The Hurt Locker

Of all the Best Picture winners at the Oscars from the past decade, "The Hurt Locker" is probably the most curious of them all. Sure, it's a harsh depiction of war as a drug and gave room to let Kathryn Bigelow's technical acumen really shine. What's so odd is that it's as obsessed with not giving into the militaristic fandom that many other similar films do. This is a story about soldiers in impossible situations, who are forced into a life they can't truly get out of, even if they go home. While Lionsgate opted to only release the new 4K version of the film through popular digital services, it does give a nice uptick in quality and texture over the current Blu-ray. It was shot on a mix of digital and film elements, and this new 4K release does a nice job of showing off the grit and grime of the original aesthetic.

It's 2004 and Sergeant First Class William James (Jeremy Renner) has just arrived to replace the team leader of a U.S. Army Explosive Ordinance Disposal unit. He's a gung-ho soldier that immediately butts heads with his unit, which includes Sergeant JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty). Their job is of the most dangerous in the entire Iraq War; defusing bombs right in the middle of enemy territory. As both Sanborn and Eldridge struggle with their wild card new leader, the city of Baghdad explodes into chaos. James' internal turmoil only worsens and reveals itself as the tension ramps.

The soldiers are seen in their downtime playing violent video games and undergoing psychological evaluations that do absolutely nothing to lessen the load in their brains. Bigelow seems to have a mastery over playing with clich�s, like the mavericks that go against the military to satisfy their own thirst for drama and violence. The shaky cam aesthetic, in particular, is at odds with the broad characterizations, which kind of seems like the point. By painting these soldiers in masterful wide shots with highly detailed and triumphant action scenes, we'd be stripping the film back to reveal something unfairly patriotic. It'd be like "Act of Valor," in that case; a bunch of Peyton Manning-sounding gun nuts reveling in murder.

Renner's James isn't a maverick as much as he is constantly challenging the box that the U.S. Army is trying to put him into. With other characters acting like what they're doing is for the betterment of Iraq, then why does the real world depicted here say different? Bigelow's contrast is the strongest part of the film. Mark Boal's script could have easily been awards fodder about honoring our boys overseas. And Bigelow's constant changing of perspective denotes a story that's interested in seeing another side than just what American soldiers are seeing.

"The Hurt Locker" grabs onto you and doesn't let you go until the credits roll. It's in your face with a level of detail people pass off as a technical attribute. To the contrary, by making the detail more obscure and broader, you'd be slipping back into the same patriotic screeds that George W. Bush and company shoved into our eyes for years. Plus, the new 4K digital transfer does by the dirt and grime of the film very well. Highly recommend purchasing this on your preferred digital platform, like Vudu or Apple, if you're eager to revisit.

"The Hurt Locker"
Lionsgate 4K Digital
$12.99