Imagine staring death in the face on a daily basis. You’re in the middle of Iraq, covered head to toe in a bomb suit, attempting to disarm IED’s that could take the form of any object or even person. Each second that ticks by could be your last. This is exactly what members of the US Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit face while on patrol in Iraq.

 

The Hurt Locker portrays the war from the perspective of Staff Sergeant William James, the newly appointed leader of the Bravo squad. His new subordinates, Sanborn and Eldridge, are not accustomed to his reckless yet successful methods, but the experience they will have will be like no other. The lives of all three of them will change forever as they cope with the death, destruction, and mayhem around them.

 

This film will show you just how the war affects those in it. Emotions run wild as friendships are built and destroyed in a matter of days. At first, James appears to be fearless, leaping into the heart of the battlefield to accomplish his mission. It’s only later on do you realize that he is just like everyone else. No one is immune from the effects of war, not even the audience.

 

You are constantly on the edge of your seat, as the clock ticks away. The bomb could go off at any moment and they could be obliterated into dust in an instant. Not to mention the dozens of faces staring at them, some out of curiosity while others planning to set off a nearby trap. It’s one of the most gripping experiences you will watch on the big screen.

 

Despite being the emotional rollercoaster that it is, by the end of the film you will mostly likely have had enough. Part of that will be because there’s only so much you want to see of war but it also is due to the fact that it does drag on. There is only so many bombs you can watch be disarmed and the time in between isn’t the most interesting to watch. The ending felt a bit off as well but I won’t go into much detail about that. It simply felt too different from the rest of the film and looked awkward.