I heard about this film when I was watching the BBC News Channel while I was waiting for Click to start. Because Mike Perham had just arrived in port, becoming the youngest person to sail around the world alone, the BBC's live coverage overran into Click's time slot. Whoever controls the BBC News Channel decided to skip Click and show their entertainment show instead. They talked about The Hurt Locker and the general consensus was that it was a good film based on what really happens and doesn't glorify war. What they said and the clips they showed made it sound interesting so I took a look.

The Hurt Locker is about a handful of American soldiers in Iraq that make up an Explosive Ordnance Disposal squad. Their job it is to deal with car bombs, roadside bombs, IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices)  and other curious devices. All this is to protect the other soldiers so they can do their jobs and to protect the civilians. The film starts with a quote from a war correspondent called Chris Hedges: "The rush of battle is a potent and often lethal addiction, for war is a drug". As you watch the film you can see that for one of the main characters, Staff Sgt. William James, this is true. For others it isn't. This is one of the messages I think the film is wanting to get across, and it's how every person deals with war in their  own differing ways.

The first scene gets straight into the job that the Bravo Company is tasked to do. An IED is in the road, alone which a railway runs. They move everyone away and use a remote controlled machine to check it out and then to attempt to plant explosives to safely detonate it. When the little trailer with the explosives in fails the tension begins. One of the squad has to suit up in protective gear that consists of a helmet with a visor, a huge collar to protect the neck on a heavily padded suit. After getting this on he slowly makes his way to the IED. Tension just continues to build up as he edges closer and closer and while the other members of the squad are constantly looking around keeping their eyes on every Iraqi in the area who might try to trigger it. The tension is kept up through out this scene and in all of the later ‘action' scenes.

Explosive Ordnance Disposal is a hot, sweaty, stressful and very dangerous job. The guys that do it have to cope with all this and inevitably each person copes in different ways. You get the guy that thrives on the rush, others who just keep thinking and talking about death and so many others. The Hurt Locker displays this really well. The story as a whole is very believable and looks like plenty of research was done. At two points in the film slow-motion shots are used. One as an IED explodes with the ground movement and the people's reactions. The other is simply of a shell from a .50 cal sniper rifle falling and bouncing on the lose ground. Both of these really add to the scenes and are clearly not just for show. The .50 cal shell concludes the end of a heart stopping battle with a small group of insurgent snipers.

The final scene is of a member of Bravo squad standing in the cereal aisle looking at 100s of different cereals and not knowing which the pick. To us who haven't been out in foreign lands fighting we are used to all this excess and choice. To a solider that has been out on tour for 6 months, a year or even more living what is really a simple life with little luxuries it's daunting. In the time he has been in Iraq I doubt he'd get an option for what he eats for breakfast and this choice is really too much.

The Hurt Locker is definitely a film worth watching; especially if you know someone out in Iraq, Afghanistan or anywhere fighting as it I feel it helps you understand that tiny bit more what soldiers are going through.