Essay Sample on The Hurt Locker (2008) Critical Analysis

"The rush of battle is a potent and almost lethal addiction, for war is a drug."- Chris Hedges. The theme of the movie is how war is like a lethal drug. War is deadly for the soldiers and civilians, and sometimes soldiers feel a rush in the task they are doing, and at times they end up doing something without thinking, which can lead to their death.

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The opening scene's directional choices, there are a lot of movements taking place, from tanks scrabbling to people running around. When this is going on, you see the different angles and perspectives of the various groups doing their task. Many of these shots are helping to establish the current situation of what is taking place. The different directional shots help establish what is happening. We can see that they found a bomb, and they are trying to clear the area to get citizens out of the way, so they can properly detonate and dispose of the bomb. These directional cues uniquely impact the story by helping represent what happens during wartime. The way this movie was directed makes the audience experience the real picture of what happens in the battlefields, the role of the military during the war. The movements are exceptional and frightening for the civilians as the directions are commanding in nature, and conveys a specific message both to the civilians and the soldiers that something is going to happen. The way Bigelow utilized directional ques was just perfect, and it set the stage for what was going to happen.

The opening scenes were mind-blowing and exciting such that they made me feel like I was part of the action. Many shots of the opening scene showed an establishing shot of the military mobilizing. The way it showed different actions from them trying to get civilians out of the way from the way they got out of their truck made me feel like I was part of the actions. It also helped me to learn that despite the military destructive nature and power, they sometimes care about the innocent civilians that get trapped in harm's way. This is seen by how the soldiers handled the civilians by caring and saving them without minding too much about their well-being. It is a characteristic of military people as sometimes they act like they do not fear death or are just immortal for the sake of saving civilians by fighting the enemy to ensure that everything is in order.

At the closing scene, the soldier is seen back home and reconnecting with his family. These are different shots that took place at different locations, such as the grocery store and the home. These shots establish his home life after he has returned to civilian life. These different shots show that a man who lives a risky life as a bomb dismantler in the Army can have a normal and calm voice. Many of the shots during the scene are comprised of close-ups of him with his wife and kid. This scene most likely takes place between his deployments because of the final stage; we see him return to Iraq for another year of active duty. From these shots, the audience can learn that soldiers are also human beings, and they have personal lives just like other professionals. They display different characters in different situations as when they lead to calm civilian life and when they connect with their families. However, when they go back to duty, they have to be tough and ruthless in accomplishing their missions.

The closing scene, which occurred in the grocery store, and then at home evokes memories of togetherness. This scene brought some memories from friends whose family members served and came back home. Many of them said they felt peace of mind that their loved one is home safe. They also stated they felt anxious when they were out in deployment because something could happen to them. This made me feel like some normality has been restored, in Sgt. James life, because he is now home with his family. This is also important for normality because of the job Sgt. James does extremely dangerous and risky. The normality gave a good feeling because of being at home with his family, and therefore, he does not need to worry for the time being as he can interact with his family members as well as friends. The family also does not need to worry about him as he is no longer on duty, which is risky and demanding.

When you watch the film, you will notice a connection between the opening and closing scenes of the movie with the rest of the movie. In the opening scene, you see the military mobilizing, because he noticed a possible bomb. This plays out to the rest of the story because that is what the movie is mainly about and how a team of soldier's main job is to disarm the bombs that have been found around the city. This shows what the movie is going to be about and what that team is going to be doing as they go to the different areas of the city to disarm bombs. The opening also shows the risky dangers when unforcedly one of the members is killed. You can see many close calls in the movie when they were seconds away from the bomb exploding. You can see this in the scene when they are disarming the bomb in the car, while they are doing that you can see some suspicious people nearby looking at them. You also see a person with a camera, and this can imply and build some intensity that something is going to happen, and as the intensity grows, you can see Sgt. James pulls out the trigger device before something happens. You can also see a risky scene when they were trying to help a man who was forced to be a suicide bomber; you can see during this scene that they were trying to help an innocent man get out of the bomb. But due to the restrictions and how the bomb was placed, they were unforcedly not able to help him. The opening scene shows you not only all the risks and dangers associated with war, but it also shows you the good as they were helping the innocent people who were trapped in harm's way.

The closing scene connects to the entire movie by representing the unknown of the net seconds. This can be seen when Sgt. James is in the cereal aisle with a long shot; he is looking at the many cereal choices and cannot decide what he should pick. You can see a worried look on his face, followed by a Point of View shot of him looking at the different cereal choices. His worried and nervous look can indicate something is about to happen. He finally picks the cereal that is in front of him, without hesitation and does not give a second choice to the other cereal options down the line. This can relate to the rest of the film because when he is out in the field dismantling a bomb or something, he needs to think and act fast before something bad happens. When he is out in war many times, he does not have time to think but only act. His worried look says something is up that he is worried that something might happen to him while he is at the grocery store.

In conclusion, the opening and closing scenes were vital for anyone watching the film. By closely analyzing them, one can understand what will happen in the movie and why soldiers behave the way they do. In the opening scene, the movements of the military, directorial choices and the actions of the soldiers give the audience a hint on what the soldiers will be doing throughout their operations and what they will be needed to do to save civilians from the terrorists. The directorial choices, predecessors, being blow up in the previous scene, and the movement of the soldiers, draws the attention of the audience. The terrifying missions that involved the soldiers had to accomplish within short periods made the film even more thrilling. A lot of shouting of the sergeant made every move the soldiers took to look life-threatening, and this kept the audience's eyes glued on every action and movement of the soldiers while anticipating what will happen next.