Clocking in with a 91% Metacritic rating, with a film that will surely become one of the best of the year, it is time to start taking Ms. Bigelow, and her moody, brilliant war film, seriously. We were already taking it seriously last year when it was pulled from the roster. Many films wouldn’t be able to withstand that bump in its release date; this one does. It might just turn out that Bigelow stands a chance at not just being nominated for director, but actually winning. It’s too soon to tell, of course, so this is all just gunsmoke in a sandstorm but hey, what else is there to do.
The Hurt Locker features, among other things, great ensemble work from its three leads, Jeremy Renner (steals the show), Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty. Other than Renner, who some of you might remember as Jeffrey Dahmer (thank god this role erases that memory), these are mostly no-names, working actors but not stars. Funnily enough, stars do make an appearance but in cameos – Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pearce…
The film is a slow burn. It is, by a long way, the best of Bigelow’s career. I’m writing a different piece on Bigelow so I’ll save my thoughts for that but it’s important to note how far she has come as an artist; sometimes getting panned repeatedly can lead to good stuff.
Finally, it’s ironic that Bigelow will be in direct competition with her ex-husband, Jim Cameron. She was married to Cameron during T2 when he began an affair with Linda Hamilton, whom he eventually had a child with, etc. Bigelow and Cameron both have major films out this year.
