The Hurt Locker (2009)
This category may have been too easy to choose. Inglourious Basterds could have possibly been here if it had not previously made my list in another category. Black Hawk Down is another war film of this decade that I also both enjoyed and respected. However, this particular film stands alone as the best war film of the decade, hands down.
Kathryn Bigelow is my choice for the Best Director Oscar this year. She made a film, which I believe, is a masterpiece today, and will also be a masterpiece in the decades to come. While there have been a multitude of war films about the current war in the Middle East (Stop-Loss, Brothers, Jarhead, In the Valley of Elah etc.), none have achieved both the critical and commercial success of this film. In fact, several “A-List” critics have proclaimed this film not merely the best of the year, but one of the best of the decade. I couldn’t agree more.
The film itself deserves much more praise than I can bestow. It is harrowing in its vision, style, and filming. It emotionally tears at you, and physically has you on the edge of your seat. It is a rare accomplishment in filmmaking.
The actors in the film seem less like actors and more like soldiers, thus leading to the realistic, documentary feel of the film. Jeremy Renner may become a bankable Hollywood star due to his portrayal of the cocksure, Staff Sergeant William James. As a bomb disposal expert, he feels more confident, and at home disposing of bombs, than he does being an everyman on U.S. soil.
I believe Up in the Air and The Hurt Locker will most embody the past decade. While one discusses the current economic climate, its effect on the common American, and the advancement of technology in the work force, the other embodies a war that has no end in sight (my apologies to the film of the same name, which I also recommend) and its effects on the soldiers, both during their deployment and their time back home. Both display the isolation and frustration felt by many Americans today.
Here’s hoping this film wins several Oscars, and possibly a greater audience. It deserves both.
This category may have been too easy to choose. Inglourious Basterds could have possibly been here if it had not previously made my list in another category. Black Hawk Down is another war film of this decade that I also both enjoyed and respected. However, this particular film stands alone as the best war film of the decade, hands down.
Kathryn Bigelow is my choice for the Best Director Oscar this year. She made a film, which I believe, is a masterpiece today, and will also be a masterpiece in the decades to come. While there have been a multitude of war films about the current war in the Middle East (Stop-Loss, Brothers, Jarhead, In the Valley of Elah etc.), none have achieved both the critical and commercial success of this film. In fact, several “A-List” critics have proclaimed this film not merely the best of the year, but one of the best of the decade. I couldn’t agree more.
The film itself deserves much more praise than I can bestow. It is harrowing in its vision, style, and filming. It emotionally tears at you, and physically has you on the edge of your seat. It is a rare accomplishment in filmmaking.
The actors in the film seem less like actors and more like soldiers, thus leading to the realistic, documentary feel of the film. Jeremy Renner may become a bankable Hollywood star due to his portrayal of the cocksure, Staff Sergeant William James. As a bomb disposal expert, he feels more confident, and at home disposing of bombs, than he does being an everyman on U.S. soil.
I believe Up in the Air and The Hurt Locker will most embody the past decade. While one discusses the current economic climate, its effect on the common American, and the advancement of technology in the work force, the other embodies a war that has no end in sight (my apologies to the film of the same name, which I also recommend) and its effects on the soldiers, both during their deployment and their time back home. Both display the isolation and frustration felt by many Americans today.
Here’s hoping this film wins several Oscars, and possibly a greater audience. It deserves both.
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