Saw it Saturday. I was skeptical, but hopeful.
Skeptical, because how many Middle-Eastern War films have we seen in the last 6 years? Too many to count. And after the first few, you'd pretty much seen them all.
Hopeful, because every single review (professional and otherwise) I'd read about it was one of total praise and elation.
Disappointed, because The Hurt Locker is simply a new verse of a song that was getting old about 15 verses ago. Sure, the idea of following the bomb squad was appealing in parts, but when the credits rolled, I was empty.
First and worst, the film promotes this completely horrible, contradictory message: That leaving our families to defend their freedoms leads to our addiction to conflict and alienation of our loved ones.
That the protagonist's love for defusing bombs outweighed his love for his wife and son is, in my opinion, an unforgivable promotion.
And I must add that the camera work was AWFUL. Good gravy, Camera Ops, we do NOT zoom in and out--while rolling--during coverage on dialogue! I was so aware of the man behind the camera that I was taken completely away from the story.
Overall message: War absolutely sucks. Death sucks.
I did get the usual appreciation for the fact that I don't live in Iraq, but I can get that for a lot less than $14.50 (the going rate to see a film at the Arclight).
On a more positive note, I just reserved my seat for The Cove. And even though the subject matter is just as horrific as war, I think the angle is MUCH more validated. Let's free the dolphins. Not to mention there's a Q and A with the filmmakers afterwords. Can't wait.
wes.
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