respectively. Mackie gives one of the most unique performances of his career in which his usual charisma is used at minimal yet appropriate moments; he is otherwise extremely emotive in his body tension and sharp, direct facial expressions. You can see that Sanborn is a deeply troubled soldier who is just a man doing his best – as is Eldridge. While Eldridge has the least depth out of himself, Sanborn and James, Geraghty provides enough facial nuances, vocal intonations and body tension to communicate that Eldridge is firmly troubled by his experiences. It is through this trauma that he sustains interactions with the aforementioned John Cambridge in therapy sessions.

Another significant part of the cast is Christopher Sayegh as a young Iraqi boy called Beckham. While Beckham himself does not hold much depth, it is his relationship with Sergeant William James that makes him memorable and important to the story. In terms of visual storytelling, the film is permanently shot using steady cam which helps to convey the instability of the environment and also the grounded feel of the film. Likewise, the cinematography also serves to ground every explosion with an early scene being particularly well shot. While the soundtrack is not overtly memorable or present through the film, The Hurt Locker is a film that is able to carry itself through the way its shot, the characters and its simple yet poignant narrative.