Day 278: The Hurt Locker Just Hurts

Is there not enough drama in war? Tonight I watched "The Hurt Locker," the Oscar nominated film that plays out more like a documentary, than a Hollywood movie. I completely understand why the director, Katherine Bigelow, is nominated for an Oscar for direction. Every scene of the film is infused with an almost palpable tension. You sit on the edge of your seat, convinced some disaster is about to occur and in that respect Bigelow did an amazing job. The problem with it, in my opinion, is that rather than rely on the actual dramatic situations and complex relationships in war, they completely made up aspects that would almost certainly never happen.

Implausible stories of lone sergeants hijacking vehicles, going on missions of vengeance, drinking hard liquor, starting their own fight clubs and apparently never answering to a commanding officer. Do soldiers ever smuggle beer or liquor over there? Sure, it happens, but it is the exception, not the norm and certainly not multiple giant bottles that they leave lying about in their rooms. The three main characters never had back-up and seemingly never looked to a CO for an order – they decided everything themselves, because of course, the Army is so lax on structure and chain of command. It was more than a little far-fetched and I found it hard to watch without constant criticism.

Being married to a career Army officer with three tours of duty under his belt does give me an insider’s perspective. We watched it together and the look of disbelief alternating with frustration and something close to scorn told me much of what I wanted to know. It felt a lot like the time I watched the firefighting movie “Backdraft” with my Pops. I have a unique perspective on this movie and those like it, but because this one is presented with so little of the usual Hollywood hoopla and more grit it comes across like it must be closer to fact than fiction.

In the end, it is a movie and I’m trying to keep that in mind, but it is a movie about the inner workings of a world most people will never get to see or experience first hand. Unless you have the insider perspective from a family member or friend, like I do, you look to movies like this to give you that insight. It is in this way that “The Hurt Locker” does the most damage. It paints a picture of the war and the people fighting it that is untrue in major ways and tells you that soldiers have time off, ability to drink, and an autonomy that simply is not there. War is hell and there is genuine drama in that without having to inject it via a “lone ranger” type badass, who oh by the way is a Sergeant not a commanding officer with the freedom to do as he pleases. I think the real “hurt” is what this movie did to the impression of war that the average filmgoer will take away.