The Hurt Locker is a political narrative on the social and psychological effects of long term war and specifically, a bomb expert. Sergent William James is somewhat of a social mess and does not follow the proper code and conduct of a normal expert and this film acutely portrays major consequences of his actions.
This film was directed by Kathryn Bigelow and depicts the current occupation of american troops in the middle East. It went on to win 6 oscars. It was released in 2008 when most americans stated to lose or already lost their support for Middle eastern occupation. It shows what a soldier has to go through as well how they will the great amount of stress and danger they deal with. Most of the soldiers, especially James, react to the stress by further inflicting self harm through violence and alcoholism. Soldiers also seem to have lower morals and attitudes after staying in Iraq.
The film takes place in modern war torn Iraq and its dry deserts, and damaged cities. There is little vegitation and a large amount of dust in they air. The setting adds another dimension to lives of the soldiers. They are constantly sweating in the blazi
ng sun as well as being covered in dirt and possible blood. At the same, James is in al large bomb suit most of the time to add to the discomfort. The setting a nd location add to the discomfort the audience feels for the characters. The actual visual style and look of the town is truely athentic because it was mostly filmed on location in the country of Jordan. The towns desserts are actual deserts that real soldiers fight in and what they experience and see. The real location adds a realistic and almost documentary style setting.
The hurt locker focuses on largely on natural light as
well as hand held camera work. There are multiple shots within the movie that very shaky as well as constantly zooming in and out mid-shot. It almost seems as if a documentary is being filmed there and just filing on the fly. even non-exciting scenes with simple dialogue featue a lot of camera movement. The lighting is also very natural from the bright set. The harsh sun creates a very dry look by washing out everything within the scene. Everything is a sand beige color and it really sucks the life out of the scenes. The scene s all seem lifeless and hopeless to parallel the feelings and emotions of the characters.
The changing of speed through out the film help us see things
we wouldn't normally see in standard motion. They emphasizes certain actions and effects. specifically 
in the explosions. The use of slow motion help shoe just how powerful it is and the damage it does. The audience can accurately see the damage the bombs have on the environment as well how it could kill the soldiers. Parallel action is used within the same scene to add tension and show multiple perspectives of the same action. Visual metaphor can also be seen at the end of the film with the kite. The kite seems to represent innocence and peace, but it is actually flying above the city and James to show how far away it is from their reality.
Single sounds are isolated at certain points to emphasize their impact. For instance, when the car is getting crushed and the dirt is coming of the ground. Both of those single sounds are islotaed so the audience can actually see the real effects of such a large explosion. it also adds a kind of surrealness just because it is a view we could never been able to see in our normal lives.
Sergent James is not the ideal image of an American soldier. When American civilians think about soldiers, they picture a proud disciplined individual. But
James is full of all kinds of problems. He doesn't follow any of the military's rules and often takes things into his own hands even if it could put others in danger. He needs to feel the rush of danger in order to be happy with his life. He will disobey and take matters into is own hands which leads to a injured friend and the harassment of an elderly man.
He also is so used to military life that he can't properly function in normal civilian life. Ironically, he finds some of the most simpliest tasks, like finding cereal, almost impossible.
The Hurt locker is essentially a war film, but takes its focus on the soldiers of war instead of the actual war. It shows the effects of war on the characters themselves. There are action scenes and gunfights, but they are seen on a more personal level instead of the war as the whole. It is showing how the war effects the individual instead of the society.
Hurt Locker is a film that puts a negative view on the effects of war. War changes a person psychologically and socially, but it can also be a drug for them and become addicted to it.
This film was directed by Kathryn Bigelow and depicts the current occupation of american troops in the middle East. It went on to win 6 oscars. It was released in 2008 when most americans stated to lose or already lost their support for Middle eastern occupation. It shows what a soldier has to go through as well how they will the great amount of stress and danger they deal with. Most of the soldiers, especially James, react to the stress by further inflicting self harm through violence and alcoholism. Soldiers also seem to have lower morals and attitudes after staying in Iraq.
The film takes place in modern war torn Iraq and its dry deserts, and damaged cities. There is little vegitation and a large amount of dust in they air. The setting adds another dimension to lives of the soldiers. They are constantly sweating in the blazi
ng sun as well as being covered in dirt and possible blood. At the same, James is in al large bomb suit most of the time to add to the discomfort. The setting a nd location add to the discomfort the audience feels for the characters. The actual visual style and look of the town is truely athentic because it was mostly filmed on location in the country of Jordan. The towns desserts are actual deserts that real soldiers fight in and what they experience and see. The real location adds a realistic and almost documentary style setting.The hurt locker focuses on largely on natural light as
well as hand held camera work. There are multiple shots within the movie that very shaky as well as constantly zooming in and out mid-shot. It almost seems as if a documentary is being filmed there and just filing on the fly. even non-exciting scenes with simple dialogue featue a lot of camera movement. The lighting is also very natural from the bright set. The harsh sun creates a very dry look by washing out everything within the scene. Everything is a sand beige color and it really sucks the life out of the scenes. The scene s all seem lifeless and hopeless to parallel the feelings and emotions of the characters.The changing of speed through out the film help us see things
we wouldn't normally see in standard motion. They emphasizes certain actions and effects. specifically 
in the explosions. The use of slow motion help shoe just how powerful it is and the damage it does. The audience can accurately see the damage the bombs have on the environment as well how it could kill the soldiers. Parallel action is used within the same scene to add tension and show multiple perspectives of the same action. Visual metaphor can also be seen at the end of the film with the kite. The kite seems to represent innocence and peace, but it is actually flying above the city and James to show how far away it is from their reality.
Single sounds are isolated at certain points to emphasize their impact. For instance, when the car is getting crushed and the dirt is coming of the ground. Both of those single sounds are islotaed so the audience can actually see the real effects of such a large explosion. it also adds a kind of surrealness just because it is a view we could never been able to see in our normal lives.
Sergent James is not the ideal image of an American soldier. When American civilians think about soldiers, they picture a proud disciplined individual. But
James is full of all kinds of problems. He doesn't follow any of the military's rules and often takes things into his own hands even if it could put others in danger. He needs to feel the rush of danger in order to be happy with his life. He will disobey and take matters into is own hands which leads to a injured friend and the harassment of an elderly man.He also is so used to military life that he can't properly function in normal civilian life. Ironically, he finds some of the most simpliest tasks, like finding cereal, almost impossible.
The Hurt locker is essentially a war film, but takes its focus on the soldiers of war instead of the actual war. It shows the effects of war on the characters themselves. There are action scenes and gunfights, but they are seen on a more personal level instead of the war as the whole. It is showing how the war effects the individual instead of the society.
Hurt Locker is a film that puts a negative view on the effects of war. War changes a person psychologically and socially, but it can also be a drug for them and become addicted to it.
