fredag 12 mars 2010

The Hurt Locker

/marc !movies


When making a movie about an ongoing war/conflict, it's impossible to ignore the dimension of propaganda. Creating opinion. This, by default, makes any such movie the target of speculation. I even read somewhere that someone described The Hurt Locker as setting out to be an anti-war movie, but ending up the opposite.

I know the feeling. That ambivalence struck me too, especially during the final scenes. What is it Kathryn Bigelow wants to actually say with this one? Is she taking a stand, and if so, which side is she promoting?

She does a very good job in creating a mood of adrenaline-filled paranoia that remains through most of the movie, but even though this is enhanced by the lacking storyline it ultimately leads nowhere. Because whatever she wants to say, she doesn't say it loud enough. She just mumbles it.

Not that I need a message shouted at me every time I go to the movies, like it was shouted at me while watching Avatar. But I at least want to be able to define what a movie has been about after seeing it. And no, "war" isn't enough of an answer...

I wouldn't have picked this as a winner at the Oscar's. Not that I can say there were better movies nominated or so, but even if this was the best one, it didn't feel like Oscar material. Just like a standard, albeit very well made, war movie.

No more.

No less. http://chum.ly/n/a78cd

3 kommentarer:

Janne sa...

I could have written this myself. Wait a minute... I did! ;)

Janne sa...

Does this... No, it can't, can it?

Janne sa...

Aha! The first 50 characters of this comment will automatically appear as a title when imported. Interesting...

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