The Hurt Locker

One of my favorite films from the last few years was The Hurt Locker, directed by Katherine Bigelow. The Hurt Locker puts the viewer through an emotional roller coaster in an attempt to convey some of what everyday life is like for the three characters, American soldiers, in the film. What sets this film apart from others for me is how they can create such suspenseful scenes and still show the monotony of life on the ground for the soldier.

For example, in the opening scene a relatively routine ordinance disposal mission slowly unravels until it goes completely bad.



After watching this scene, The Hurt Locker  establishes the danger the characters are truely in and able to subsequently bring the viewer to the same stress levels, same adrenaline, even if all the build up is for nothing.

In this scene two of the main characters clear a building. Same build up but without a violent ending.




I believe Katherine Bigelow does this in an attempt to show the audience how in combat the level of stress and adrenaline the soldiers experience. The movie also shows how this can affect everyone differently. For example one of the main characters develops PTSD and can't handle the stress. One of the other main characters is an adrenaline junkie. While although he mostly is quite and keeps to himself, on the inside, he is yearning for the unparalleled adrenaline rush of being at war. After returning home at towards the very end of the movie there is a scene where the character is in the super market, staring at a seemingly never ending line of cereals. The elevator-esq music cuts to a guitar riff showing the soldier back overseas on yet another tour because he is addicted. Katherine Bigelow uses the camera, editing, music, plot, and characters all to effectively evoke the emotion she wants her audience to feel.