The Hurt Locker is a 2008 war film with six Oscar awards for best film, best director, original screenplay, film editing, sound, and sound editing. The critics rated the movie high and appreciated it for its original script and epic but still dramatic atmosphere of the Iraq war. Despite some factual mistakes noted by veterans, the film is a narrative, and it does not have to be a reliable reflection of reality; it must amaze the imagination. Many factors made the film a cult classic and one of the decade’s best films. Among these, the most important and most acclaimed by critics is the combination of a deep, intelligent script, striking sound design, the truthfulness of the filming location, and shooting manner.
The film has a complex script structure because its protagonist, Sergeant William James, is more of an antihero than a hero. Sergeant J. T. Sanborn and his fellow soldiers and Specialist Owen Eldridge present a more sober view of the military service because they hate it and are afraid to die. War seems to be a separate character with whom everyone builds their relationship. While the viewers experience the horrors of the war and loss with the rest of the military, they watch how the war absorbs the protagonist’s personality. It is difficult to decide which storyline is scarier because William James, even being a good guy from the beginning, loses touch with real life, and the war completely absorbs his personality.
The battle and desert locations of the film do not just immerse you in the atmosphere and allow you to understand a little about the experience of the military. The environment and editing convey the characters’ inner state – you can see how they are shaking with fear and adrenaline or how they are covered with a sweeping sandstorm of confusion. The director used a lot of POV shots so that the viewer could look at the situation through the eyes of a soldier, feeling his tension. Another filming technology is the so-called shaky camera, which mimics the feel of a documentary. Thus, landscape and camerawork create a sense of presence, reducing the emotional distance between the audience and the heroes.
It is not surprising that the film won two Oscars for best sound and sound editing. The film’s soundtrack certainly sounds original and unique, and the viewer immediately hears that this is not typical epic music played in any Hollywood blockbuster. The sound effects are authentic because real bombs and the sounds of real shots were used. However, the combination of desert sounds with plangent, disturbing howls intertwined with Arabic motives strongly strikes the imagination. The sounds of war and desert are incredibly combined with the soundtrack that heats the atmosphere.
In conclusion, it must be admitted that The Hurt Locker is an incredibly intricate movie because it proves the realistic experience of a soldier at war combined with an engaging, meaningful narrative. The director was able to replicate an emotional connection built between soldiers for the viewers. Moreover, the film is full of tension and grief that the soldiers hide in a hurt locker, the contents of which can kill them one day. All factors highlight the core of the film – phycological and emotional contrast between true hero and antihero.