This isn't a movie about the war on terror but rather the collateral damage that follows thereof, in its wake.
The Hurt Locker
A; Drama/ War
Dir: Kathryn Bigelow
Cast: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty
***1/2
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What's it about: This isn't a movie about the war on terror but rather the collateral damage that follows thereof, in its wake.
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Shot in Jordan close to the Iraqi border, the film follows the US army's Bravo EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team going about their job in Baghdad.
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Following the death of team leader Staff Sergeant Thompson (Guy Pearce), Sergeant First Class William James (Renner), an Afghanistan War veteran (ex Army Ranger) takes over the team that comprises Sergeant J T Sanborn (Mackie) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Geraghty). 
Sanborn and James don't get along, initially and as the number of days before their rotation changes, they bond after frequent clashes.
Stuck between a rock and a hard place, the squad can trust no-one, least of all, the locals.
A case in point that the movie makes is this: is the mundane everyday existence we lead in villages, suburbia or cities more meaningful that wars fought on foreign lands for seemingly pointless reasons?u00a0u00a0
What's hot: For an independent production with no studio interference (director Kathryn Bigelow's own words), The Hurt Locker is incredibly striking.
Oscars and other statuettes aside, the film's core strength lies in its thought-provoking tale and treatment. The extras lend an understated edginess by just standing around and staring at the American soldiers.
By hiring locals, the feel of the film becomes more personal and effective. Jeremy Renner as the sometimes "reckless" and almost always cool-headed get-the-job-done soldier William James, excels.
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The theme is one we can relate to: love, longing for home,u00a0 fighting someone else's war, the spin, the human factor.
Kathryn puts together a film she believes in, lending a different perspective.
The end result may be as gritty and violent as you'd expect it to be but be warned, don't go expecting the spectacle and subtext of films in the genre like Black Hawk Down. You'll be sorely disappointed.
What's not: For a film that's won Best Film, it sure felt that there was something missing from The Hurt Locker. Maybe, the absence of a clear statement the film was trying to make.
All we see is soldiers doing what they're told, trying to stay alive even as every second face they see could be a potential enemy.
Is that enough? Is the story as hard-hitting or as relevant now? The first half of the film unravels at a leisurely pace that slackens even more in the second half.
Why take prolific names like Ralph Fiennes (he plays a contractor who dies a little too soon), Guy Pearce (the team leader Renner's character replaces) and Lost babe Evangeline Lilly (as William James' wife) in bit roles at all.
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If they really did have faith in their story and principal cast, why take the others on board to help sell tickets?
What to do: The film isn't for everyone. And while it has charged performances from a hard-working cast, the film comes across as a little propagandist (going by the dialogues), rather than unbiased.
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