View Full Version : Movie The Hurt Locker
Was rather surprised to learn that there was no thread relating to this movie.
Went and saw it yesterday. It's no Apocalypse Now or Full Metal Jacket but is a pretty decent movie nevertheless. The tension is quite gripping and the action, highly realistic. Good character development and acting.
Just wondering what others thought.
Agree with all that. Has had some criticism from bomb experts IIRC but looked realistic to me.
I liked the way it didn't piss around with titles, straight into diffusing a bomb. :) Each bomb vignette was very gripping.
Saw it last night and was very impressed. Agree on all comments made above, felt particularly realistic.
I liked the way it didn't piss around with titles, straight into diffusing a bomb. :) Each bomb vignette was very gripping.I didn't expect that first bomb to go off because it was Guy Pierce disarming it and assumed he was a significantt character. Was pleaseantly surprised, when it did hahaha
Wow it really cleaned up at the academies. Might have to watch it now although your reviews above dont seem like it's that amazing.
Krakeour Magic
8 Mar 2010, 14:13
Highlight to reveal -->
Should be a cardable offence.
mattys123
8 Mar 2010, 14:15
Wow it really cleaned up at the academies. Might have to watch it now although your reviews above dont seem like it's that amazing.
Best movie I saw in the last 12 months, bar none.:thumbsu:
Saw it last night, great movie! Not into those war type flicks, but really enjoyed this.. :thumbsu:
And had no idea it was Guy Pearce there in the first scene!! No idea...
phantom13
8 Mar 2010, 15:37
Copping a bit of flack from psuedointellectual types because of a "lack of story" personally i thought that was kind of the point of the film, 30 odd days in the life of a soldier at war i doubt that there would be all that many "stories" much like Jarhead the isolation and not ever knowing who did what and where for sure would have to drive you insane...
Dirtywhirl
8 Mar 2010, 16:10
It is a very good movie, the bomb diffusing scenes really build the tension nicely. Renner was good but I thought Anthony Mackie was better. Some of the shaky-cam sequences made me a bit queasy though.
Copping a bit of flack from psuedointellectual types because of a "lack of story" personally i thought that was kind of the point of the film, 30 odd days in the life of a soldier at war i doubt that there would be all that many "stories" much like Jarhead the isolation and not ever knowing who did what and where for sure would have to drive you insane...
Well said.
The 'microcosm' aspect made it all the more interesting. The writers didn't get too greedy, so to speak.
Very good movie and a well-deserving Oscar winner given the competition. To be honest, not sure it would have won in most other years though.
Damon_3388
8 Mar 2010, 19:23
I initially posted this earlier in the Oscars thread, but it's obviously relevant here too - I saw The Hurt Locker yesterday afternoon. It was pretty good IMO, but not what I'd consider Best Picture worthy. Then again, I've only seen a few movies from last year, and they're wasn't a whole lot of quality in the 2009 bunch. The Hurt Locker doesn't seem to have gotten much hype here in Australia - there's a couple of people I've mentioned it to (who generally keep up with what's "hot" at the movies) since seeing it and they'd never even heard of it. The thing that annoyed me about the film was the constant shaky camera movements. It gave me motion sickness, and I had to duck out for a few minutes to the toilets to throw up at one point (I did the same during Avatar as well). I still have a bit of an "eye headache" now, if that makes sense
The Hurt Locker doesn't seem to have gotten much hype here in Australia
It didn't really get much hype anywhere and was not released here at all. Low budget low supported. But it built momentum nicely over time and once it was nominated & winning awards the idiots in charge of things decided to finally release it in countries like Australia.
Allbetsroff
8 Mar 2010, 21:42
The shit locker.
What a laugh that it won Best Picture. I mean it is certainly a good film relative to budget etc. But it really isn't that great a film.
bombermick
9 Mar 2010, 19:37
Great movie. One of the best war flicks I've seen, perhaps even the best. Good character development and you were engrossed each time they were defusing a bomb. Deservedly beat Avatar.
RobbyRoy
9 Mar 2010, 20:55
I'd rate it my second favourite film of the year. I liked Up in the Air the most and Inglorious Basterds and Up are around the mark but THL really was a fantastic movie.
Great movie. One of the best war flicks I've seen, perhaps even the best. Good character development and you were engrossed each time they were defusing a bomb. Deservedly beat Avatar.
Agreed, Avatar was saddled with a poor story that Cameron did a good job of hiding.
camsmith
10 Mar 2010, 09:40
Saw it last night, great movie! Not into those war type flicks, but really enjoyed this.. :thumbsu:
And had no idea it was Guy Pearce there in the first scene!! No idea...
LOL either did I.
I liked this film, one of the most consistently tense films I have seen. Very real (even though it is being criticise by some as inaccurate) and a great tribute to those in the military.
Slacker
10 Mar 2010, 11:29
I really liked this film as a character study. Despite what some say I think the film is anti-war in it's portrayal of key characters as isolated and psycholocally damaged.
I think we can see the female touch in a lot of the battle scenes which while suspensful and effective are also unrealistic and inaccurate. I don't claim to be a military expert, far from it, but that was my feeling.
Still, a very interesting film. I rated it above Avatar myself, but then Hurt Locker wasn't aspiring to be a universally popular blockbuster.
Freakie
10 Mar 2010, 12:36
I loved it. The three guys in the team played off each other brilliantly. The character development was 1st class IMO. Haven't seen Avatar but I can see why this won the Oscar.
James is f***ed in the head though...
camsmith
10 Mar 2010, 14:44
I really liked this film as a character study. Despite what some say I think the film is anti-war in it's portrayal of key characters as isolated and psycholocally damaged.
That doesn't make it an anti-war film. There have been many documentaries and films about WWII for instance that have told stories of the mental problems soldiers have had to live with, without meaning that the Allies shouldn't have fought in WWII. I think it was a pro-soldier film.
Slacker
10 Mar 2010, 16:33
Cam, I agree that Bigelow was trying to make a realistic war film that was not biased for or against war, like Das Boot for example. I just think her personal bias against comes through. The lead characters are all losing it a bit, as evidenced by the stomach punching games. They seemed without any senior officers to give orders (apart from the pscycologist), and they always seem to be the lone unit in a crazy situation. There just seemed to be a tiny bit of Apocalypse Now in there.
Magpiespower
11 Mar 2010, 06:17
Should've put my money towards buying the vastly-superior Generation Kill on DVD...
KWAH FAN
11 Mar 2010, 07:01
It's not the kind of movie i would want to watch twice, full credit to the director i feel she got what she aimed for in the suspense scenes, but it will never leave an impression in my mind like Saving Private Ryan, obviously different war film.....but one off the best.
djrossie
11 Mar 2010, 15:00
How does Anthony Mackie not get nominated for an oscar? I thought it was a pretty good movie no real special moments in the movie just consistently good, I felt the scene where they go out and try to track down the enemy at night is one of the stronger scenes and perfectly illustrates the ellusive nature of combat in that particular conflict.
Don't understand the criticism it gets. Overall it's hard to split the Hurt Locker and a film like Jarhead. Pretty good body of modern war films being made.
RobbyRoy
11 Mar 2010, 21:50
Yeah Mackie should've been nominated over Damon. He was just as, if not more effective than Renner.
Jonesy1987
12 Mar 2010, 05:28
Absolutely sensational film, in my top 10 of all time. The character development was as natural as I've seen in a movie, so subtle, yet impossible to miss. Also some great shots in there, my favorite would have to be the fly on Renner's lashes, the will power alone for it not to even quiver.
red+black
16 Mar 2010, 11:25
You guys should pay more attention to the Melbourne Film Festival. I saw The Hurt Locker back in August last year and really enjoyed it. Don't think it was worthy of Best Picture though.
You guys should pay more attention to the Melbourne Film Festival. I saw The Hurt Locker back in August last year and really enjoyed it. Don't think it was worthy of Best Picture though.
That would be because you're the type of person who attends film festivals. :D
Thought it was a good movie, but nothing special. Dont see why it won best picture. Enjoyable flick, good acting and all, but storyline never really grabbed me.
bombermick
16 Mar 2010, 14:51
That would be because you're the type of person who attends film festivals. :D
LOL some obscure French film perhaps? :p
Don't understand why there's so much hype around this movie. It was certainly good but I didn't think it was THAT good.
Felt like there wasn't really a defined storyline, rather a look at bomb defusing in Iraq. Thought a lot more could have been done about the characters and their lives back home, annoyed me that we didn't find out what happened to Sanborn and if he did infact have a child.
Sgt James was a great character though, really enjoyed watching him on the screen although would have thought he knew if that boy on the table was infact Beckham or not.
Only other thing that I found stupid was the last war scene. How that wannabe suicide bomber came through the security check point without being stopped and shot, i don't know.
Also why the hell did the Iraqi civilians just stand around watching when ever there was a bomb about to go off? Surely they'd have gone inside trying to avoid shrapnel?!
Strike Swiftly
7 Apr 2010, 02:50
Thought it was okay. Not worthy of Best Picture. Wouldn't make it onto my top ten war films. Thought Avatar was a better film. Will always remember the feeling of amazement after watching Avatar. HL will not be a film I'll go out of my way to see again. Great films make the viewer want to see it again IMO.
Zero storyline and ridiculously inaccurate. Location/sets were fantastic.
Tigger Please!
7 Apr 2010, 17:45
cliched characters in a predictable plot punctuated by a few suspenseful scenes. up in the air, a prophet, up and inglorious basterds were all much better films.
3/4 the way through it and waiting for an actual story. The dude is upset his little mate died or whatever.
OK.
And?
I reckon I can list half a dozen games of Battlefield 2 that were more exciting than this.
Black JuJu
27 Apr 2010, 02:45
Watched this over the long weekend, similar kind of opinion really.
It was good but it certainly wasn't Best Picture good. It's been a couple of days and I can't really remember a whole lot about it. I find films that lurch from one suspenseful scene to the next (with the only real consequence of scene being that something might blow up) to be a bit repetitive. I think the best part would be how they presented Iraq, that was very well done.
Wouldn't make my top 10 for the year.
I pretty much agree with most other people. The defusing of the bombs was pretty intense but other wise...meh
Cant see myself watching it again
http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/if-you-illegally-downloaded-the-hurt-locker-you-might-want-to-read-this-20100513-v0tn.html
Err...Lol
loprej07
3 Jun 2010, 09:28
It was a great movie, kept up the suspense and you wanted the scenes to never end. The scene where they meet up with the British troops and have a sniper battle was intense. One shot one kill!
Gasometer
17 Oct 2010, 10:26
Finally ventured to Videoezy and watched it last night.
I dont u/stand the comments about lack of story...IMO it was there in your face...were these three going to get through the rotation or not. Pretty simple I thought.
I thought it was great anf if Avatar was its main comp., HL deservedly won it.
TheStinger
17 Oct 2010, 15:29
I watched it on FBO a few weeks back and I thought it was quite good. Not sure it was a Best Picture quality movie though. There are many more war films that didn't get nominated in their year that are better.
We Were Soldiers for starters.
Gasometer
17 Oct 2010, 15:50
We Were Soldiers
The Mel Gibson film? Isn't that the one 'Tropic Thunder' is based on? ;)
Last couple of years have been piss poor at the Oscars. At this rate soon we'll have a contender to knock off Shakespeare in Love as worst Best Picture winner.
AsianWithAFro
17 Oct 2010, 23:29
Awesome Film :D
I quite liked it
Gasometer
18 Oct 2010, 21:53
I'm reading 'War' by Junger (Perfect Storm) atm and its great...interesting to see similarities b/w his book and the HL...in particular the 'fight club' scene b/w the soldiers.
Having read a number of war books the thing that has struck me is how much down time there is in war with fits of violence...the dread of what might happen gets in soldiers heads; that's why the HL was so good...the two key soldiers wanted their time over and done with asap, and the protagonist was going to bring it all undone.
That last scene where he was in the supermarket and frustrated with the cereal...but the smile on his face back doing what he loved doing in the suit said it all.
More I have thought about it today, a great film IMO!
Last couple of years have been piss poor at the Oscars. At this rate soon we'll have a contender to knock off Shakespeare in Love as worst Best Picture winner.
I think Crash has well and truly knocked SIL off, Chicago would be up there as one of the worst recent winners too
RobbyRoy
19 Oct 2010, 20:01
I think Crash has well and truly knocked SIL off, Chicago would be up there as one of the worst recent winners too
I've never been able to bring myself to watch Shakespeare in Love, but these two are pretty bad winners. Around the World in 80 Days and An American In Paris were poor as well.