With today being Memorial Day I think it's appropriate to recommend my favorite war film.
Kathryn Bigelow is a groundbreaking filmmaker and The Hurt Locker is her masterpiece in which she won the best director oscar, which made her the first woman to win best director. Bigelow is a primarily action oriented filmmaker who before The Hurt Locker was best known for the 80's classic Point Break. With that being said The Hurt Locker a completely different action film that Point Break in which Bigelow builds tension and suspense instead of adrenaline.
The film centers around three members of a bomb squad as they try to survive the remaining time of their tour. This proves to be extremely difficult as they don't know who could be a potential threat.
Bigelow does an excellent job creating tension as she sets up the rules and consequences of the world of the film in the very first scene. This knowledge really sinks in and we are constantly on edge for the rest of the film because of it.
Everything about this film works extremely well from the cinematography, the performances and the soundtrack. All of which can be traced back to the choices that Bigelow made, which prove that she is a director with a strong grasp on her craft.
I had no idea this wasn't Bigelows first film. I will say that this wasn't at all what I was expecting, given the patriotic reverence surrounding the film's advertising. Instead, it was a rather disturbing, though respectful, portrayal of it's central character.
ReplyDelete