Sunday, July 12, 2009

The Hurt Locker

I've read how The Hurt Locker is neither pro nor anti-war. Something I find hard to believe after watching one of the most harrowing, nerve wracking war movies ever made. The film has the viewer share the relentlessly vulnerable experience of being a constant target. The tension and suspense is not in how big a hero you're going to be (no one cares), or how many bad guys you're going to kill (they're faceless, interchangeable and unlimited); it's quite simply- are you going to stay alive one more day? And it slowly, inexorably eats away at you each and every second whether in the field, at base awaiting the next operation, or back home marking the days toward next deployment to relive hell all over again. How does any soldier survive the experience without PTSD, or the viewer leave this movie wanting to exchange their life (no matter how miserable) for this veritable living nightmare?

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