The Right Movie Won….
Posted by Jimbecause The Hurt Locker is a film and not a hybrid movie-cartoon. I saw Avatar in 3D and thought it spectacular entertainment. It was a magical experience and would see it again on the big screen. But that attribute alone does not mean it was a great movie worthy of Best Picture status.
Judging from the box office, the public does not fully appreciate the genius of The Hurt Locker. People who have been in war zones, like the screenwriter and this writer, probably view this film differently that those who have not. The complex relationship between the three leads is what this movie is about, not the riveting action scenes. To be sure, a series of missions are the narrative heart of the movie. Critics may see this as repetitive and unnecessary, yet they are needed to illustrate the evolving and abrasive relationship between the three men. The portrayal of the war itself is apolitical although many argue otherwise; the power is in the relationships, not the action narrative.
The small part set in the supermarket is a rare instance of pure cinematic wonder; powerful and complex in what it conveys yet so simple. To me it rates along with my all time movie scene favorite in the war genre, the scene in the taxi and the front lawn in the opening moments of The Best Years of Our Lives. If anything, just watch the first 30 minutes of this film, you will not be disappointed.
The reason this film has grossed only $15 million thus far(Alice in Wonderland grossed over $100,000 on the first weekend) is that it is an unsparing and dark film about an unpopular war. As during the Great Depression, fluff movies were generally very successful for obvious reasons. Do yourself a favor and see this movie. I watched it in the theatre and at home on a large flat screen and it was just as powerful the second time around.
