When I first Googled The Hurt Locker and saw the photo I figured it would be the typical war movie. Huge explosions (which it did have), unreal action scenes that no one could survive, a stupid plot line that would never happen in real life, and maybe a love interest. What I watched was nothing of the sort besides the huge explosions, but that was to be expected considering they were and EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) unit in the Army. There was no stupid plot to try and follow, and actually small parts of the movie were quite dry and uninteresting with little entertainment value. Yet they had huge plot value. I would like to say that this movie was all a true story but it wasn’t. Mark Boal, a freelance writer wrote the screenplay after he rode with the US bomb squad in Iraq. I would love to summarize the movie and tell you all the interesting things I saw during the flick, all I will say though is watch it.

I love movies and everything about them. From how they were made, to who is in them, to where they were filmed. I especially love movies that are based on true stories and while this one is not, it is close enough. This movie did not disappoint by any means. It was intense from the beginning to the end. Even during the slow parts that I mentioned earlier you’re just waiting for something to happen. Just like in O’Brien’s book, it sucks you in and holds you there just waiting for what is next. Just like in The Things They Carried and The Sand Storm, you can barely believe what you are reading or watching. The horrid things that they encounter and recall are truly unbelievable. There is a scene where there is an Iraqi civilian that has had a bomb strapped to him and is sent to a US checkpoint to blow them up. The man does not want to die and is terrified for his life, but with the language barrier the EOD squad does not trust him to approach so they almost shoot him. By the time the translator calms things down the Bomb tech does not have enough time to save the man. He is in tears apologizing to him as he turns to run away barley clearing the blast zone to save himself as the man disappears into a cloud of smoke. Just as in the short stories and the screenplay of O’Brien and Huze it takes your breath away.

The way that I felt when I read the short stories of O’Brien and the monologues by Huze was the same feeling that stirred inside me while I watched The Hurt Locker. The movie was harder to watch than the stories were to read for me though. I am a visual person, and like I have stated before I am not much of a reader. So watching the movie was a nice change of pace. I also appreciated the way that it was depicted form a literal standpoint. It wasn’t some fantasyland where anything was possible and could be completed by a one-man army with no help. These were what seemed to be real soldiers that were captured on film, not actors that were trying to make a movie look real. Once again like mentioned in both The Things They Carried and The Sand Storm, they are not always sure why they are there or what good they are doing. The line between right and wrong seems to fog some when people get on their nerves. One of the bomb techs contemplates killing one of the other EOD men just like some of the soldiers did in O’Brien’s book.

What I was expecting from this movie was not even close to what I received. It was captivating and educational. It showed me, and hopefully you, that movies could be just as good as books. Just as you cannot judge a book by its cover, you cannot judge a movie by its poster. I know that this movie was not based off of a book but why not make the movie into a book? I know it does not happen often, but why not? It is definitely strong enough and I know that when it was over I was not. I wanted another thirty minutes out of it. As a matter of fact I am going to see if I can track down the directors cut so I can get some more.

Overall as I am sure you can tell, I thought it was an amazing movie that I will most definitely watch again. Same goes for it’s like-minded counter parts: The Sandstorm and The Things They Carried. I am sure that this will not be the last time that I pick up those two wonderful reads just to stroll through the pages and remind myself what a wonderfully jaded world we live in here in the great US of A. Where the news is fabricated and the reasons were are at war have nothing to do with dollar signs and power. Where we wake up in the morning and forget that there is a place that resembles Hell just half way around the world that our brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, and sons are dying for our supposed freedom and the freedom of others. I know that after watching The Hurt Locker and reading The Things They Carried and The Sand Storm, I wake up feeling lucky and blessed, and you should too.

For more info on The Hurt Locker: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hurt_Locker