HURT LOCKER, THE - Blu-ray review

There's nothing quite like an intriguing war film to make you realize you have things just fine sitting at a distance and viewing the true horrors of war. Well, at least you can get a perspective that adds no harm to you physically. After sitting through the nail-biter "The Hurt Locker," I quickly went to my list of careers I would never pursue and added "military bomb squad" to it. To me, any movie that can be equally effective at sinking you into the narrative, keeping you at the edge of your seat, and providing at least a few nightmares afterward does its job pretty well. Director Kathryn Bigelow certainly adheres to telling us a unique story that is not often explored in war films. I mean, seriously, how many war films stand out in your mind that deal exclusively with working in a bomb squad?

Written by Mark Boal and originally released in Italian theaters in October of 2008 (limited U.S.A. release in June, 2009), Ms. Bigelow's movie takes us on the journey of Officer William James (Jeremy Renner) as he completes his final days of tour in Iraq working as a daring bomb-squad leader. James is assigned to a group with Sgt. JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Spc. Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) shortly after the death of its prevous bomb-squad commander, Matt Thompson (Guy Pearce). Throughout the film, we see directly the challenges these men face on a daily basis and the unease we feel as an audience member waiting for a bomb to explode at any given moment. Not only do we deal with bombs, we also experience the dilemma of one being targeted constantly by terrorist enemies. A scene in particular deals with a couple of snipers in the middle of the desert, and it is quite moving and intense. As I mentioned, it's very effective at keeping you on pins and needles for the entire ride.

Bigelow delivers a narrative that shows us the culture of soldiers fighting in Iraq and the emotional challenges they face just to stay alive. Owen has issues dealing with the fear of death, while Sgt. Sanborn just wants to play it safe and get the job done right. Nevertheless, the main character in the story is William James, or Bill for short. At first, we understand that James has dismantled literally hundreds of bombs and often deals with his skill in an unorthodox way. He's definitely a rebel and one we feel, initially, we can connect with. However, it isn't long before we realize the man's bravery can also be construed as insanity from some people's point of view. Not to mention, James at times can be quite distant and arrogant to his team members. He refuses to follow protocol at times, thus raising the ire of his colleagues.

To examine how brave or how crazy James is, you will see that when squad members go out to disarm a bomb up close, they must wear a safety impact suit. The suit itself is no guarantee of one's survival if a bomb goes off too close when wearing one. However, it is part of their protocol and something his team members take quite seriously. Nonetheless, in one disarming case, Bill takes the suit off while only inches away from an explosive death. In his opinion, if he's going to die, he wants to do it comfortably. Now, in some way I kind of laughed at how fanatical he came across, but considering the risk his character is taking on a daily basis, I can also understand his logic. I mean, if you're going to risk death in the first place, then the heavy, uncomfortable suit probably makes no difference, anyway.

What director Bigelow makes us take away from this film is an understanding of who we really are inside. As crazy as Bill James is at his task, we take a journey through a character study that shows us a man who realizes what he's good at and what he knows to be his purpose in life. For me, there were times I felt connected to his challenges, but there were also times I wouldn't want anything to do with him. He could easily be loved or hated at any given moment within the narrative. Then again, I also think Bigelow was trying to show us that sometimes the path of a hero can be too complex for most people to understand. In the case of where it takes a wolf to kill a wolf, then perhaps "The Hurt Locker" paints a great example of that.

The overall pacing of "The Hurt Locker" feels quite somber in tone, but it is a mild tempo that actually keeps you nerve-racked. At any moment an explosive surprise can happen, and, yes, there are undoubtedly times you see it coming. Granted, the film is not without its predictability, but for viewing it your first time through, it's certain to keep you on the edge of your seat. The style and look of the film feel quite familiar in tone, but the narrative explores avenues less touched upon. It is an interesting and riveting look at a particular side of war, one that offers plenty of food for thought.

Video:
Now, here's where it gets a bit tricky for me because I have to rate the picture quality on what my tastes are. This Blu-ray edition of the movie comes in its original theatrical widescreen ratio, 1:78:1. The transfer does a remarkable job reproducing the picture that was presented in the theater, which Bigelow shot using both 16 mm film stock and digital video. However, this is where the line in the sand is drawn for me. It appears the intension of the director was to shoot a film that feels almost halfway documentary--meaning there are plenty of grainy, handheld-camera shots as though we're seeing it through the eye of an old VHS camcorder--and I didn't find the picture quality anything I'd use to show off my hi-def television. The clarity is certainly what you would expect from Blu-ray, but we also have a film that was shot in a desert, so expect a lot of earth tones and a lack of vivid colors.

Even during the best shots, I still found the picture to be a little below par for a hi-def image. However, one can tell the movie was shot this way on purpose, so, as I mentioned, in reproducing what was in the theater, it does just fine. Nevertheless, I prefer films with cleaner, sharper, and more vivid color than what "The Hurt Locker" has to offer. While another person's point of view may look at this as perfection for the style of the movie, I find it as one I really wouldn't show to anyone who has never seen anything in hi-def. Therefore, the picture quality on this film really depends on the viewer's own taste in this area.

Audio:
The audio easily overmatches the video. It is presented in a variety of sound types: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; English 2.0 Dolby Surround, and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1. Subtitles are included for both languages. I used the DTS track and found the results to deliver very exceptional, rich tones. The highs were as crisp as expected; bass tones were outstanding during explosive scenes, and the audio dynamics among the speakers worked without a hitch. Overall, the sound delivers what we have come to expect from a good hi-def experience.

Extras:
In this Blu-ray version of "The Hurt Locker," don't expect too much in the way of special features. If you're looking to just get the movie without all the bells and whistles, then this is the copy for you. I'm sure we are all aware by now how the industry milks us with collector's and director' editions; therefore, if you fall into the category of waiting for the double-dip to come around, you may want to wait for when that occurs.

The special features on this disc include an audio commentary with director Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal. There is also an image gallery and the usual small documentary showing a behind-the-scenes making of the film. As I say, there's not a lot going on in the way of supplemental items and, to be quite honest, that's really the way I prefer to purchase any Blu-ray. In my opinion, less is more, and this Blu-ray edition is more than adequate for my taste.

Parting Thoughts:
In my list of films for 2009, I would place "The Hurt Locker" at number four. I enjoyed it for its unique perspective and the impact it offers in its character study. It unquestionably shows us a side of the Iraq war that has never really been addressed in a movie, much less keeping American's distant from showing us the true horrors of it on television. It is a film that is well directed and well crafted, easily one of the better films of 2009. In the perspective of films I have seen that deal with the war in Iraq, I'd say "The Hurt Locker" comes out on top.