A Look into the Reality of The Hurt Locker - Essay Example

?A Look into the Reality of The Hurt Locker The Hurt Locker The Hurt Locker opens with a line: “War is a Drug” (Barsanti 331). The movie focuses on the life of Staff Sergeant William James, who was sent to Iraq in order to take the position of Sergeant Matt Thompson. During his arrival in Iraq, James teamed up with Sergeant JT Sanborn and Specialist Owen Eldridge. The team was the Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) assigned to detonate bombs during their tour of duty in Iraq. In the light of detonating bombs, James was always fearless and had his adrenaline high on the life and death situation compared to Thompson, who was calm during the action. Nonetheless, the three created a brotherlike connection along their tour in Iraq. Respect, trust, and courage were their core values in succeeding with their work. In the course of their tour, the three had already detonated a bomb, which was implanted within a public area. They had also succeeded with their encounter against snipers in an open desert. Also, along the way, James had been familiar with an Iraqi boy named Beckham, who sells pirated DVDs. In an encounter, James thought that the boy was killed and was implanted with bombs. However, he was wrong, and in the next morning, he sees Beckham selling him DVDs. In the last days of their tour, the team encounters an Iraqi man who is locked with bombs around his body. However, their will to help the man was not enough to remove all the locks, and the man dies with the explosion. After their tour, James went home to his family and attended sessions to relieve him from the stress he had from work. However, James realized that he may love his family, but he cannot function well around them. This leads him to decide to go back in Iraq and have another year of tour of duty (Berra 9). The Characters There are three main characters in the movie with differing degree of nature; nonetheless, when put together they create an exciting combat film such as The Hurt Locker. Staff Sergeant William James is played by Jeremy Renner, who is an adrenaline junkie in terms of facing his job facing and detonating bombs in the streets of Iraq. Aside from this, he also has a keen understanding on the bombers. The character of James is considered as a hero in a sense that he compulsively does his job; nonetheless, he does it with precision and artistry that he engulfs himself with the life-threatening situation. The next character is Sergeant J. T. Sanborn, who is portrayed by Anthony Mackie. Sanborn is considered as James’ eyes around while he tries to detonate the bombs. He always follows the rules and has a realistic view on situations. Lastly, their team is completed by Specialist Owen Eldridge, portrayed by Brian Geraghty, who portrays the weak link, yet he always tries to find the good side of danger (Ebert 253-255; Scott). Screenplay Writer: Mark Boal The screenplay of the movie was written by Mark Boal. He is a journalist who had been a correspondent for the Playboy, The Village Voice, and the Rolling Stone. Due to his passion for his work, he decided to record the lives of the U.S. Army unit, which is the Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) team, whom he considers as the people who has one of the most dangerous jobs. In 2004, the EOD in Iraq were to detonate bombs on the streets. Boal decided to take part and record the lives of these people, along with putting his life on the line, which allowed him to realize his realistic themes on death, war, courage, and life. During this time, Boal was able to survive his flight in Iraq against the Improvised Explosive Devices and the ambushes together with the EOD. As Boal returned from his flight, he wrote about his experience in Iraq in 2004 in an article published in Playboy with a title of “Death and Dishonor.” This article was his basis for the screenplay of the movie The Hurt Locker, which was released in 2009 (“Mark Boal - Biography”; Bigelow). The Director: Kathryn Bigelow The director of The Hurt Locker is Kathryn Bigelow, who is a critically acclaimed Hollywood director. Born in 1953, the action film director first directed a short film at Columbia, which was The Set-Up in 1978. Few of her most acclaimed films are Near Dark and Blue Steel. In the Hollywood setting, only a few women are accepted to take on directing action films (Foster 41-42). Nonetheless, Bigelow succeeded in the genre, which also brought her to directing The Hurt Locker. By the time Mark Boal came home from Iraq, he planned to write a fictional movie about his experiences in Iraq with the EOD. After hearing such plans, Bigelow decided to pursue it with Boal, and both of them came into a decision that they would film it independently. This means that there will be no studio support for the film in order to protect their aim of “an intense, naturalistic, soldier’s-eye view of the conflict” the characters are facing. With this on hand, Boal wrote the script and after reading it, Bigelow described her feelings as: “I felt the excited rush of encountering an unforgettable script... it was a nerve-shredding combat thriller, with an innovative structure built out of authentic detail.” Due to their decision to produce the film independently, Bigelow also asked Boal to co-produce the film. During the time when they were able to raise funds for the filming of the movie, they decided to have their location in the Middle East. The filming of the movie started in June 2007 at Amman, Jordan. The high temperature and the realist approach on the film were gradually brought to life (Bigelow). The Filming of The Hurt Locker Prior to filming The Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow had already foreseen the movie to be raw and authentic as possible. The film was shot in Amman, Jordan from which the group was given support from the royal family. The film did depart from the usual musical scoring to add drama, and there were no clocks ticking to emphasize the bomb. The director and the cinematographer, Barry Ackroyd, wanted to bring the audience within the situation as realistic as possible. Both of them decided that the cameras move without the actors anticipating its position in order to create a more natural point of view. In addition to the natural aim of the movie was the real EOD suit that was provided for Sgt. James. In terms of the effects of the movie, Richard Stutsman handled everything. Nonetheless, according to him, he was very conservative with the take on the bombs due to the fact that many houses would be affected. Nonetheless, the shots on the ground and the movement of the environment were a good one. In this manner, the director was glad about the outcome of the explosion as she describes it as almost having the real explosions in Iraq, which has dark gray clouds on it. The film was shot in a documentary and used Aaton S16mm cameras to capture the different angles and perspectives of the actors and the scene. The shots were taken simultaneously in a micro and macro perspective to give a more realistic environment. The footage of the film was almost 200 hours due to the many cameras used in the filming. The filming of the movie lasted for 45 days under the high temperature in Jordan and Kuwait. Most of the slow motions in the film was shot using the Phantom HD camera, which is in high-speed (Rubin 269-271; “Shooting The Hurt Locker”). The Message of the Film In an interview with Kathryn Bigelow, the director of the movie, wanted to tell a story regarding the men whom she considers as the people having one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, and these are the EOD team. As a member of the community, she wants to convey a story regarding the EOD team because only few stories have come out about the conflict they are engaging their lives in. The movie is scripted while it creates individualized characters between the three main characters; however, they work and blend well with one another. This then allowed them to survive the almost impossible circumstances in their work. Their support to one another, their longing to their family, and their agony while waiting for their tour to end are depicted in the movie. Furthermore, the movie aimed to bring reality to the big screen. In order for this to happen, the director spent time with bomb technicians in the U.S. and in Kuwait. Also, in the movie, the director wants to instill on the viewers that these men are saving lives. These men may be in a combat situation, but as people turn their backs from the bombs, these men walk alone towards it and save lives. As she said, many people would run away from bombs; nonetheless, these men find them and walk towards it in order to save the lives of many. Moreover, her take on the movie is: “truth, heart, and honesty... keeping it fresh, original, and surprising” (Bigelow). The Audience In dozens of reviews written for the film, it can be summarized that the rawness of the films had brought the audience in a more realistic light. The movie may have been grounded on the war in Iraq; however, it did not have the similar approach in comparison to other war films. It is considered as a combat film that has a realistic take on the conflict that the EOD team encounters every day. The aim of the director, as much as possible, truthfully conveying the need to understand and the need to know is greatly achieved along the movie. It allows the audience to emerge into the current situation that Sgt. James along with his team is facing. There is no political agenda on the film that brings the audience into the same light of the others. On the other hand, it gives a new view and perspective on the different kind of war that the characters are facing. It gives a sense of relief that the film is mostly on the conflict that these men undergo daily. The movie, realistically filmed, has succeeded in giving the audience the raw pleasure of adrenaline rush, of the sentimental truths, of the addiction that war may bring to the soldiers involved. Works Cited Barsanti, Chris. Filmology. Avon, MA: Adams Media, 2011. Print. Berra, John. Directory of World Cinema. Chicago, IL: Intellect Books, 2010. Print. Bigelow, Kathryn. Interview by Makingof.com. YouTube. YouTube, 11 May 2011. Web. 16 Nov. 2012. Bigelow, Kathryn. “Why I Made the Hurt Locker.” TheDailyBeast. The Daily Beast Company LLC, 8 March 2010. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. Ebert, Roger. Roger Ebert’s Movie Yearbook 2011. Kansas City, Missouri: Andrews McMeel Publishing LLC, 2011. Print. Foster, Gwendolyn Audrey. Women Film Directors. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1995. Print. “Mark Boal - Biography.” Yahoo! Yahoo! Movies, n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. Rubin, Steven Jay. Combat Films: American Realism, 1975-2010. 2nd ed. North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2011. Print. Scott, A. O. “Soldiers on Live Wire Between Peril and Protocol.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 June 2009. Web. 16 Nov. 2012. “Shooting The Hurt Locker.” Digital Cinema Report. Digital Cinema Report, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2012. Read More