Tech Blog

[#1]

The Hurt Locker (AVC-HD video, DTS-HD Master Audio track, 2:10:39 in length)
There's a lot of noise being made about The Hurt Locker. It's an Oscar nominated film about three Explosive Ordinance Disposal technicians working in Iraq in the year 2004. It's a gritty, down to earth flick that exposes the psychology of the men it revolves around (and that may typify the mindset of the men and women who do this work). One of the more discussed elements of the film has almost no relevant impact on its quality: it was directed by Kathryn Bigelow, the ex-wife of James Cameron... who is also nominated for an Oscar in the same category for the titanic (oooh, sorry) success that is Avatar.

Does that have any relevance to the film at all? No. So the question posed is: Is The Hurt Locker a good movie? The answer is an undeniable YES.

The Story
The film begins with Sergeant JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie), Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty), and Staff Sergeant Matt Thompson (Guy Pearce) as they're called to disarm a roadside bomb. The street is cleared, and a charge is sent in with the disposal bot, but a mechanical malfunction (that'd be the wheel falling off their little red wagon) sends Thompson in to delivery the explosive charge himself. Guy Pearce's cameo ends shortly, as an insurgent detonates the bomb before he manages to get out of range. The brings SFC William James (Jeremy Renner, who I last saw in S.W.A.T. and 28 Weeks Later) as the slightly-out-of-control yet always in control replacement tech for the last 40 days of their tour of duty.

In 40 days these three men endure hardships that would send the average man mad. The next five weeks are filled with high pressure situations that, even with their skills as EODs, can't be defused. There are some entertaining cameos from Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, and Christian Carmaggo (you might know him as the Ice Truck Killer from Dexter: Season One) round the film out.

A great deal has been made about how this film is about an addiction to war and adrenaline. That's not what I took from it, personally. It may be what the director set out to show, but in my opinion she succeeded at showing the futility of war more than the desirability or addictive nature of these high pressure situations. The film has a cyclic rhythm that drains you as you view it. Let me be frank: this is a good thing. I thoroughly enjoyed the film and I will most certainly watch it again.

Plot grade: A

Visuals
The Hurt Locker was shot on film–in some cases with high speed cameras set to capture up to 50,000 frames per second. The explosions that go off are distinct and horrifically beautiful. The scene that ends Guy Pearce's involvement in the film is one of the most memorable; it's sad that he didn't have more screen time, but it's bookended with one hell of an exit.

The gritty, dirty nature of the Jordian locales in which the film was shot are not terribly conducive to filming. Whether it was the heat, the editing, or a less than perfect transfer, you'll find the video on Blu-ray to be less pristine than in other films. There are elements of chromatic shift present and the print isn't clean. That said, most of these elements fit with the film. I only found it distracting once, and it was during  a massive slow motion explosion. I can definitely forgive an issue in that circumstance.

Night scenes are extremely dark and suffer from a loss of detail. The film conveys a real night experience, but it's not terribly easy to watch as most of what you see is lost to shadow. It may be a stylistic choice, but it leaves us without some scenery and it does detract from the viewing.

All in all I was happy with the video quality of The Hurt Locker. It's not reference material, but it's still perfect for what it is.

Video Grade: B

Sounds
The audio in The Hurt Locker is a wickedly delightful assault on your ears. The DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 audio track is deliciously present; it makes an awesome use of the surrounds and kicked my subwoofer into gear pleasantly often. If you live close to your neighbors, watch this early in the evening or you'll be getting a passive/aggressive note on your door.

Vocals are crystal clear. Gunshots are violent. Explosions are sublime. Choppers pan the entire room and could practically land on your coffee table. Yes, I really, really, really enjoyed the sound from The Hurt Locker.

Sound Grade: A+


The Extras
Photo gallery (23:30, MPEG-2, Dolby Stereo)
This gallery of stills can be watched on its own, or accompanied by a Q&A with director Kathryn Bigelow and writer/producer Mark Boal. There are some interesting insights here, so it's worth listening to the audio track.

The Hurt Locker: Behind The Scenes (12:36, MPEG-2, Dolby Stereo)
This behind the scenes video offers a look into the creation of the film with the actors, writer, director, and producers. It does offer some interesting insights; as I mentioned above I don't believe that the film actually did capture the idea that war is addictive (it explains the actions of SFC James to a degree, but I think it's his own need for validation more than an addiction that drives him).

It's interesting to watch a documentary with the creators of a piece of art when you fundamentally disagree with their interpretation of their own work. If you watch the film and subscribe to their assertions you'll probably get more out of this than I did. While I did appreciate the contributions of some of the cast, I winced a bit with some of the others. Being a great actor is not necessarily coincidental with being a mighty thinker–and in one or two cases here, it shows.

Audio commentary
I do love my audio commentaries, and the commentary on The Hurt Locker is no different. I can recommend this particular commentary simply for the insights of an independent film director working on difficult material in a challenging locale.

Extras Grade: B

Conclusion
Yes, The Hurt Locker is good. It's won 53 awards so far and it's nominated for 9 Oscars. I think the film's greatest success is that it doesn't make any mistakes; it's not breaking new ground, but it is telling a story in a masterful way. It's odd in that I disagree with its creators as to which story it is telling, but either way they've done a solid job with it.

Solid is the right word; the performances were solid. The visuals? Solid. Direction? Cinematography? Script? All solid. There's nothing about the film that leaped up at me and and shook me out of the two hours traffic on their stage. I don't think you'll walk away from The Hurt Locker feeling good; that, at the end of the day, may have been the point. Kathryn Bigelow did an excellent job at the helm. I daresay her ex-husband should not get too comfortable writing his victory speech just yet. Rumour has it that he convinced her to direct the film and said of it "This may be the Platoon for the Iraq war." I think he may be right.

Final Grade: A

[#2]

I watched Hurt Locker this weekend and while it was a good movie (which is a bit rare these days), I had expected better.  The main problem I had with the movie?  It left plot lines unfinished and simply didn't explore things as much as could or should have been done.  One example of this was with the boy who called himself Beckham, and his family.  We got a brief glimpse, but then that was it, and it left you wanting more, which you didn't get.  Or what about the British bounty hunters?  Same thing.

There were multiple story lines that started but never really finished, leaving you feeling unsatisfied.

Is it worth watching?  Yes.  Is it the best movie, no.  But then again, maybe it just is one of the better movies coming out of Hollywood this year.

[#3]

I hear you on the unfinished storyline part - but at 2:10 it was already racking up the screen time. I wasn't overly concerned about seeing these storylines wrapped up; that might be something that changes when I watch it again. Thanks for the comment!

[#4]

The Hurt Locker is the worst movie I have seen in 10 years.  Political hollywood voted this best movie and best director.  What a sham.  Cameron deserved it for Avator as no other director could have brought that movie to the big screen ... just like Titanic.  Jealous Hollywood .. shame on you!