The Hurt Locker (2008)

When it comes to films depicting aspects of the War on Terror, the market is busy. Since 2003 a score of movies have been released which tackle the sensitive issues of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, with many failing to hit the mark. The Hurt Locker, however, manages to capture an intensity which surrounds the nature of the conflict, and focuses on one of the most terrifying aspects of the war, which is I.E.D's (Improvised Explosive Devices). The film follows a team of bomb disposal soldiers in Iraq, and their experiences with the Afghan people, as well as the relationship between the members of the team.

Kathryn Bigelow, director of Point Break (1991) and K-19 The Widowmaker (2002), directs a brilliant insight into the experience of soldiers in Iraq, and does not allow the audience a chance to catch their breath for most of the film. The movie moves around several different sights of bomb threats, and we see the choices that need to be made and the impact of those choices on the people involved. Aside from a distracting side plot of locating an Afghan boy's family, the film is spectacular, and I would recommend it as an excellent War on Terror film.

Other films in the War on Terror genre which are worthy of mention include: Lions For Lambs (2007), Rendition (2007), and Home of the Brave (2006), which all tackle aspects of the War in an intelligent manner. However, many of the War on Terror movies fail to reach a status of Greats. Unlike Vietnam, which has many excellent films depicting it's events, the War on Terror is yet to have an outstanding movie. This may be due to the fact that the War is still occurring, or that the events of more troubling to depict, however, I eagerly await a film which measures up to the likes of Platoon (1986) or Apocalypse Now (1979).