The Hurt Locker 危機倒數

The veteran of the group is Sgt. J.T. Sanborn. As played by Mackie, he's a soldier who is as sane and levelheaded as the situation allows. His job is to keep everybody safe and to communicate with the team leader, the guy who puts on the 140-pound protective suit and goes in to defuse the bombs knowing that no suit will protect him once he gets close to the device and enters the kill zone.

Although Eldridge and Sanborn have been in the Army and in Iraq for some time, they've never met anyone like their new leader, Staff Sgt. William James (Renner). A true fatalist whose first act is to remove the protective plywood around his bunk to let the light in, James just wants to get in there and handle it, no questions asked.

As this three-man squad progresses from terrifying situation to more terrifying situation, we experience not only breathless action but also the development of what might be called a philosophical rivalry between the two sergeants about the best way to be a brave and effective soldier. It's not an abstract question but is one that could determine who will live and who will die.

One of the most unexpected things about “The Hurt Locker” is that, unlike many war films, it is not interested in having you choose sides in this debate. In fact, it reveals unlooked-for aspects of all the characters, especially James, such as the sergeant's playfulness with a young Iraqi boy (Christopher Sayegh) who calls himself Beckham and says things like “I hook you up.” Renner handles all sides of his surprisingly complex character beautifully, in a performance so good it feels like a gift.

For all its realism, “The Hurt Locker” is also a stylized film that deals in the quality of myth. While documentaries have shown that the reality of Iraq is incendiary combat interspersed with tedious down time, this film largely does without the down time, placing us in such a rapid-fire sequence of high-octane situations that we never have a chance to catch our breath.

Finally, almost without our realizing it, “The Hurt Locker” asks difficult questions about heroism's costs and demands, about what war does to soldiers, and about damage that may be impossible to rectify or repair.

1|2

PrintEmail

Write a Comment

Terms

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos
 Respond to this email