LOG: The Hurt Locker

I don't know if The Hurt Locker simply caught me at a particularly raw moment, or what exactly the explanation is, but I’ll be totally honest: this film sent me into a two-hour fit of knee-hugging, violent discomfort. It's merciless, offering the viewer ZERO comforts. Exiting the theater, I was deeply shaken, taking deep breaths, rubbing my eyes. Honestly, I don't think I have been this affected by a movie since Requiem for a Dream. And that is very high praise indeed.

While I would fully concede and even warn anyone that a film this visceral and intense can be a difficult experience in the dark enclosure of the theater, where there is no pause button to allow you a moment to catch your breath, I urge you to catch The Hurt Locker on the big screen. It’s the best movie I've seen all year, and the worst time I've had in a theater in quite a while (If that makes any sense..) Also, if you're anything like me, it's the only Iraq war movie you'll ever need.

Even more, this film is the perfect counterpoint to the phony, ridiculous pro-military flag-waving bullshit I can only imagine a movie like G.I. Joe is currently vomiting up onto the waiting laps of its legions of audiences. The Hurt Locker is definitive proof that, when done correctly, (i.e. with an eye toward realism,) an 'action' movie, particularly a war movie, is about the least fun, least escapist, most claustrophobic genre of film that there is. And that is how it should be.

To be fair: I have a tendency to oversell movies that kick my ass (most people whom I hyped up Audition to found it to be less than earth shattering,) so take my huffing and puffing with a grain of salt. But if nothing else, I am certain you will enjoy the experience of seeing this film.

See you in five years, THL...