“The Hurt Locker”

Conan’s last episode was great, wasn’t it?  I hope his show on Fox has the same loony abandon of the last couple of weeks.  That’s when Conan’s at this best, not doing this lame “I’m Everybody’s Friend” schtick that NBC executives want from their Tonight Show hosts (and which Jay Leno is happy to bend over and provide; UGH, that guy).  See you in the fall, buddy.

The Hurt Locker, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, is a badass display of badassery.  It’s set in Iraq, but it doesn’t have any “THIS DAMN WAR!!!” monologues, save for a brief bit in the third act.  It doesn’t have an anti-war message; it’s more of a “fucking character study” (TM BW).

I’m making it sound like Ordinary People in the Desert, but trust me, it’s non-stop action, tension and suspense. Jeremy Renner stars as a guy that gets off on defusing IEDs.  The opening title states that “war is a drug,” and Renner’s character is a hardcore junkie.  The entire movie is a series of tense stand-offs and confrontations.  The Hurt Locker is awesome.

Renner’s the main highlight, but there are several cameos by excellent actors, as well as Evangeline Lilly from Lost, who continues her award-winning streak of being the Worst Character In A Terrific Film or Television Series.  Actually, that’s too harsh.  She has maybe two lines.  She’s not bad, just useless.

There’s some lame dialogue in The Hurt Locker.  There are several variations on “YOU’RE RECKLESS AND OUT OF CONTROL, YOU RENEGADE LOOSE CANNON!”  However, the endless setpieces are incredible, and Renner’s character is psychotic without being a caricature.  I loved how he’d do something creepy then laugh and say he was just kidding.

Best action film of the year, forrrr sho.

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