“The Hurt Locker” is a very powerful movie. If you did not see it in the theater, then you should rent, buy or borrow the DVD when it comes out January 12th.
The special effects are great and as I watched I looked to see if it really looked like Baghdad and Camp Victory. I don’t know where it was filmed, but it could have been filmed right there in Iraq, the set design and costumes were very believing.
The problem with translators, how the people will just plow through a road block, and the turmoil of living in a war zone were very real. You can see and feel SGT James’ inner conflict and his need to satisfy his adrenaline rush even though he is not fully aware of why he does what does. The overwhelming feelings of “Short timers” disease from Eldridge and Sanborn take me back to many Soldiers and Civilians that I met over there that knew they were going home soon. The thoughts that we all push out of our heads when there is a job to be done that creep back in the stillness of the night are very powerful. The unlikely bond that James makes with a young Iraqi boy is one that many a Soldier on many a field of combat will understand.
I can’t wait for the DVD to come out so I can see the extra’s packed with it. I am sure that it will bring up many memories, good and bad!
The Hurt Locker, winner of the 2008 Venice Film Festival SIGNIS Grand Prize, is a riveting, suspenseful portrait of the courage under fire of the militarys unrecognized heroes: the technicians of a bomb squad who volunteer to challenge the odds and save lives in one of the worlds most dangerous places. Three members of the Armys elite Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) squad battle insurgents and each other as they search for and disarm a wave of roadside bombs on the streets of Baghdad—in order to try and make the city a safer place for Iraqis and Americans alike. Their mission is clear—protect and save—but its anything but easy, as the margin of error when defusing a war-zone bomb is zero. This thrilling and heart-pounding look at the effects of combat and danger on the human psyche is based on the first-hand observations of journalist and screenwriter Mark Boal, who was embedded with a special bomb unit in Iraq. These men spoke of explosions as putting you in the hurt locker.
Three members of the Army’s elite Explosive Ordnance Disposal squad battle insurgents and each other as they seek out and disarm a wave of roadside bombs on the streets of Baghdad.
Since I have been down and out with my wrists, I joined Net Flix as a way to have something to do in the begining when I couldn’t do aything but sit on the couch and pop pain pills. I have watched MANY movies in the last 9 months, but I ahve to say that “Seven Pounds” is one of 2 movies that touched my heart more than any of the others.
The first few minuets of the movie you ask yourself what is this about. It doesn’t give you the whole story as to why “Ben” is doing what he is doing right up front. You have to piece it together as it goes along. When you realise why, you will cry and think, “OMG! That could be me!”
In the end, the classic love story mingled with the feelings of hope, love, guilt, pain, shame and sorrow will leave you in a bundle of emotions that you will not know what to do with. But in the end, this story will inspire you to find a way to do something to help a perfect stranger without their ever knowing your name.
“We have suspicious vehicle on the right moving pretty fast”……..
“It’s slowing!”….
An explosion…
Then gun fire….
Switch to two Marines in dress uniform getting out of a car at 0200 in front of the Phelps house. This is the first visual you get.
The tears started with the opening scene and they didn’t stop through the entire movie and the extras. For those that have been to Iraq or been in combat, the opening scene will undoubtedly cause a catch in your throat and force your mind back to a memory of a battle or ambush you went through. For those that have not “been there and done that” your first thought will be “Oh my God!”
As the parent of a former Soldier, that knock on your door is something you hope to never hear. This movie hits you right in the face with it. How our fallen are taken care of as they move from battlefield, to the States, through processing, and home to their family. The Honor and Respect that is shown by the Military and American public as the body is escorted home, shows the true heart on this Country. These scenes seem almost to good to be true, if I had not seen some of the same with every Patriot Guard Mission that I do.
This is a very powerful story. Regardless of where you stand on the War in Iraq, this movie will touch your heart in a very deep place. I am grateful for LT Colonel Michale Strobl’s story. It must have been a very emotional task to escort Lance Corporal Chance Phelps body home to his family. Please when you rent this movie, take the time to watch the extras. The stories told by his family and squad members are great!
There is so much I could say about this film, but words would not do it justice. You have to see it for yourself, you must see it it for yourself. You will be left as I am now…… a tear rolling down my face, a deep ache in my heart and all the gratitude that I have in my soul for all the men and women that serve in our Armed Forces. Thank you all for your service.
And to the families of our Fallen, they will never be forgotten!
Lance Corporal Chance Phelps was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star with a “V” for Valor for his heroic actions on April 9, 2004. Many of his comrades credit him with saving their lives that day. Two months after his death, his sister, Petty Officer Kelly Phelps married Sergent Robert Orndoff. Chance was to be their best man. Instead, Kelly walked down the aisle alone, holding Chance’s dog tags.
At War is a documentary film shot and directed by Scott Kesterson, who spent a year embedded with US forces in Afghanistan. The film is produced by David Leeson, Pulitzer Prize recipient and currently Senior Producer of Video for The Dallas Morning News. The film employs Leeson’s teachings of subject-driven storytelling that allows the truth of the moment to speak without the interference of personal bias.
The film explores the timeless nature of war and conflict, and ultimately challenges us to look at ourselves as beings filled with love and hate, fear and courage, passion and chaos.
