There are times when all of the hype surrounding a film is actually justified. This is one of those productions. This is a pitch-perfect, well executed film that walks the balance beam of showing the harsh conditions and psychological horror of war without portraying our soldiers are seething brutes who are out of control. Unlike Oliver Stone's self-loathing (albeit interesting) presentation in Platoon, where the battle zone is a place of no heroic action and no honor, this film, directed by Kathryn Bigelow (K-19: The Widowmaker), admits the truth: war is painful, it is horrible and ugly, but it is also very human. This means it brings out the extreme evil in men but also the extreme good.

This is a far cry from a pro-war film, do not get me wrong. Bigelow and company are stridently anti-war, as they should be. What makes them different from the cohorts in the entertainment industry is that they don't conflate their anti-war philosophy with being anti-solider. This is a huge difference.

SFC William James (Jeremy Renner) is the newly appointed head of an Army bomb squad unit in Iraq. James along with Sgt. JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Spc. Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) go from one deadly scene to the next as they diffuse bombs, handle snipers and avoid being shot on their tour of duty. James seems to have a death wish. He is a belligerent risk-taker who doesn't appear to have his survival instincts hooked up any more. This is naturally disconcerting to his comrades, as they still hope to live through their time in service. What results is a battle between the nihilistic James and Sanborn, who still clings to hope.

The one main flaw of the film is that James is a little too quirky in some respects. I am not a military guy - never served and you don't want me to. Speaking as an outsider, it would seem to me that someone as broken and apparently suicidal as James wouldn't be allowed on a bomb squad, or at least not given one to lead. Perhaps that is wishful thinking on my part. Having known a number of veterans I hold plenty of anecdotal evidence that our military command is that foolhardy (read stupid).

There is one sequence in the film that stands out. There is a patient, sniper battle when the squad gets pinned down. It is the most enthralling and tense battle sequence since Saving Private Ryan. Bigelow doesn't overplay the scene but rather draws it out, allowing the tension of the situation to take command of the audience. It is impossible to see this scene and not get drawn in. The transition between this scene and the next, you'll have to see the film to see what I mean, is one of the better examples of the psychotic emotional roller coaster our soldiers endure.

This deserves the Best Picture Oscar. It is easily the best American film of the year.




Related Reviews:
Iraq War movies
Full Battle Rattle (2008)
Gunner Palace (2004)


Other Critic’s Reviews:
Commentary Track
Film Critics United

Labels: film, Iraq War, Jeremy Renner, movie review, war