Thoughts on the film: The Hurt Locker

I always liked Kathryn Bigelow. Point Break is of course a classic action film, although most of her other films I never really got into. But it's terrific to see a woman making movies with balls.

The Hurt Locker is without doubt her best film. Of course she owes a lot of that to screenwriter Mark Boal, who created a beautiful little story based on his experience as an embedded reporter in Iraq. This is real life stuff, not the imaginings of someone on the outside, but it's directed by a woman who knows how to blow stuff up with subtext.

I just find it fascinating that she manages to create so much masculinity in her films. There is a scene in The Hurt Locker where these three guys are in a room beating the crap out of each other for fun, which is something only men ever do, and yet it felt completely real.

But some of the best work in this film is right up front. The film opens as three bomb techs attempt to disarm a bomb in the middle of and Iraqi street. The whole scene you just know something's going to explode and someone's going to die and you spend the whole time waiting for it to happen. So from the opening scene you are already tense and concerned for these guys, and you never really lose that.

The opening scene also concludes with a surprising event that makes you realize this is not a normal Hollywood film, which ups the stakes because you just never know who's going to die or whether or not the heroes will save the day.

Technically, this film breaks a lot of rules we're all told never to break. There's a point-of-view shift - in fact, you're not entirely sure who the protagonist is through some parts of this film. The unknown actors get all the big parts. There isn't a set goal other than survival, which is really difficult to use to propel a film. They overcame that problem with the ticking clock - every so often on the screen you will see how many days the boys have left in country, so you're constantly reminded that they just need to live through the day. That's the goal.

Despite this, the film is just plain terrific. Three of us entered the theater. Three of us came out in solid agreement that this was a poignant and entertaining movie. One of my friends even said "Until I saw the credit at the end I would have sworn one hundred percent that a man directed this movie."

I was tense the entire film. Sometimes bombs go off, sometimes they don't. It's a recipe for constant edge-of-your-seat moments. And the characters, oh they are glorious. They are established quickly and clearly with little moments that take seconds but say volumes. I honestly can't think of anything in this movie to complain about.

So Kathryn Bigelow, if by any chance you ever want to direct a zombie action film with some cool explosions in it, you go ahead and you call me. You can be my director any time.