Three viewings in, and I still believe The Hurt Locker is the best film of the year, and maybe last year too. Kathryn Bigelow has crafted a film that is perfectly paced, acted, directed, and features the action scene to beat this year. It’s the first film of the year that makes a strong case for being a Best Picture nominee and it’ll likely be there once it’s all said and done. Plus, how cool would it be to have the director of Near Dark and Point Break accept an Oscar for Best Director?

I’m getting ahead of myself but I love this film (as evidenced by my review here) and was fortunate enough to get a chance to chat with Brian Geraghty who plays Specialist Owen Eldridge in the film. Brian does an excellent job conveying a guy who really shouldn’t be in war to begin with and is an all around great guy to talk to. It really felt like a conversation rather than one being the interviewer and the other the actor. After praising and gushing over Brian and the film several times, we finally talked about the best film of the year, working with Kathryn, and a possible Point Break sequel.

How did you get involved with the movie?

Basically, about two years ago in June ’07 I went up to Kathryn and basically read with Jeremy. I didn’t think anything of it and I knew they were targeting another actor at the point. I just went over there and read a couple of scenes with Jeremy and I guess whoever they had in mind got a TV series or something so I guess I was next in line and it ended up taking month, then they offered me the job.

That’s awesome man.

Yeah.

So what was it like to work with Kathryn?

Y’know she’s a very kind person, really collaborative. The great thing about working with her as an actor is that she really hires actors and trusts them. She kinda lets them go and if you fall off course she’ll get you back on. She’s really involved, particularly in this film, with the suspense and the action and that was kinda nice.

Oh yeah. What she did with this movie, I mean the sniper scene alone was better than anything in Transformers 2.

Yeah, I know. I love that scene. Thank you man.

No problem. Was that a fun scene to shoot?

I loved the location. It was hard, it was dirty, and it was sandy. It was fun to, to me it was fun to make the decision of killing someone. Ralph Fiennes was there, y’know he’s fun to work with. To see that film set, it just kinda captures the Middle East and that was really wonderful.

Definitely. I wanted to ask, because I know you were in Jarhead with Sam Mendes. Was there any difference working on The Hurt Locker as opposed to Jarhead?

Oh of course. The Hurt Locker is basically three guys and Jarhead was eight of us, a platoon. It was shot in El Centro which is in Mexico, about two and a half hours east of San Diego. We had weekends off and there were a lot bigger movie stars. I was with two others, who were obviously two of the best actors of our generation I’m sure everyone would say the same thing [Jamie Foxx and Jake Gyllenhaal.] So to be in that company was an extraordinary thing. The first part of it where we’re pulled into the Middle East, I’m there. And obviously Anthony and I did We Are Marshall together and we played best friends in that movie so it was kinda strange to be playing best friends again. That was certainly part of it. We made a movie about the Army, not the Marines, about a very specific unit, not so much the infantry work as we do in the film we do clear some buildings out of the necessity of our Sergeant who makes us. But it’s totally different jobs, completely different war. That was the first Gulf War, this is Afghanistan/Iraq and now we’re fighting the IED. Any my character is different as well.

Yeah, and The Hurt Locker is more action oriented and Jarhead is more drama oriented. To me though, what I got out of The Hurt Locker was that your character represents the face of war in that you really shouldn’t be there. Anthony Mackie represents the level-headed guy, y’know it’ll get to him but he still hangin’ in there. Then Jeremy Renner’s basically the most balls-out, weird, renegade cop. I wanted to ask you did you get the same kind of sense or what did Eldridge represent to you?

I approached it as a regular guy who is obviously a volunteer, volunteered for E.O.D.. To me he represented the people, like you and I, you put us in war. Let’s say you were good at interviewing and I was good at camera operating. When you’re in a special unit we get to use our mind more. But y’know we’re just everyday people, put us under gunfire and stuff. I think I was trying to make him more relatable to people. Y’know he’s put in situation where he’s not anti-war or pro war, he’s just fucked up. He’s lost people that were close to him because of him not first in the first scene with Guy Pearce, when Guy Pearce dies. I tried to make him relatable because Sanborn is real by the books soldier and James is a renegade. This is how I approached it, this is very subjective of course. Very subjective point of view is how I approached it. I didn’t approach it with any political agenda.

Oh no, and that’s what I appreciated about the movie is that it doesn’t have a political agenda and that’s why I think it’s so much better than all these Iraq war movies because you could basically take the Iraq war and replace it with World War II and get the same story.

Well that’s good man. I think we have real three-dimensional people here and not just some cliche war fronting like I’ve played before. And she really kept the integrity of the political message ambiguous which is ultimately more like a piece of art than it does like a anti-war or pro-war film. There’s a place for it in Kathryn’s mind which is one of the criticisms, which there hasn’t been any.

Well she’s earned it. One of my favorite scenes in the movie is when you’re playing Gears of War and the Colonel comes up to you and you guys have that conversation. I just liked how your character looked so great at war simulation but when you put him in war he doesn’t know what he’s doing.

Well that’s great man. That’s a great little moment you picked up on. I mean I never really thought of it that way, but I’m glad you did.

Well thank you. So, what can we expect from you in the future? I know you’ve got this which I think is probably going to win Best Picture.

Well thank you. I did a movie just a year ago, and it’s based on this author Davy Rothbart. You know Found Magazine?

I think I’ve heard of it.

We shot it entirely in Albuquerque and we just went to Vegas and we won Best International Feature at Edinburgh. So we have a lot more of the festival circuit. We’ll see how we did Galway, in London and Montreal, Canada. So we’ll see about that. Right now I’m doing this movie called Open House. It’s a thriller, like psychological thriller. I play a sociopath. Gotta good cast and crew and it’s a lot of fun.

You said you play a sociopath. That’s totally different than what you played in Hurt Locker.

That’s right dude. Gotta change it up man y’know?

Well I look forward to it. I’ll get ya out of here with this. I know you’re into surfing so I want to know if Kathryn Bigelow asked you about collaborating on a Point Break 2?

Y’know what? No. They did talk to me about Point Break 2: Indo Nights and I said as much I’d like to go to Indonesia and surf for the movie, you can’t try to replace Point Break 1. We did talk about Point Break when I was drunk and I would bother her about Point Break.

That’s awesome.

I would ask her like stupid questions y’know. She knows that I surf.

She know how to surf too?

I’m sure she knows how to surf too. You ever seen her before? She’s like six feet tall.

I know. I was looking at a picture of her and I was like ‘dang, that’s one tall babe.’

She’s beautiful dude. I can’t believe the kind of movies she directs. She’s just great man and I’m so happy to be a part of her project. I’m so excited for everything that’s happening right now. And Jeremy’s one of my great friends and Anthony and I. It’s been a really exciting thing.

Well you should be man because to tell you the truth I raved to every single critic in San Diego and all of them came out for the screening. One of them walked up to me afterward and said ‘I’m sorry for every negative thing I ever said about you.’

Thank God man. Thank you man. Keep the word out there.

Again, I’d like to thank Brian for this and would also mention I’m enjoying a Capri Sun right now. The movie Brian mentions that went to CineVegas and Edinburgh is called Easier With Practice which can be found here.

The Hurt Locker is in select cities right now and is due for expansion on July 24th. You can get a list of theaters it’s playing by clicking here. Go see it. Just go see it.

Kathryn Bigelow is one of Hollywood’s best talents. Never heard of her? Well surely one has seen her films as she’s done Point Break, Near Dark, and K-19: The Widowmaker. As far as female directors go, there’s something that separates Bigelow from the rest of the pack in that she can construct a good film. Yes, I know, the sex card comes out but truth is film is a male dominated world and there hasn’t been one female director to make a splash like Kathryn Bigelow. The woman just knows how to get the very best out of her films and in some cases can elevate the material she’s given to make it work. After a seven year absence Bigelow returns with The Hurt Locker, a film where there’s not enough good words in the English Dictionary to praise such a wonderful, great, and incredible piece of filmmaking it is.

Much is made of the film’s setting during the Iraqi war and while some may wish the political side of this was dipped into a little bit more, Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal are smart to keep the focus on the characters and story at hand. Where films like The Kingdom would try to make political statements over defining it’s characters, The Hurt Locker is too concerned with letting us get to know Sgt. William James (Jeremy Renner) Sgt. JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie), and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty). Their dynamic works in that each represents a face of war with James being the hot-headed, war junkie, Sanborn represents the most level-headed of the group, and Eldridge is someone who really shouldn’t be there to begin with. The film doesn’t tell us any of it though as Bigelow expects us to watch the characters actions rather than have a five minute dialogue scene on their feelings.

There’s no face villain in The Hurt Locker as it’s antagonist comes from an unlikely place. The movie takes a Taxi Driver mentality and presents it’s lead as it’s adversary. That’s really high praise, but that’s the first film that came to mind when . Sgt. James is off in his own world, operating on his terms. One may ignorantly argue that he’s essentially a rogue cop, and while that mentality does apply, the film shows a scene where a higher officer (David Morse) praises James for his efforts rather chew him out. Bigelow takes the time to make you get invested in James before showing what a crazy son of a bitch he truly is. Renner though, is flawless and will be made a leading man after this film. He’s utterly believable as a man who craves war and only has a passion for it. There’s a scene towards the end of the film where Renner perfectly delivers his final lines that sends a chill down one’s spine. They also paint him as a racist, evidenced when James pins Sanborn down and sticks a knife to his throat. No lines are shared to give an indication, just the actions of Renner.

If there’s a “hero” in here, a Johnny Utah if you will, it is Anthony Mackie’s Sanborn. This character could have easily gone the way of the tired “I hate you but will eventually respect you” stereotype but Mackie elevates him past that. He’s the character the audience attaches themselves to and sees things through his eyes. Should he “accidentally” kill James? Maybe, and Mackie’s ice cold delivery tricks the audience into thinking he might. While the film allows these two opposites to attract, it never fully establishes whether or not they “respect” each other by the end. Mackie seems to play him towards no, even when both James and Sanborn discuss what happens in the heat of war. Mackie’s never overdoing it or coming off weak, but just as a man who’s had enough. He needs to be just as great as Renner, and thankfully for the human race he’s perfect.

Balancing both Sanborn and James out is Eldridge, who represents the young minds who shouldn’t be in war. Bigelow shows him playing Gears of War flawlessly only to show how unstable Eldridge is two minutes later. In combat, real combat, the specialist isn’t so special as he’s nervous and jittery on missions. Eldridge is even paired with a colonel (played expertly by Christian Camargo) to evaluate his status. He finds some form of solace in the colonel, but even then he never feels right at home in Iraq. Geraghty dazzles to create a perfectly unstable character. He knows Owen doesn’t belong and gives him every reason to not be there. When he tells James “Fuck you,” there’s real conviction behind it that Geraghty doesn’t fumble.

Bigelow’s direction reigns supreme as she again proves she can do action better than most anyone working today. Pretty much, she just ran down the line and slapped the taste out of most directors touting their big action sequences for the summer. The Hurt Locker establishes itself with its opening sequence and never looks back. It’s an explosive opening, and gives off the impression things are going to go tits up at every turn. Alas they don’t as Bigelow performs like a magician, creating the illusion they will. Anytime James walks to disarm a bomb one is on the edge of their seat, gasping for air. The action doesn’t need a building to blow up or have fifty guys be mowed down by gunfire. Instead, the viewers are treated to action that relies on James disarming a bomb and making its audience wondering if he’s going to die.

Yet that isn’t where Bigelow takes folks like Michael Bay or Len Wiseman out behind the woodshed. This can all be summed up by two words: sniper battle. In one of the film’s best sequences, our trio and a group of mercenaries led by Ralph Fiennes are holed up in a trench as a terrorist sniper picks them off. There’s one, possibly two shots from the enemy point of view while the rest of the time one is anticipating the final blow. Nothing blows up and there’s no close-ups of any of the deaths. When the final blow does indeed come, Bigelow chooses to show a bullet shell bouncing off the sand in slow motion, much more effective than showing a dismembered body. Even after the bullets are done flying and Capri Sun comes into the picture, we linger in just a little longer to see Eldridge get his moment to shine. Like the rest of the film, one is biting their nails and shaking with a mix of tension and that feeling of awesome. They should, as it’s most likely the best action sequence of this year and last year.

Mark Boal’s script never makes us forget about the men in the middle of the mayhem however. As mentioned before, The Hurt Locker is too concerned with putting it’s story and characters first to add in any political mumbo jumbo that plagues every other Iraqi war film. One could place this story in any other war and you’d still come away with the same result. Iraq is just a background and Boal understands this, as does Bigelow. She shoots the picture very aggressively, being subtle with when and where the shaky cam is placed. She also knows where it doesn’t belong and perfectly frames her shots, particularly a scene with James at the end of the film. Bottom line, if a female is going to win the Best Director Oscar, now’s a perfect time.

The Hurt Locker is simply a product of what happens when all the great elements of filmmaking come together. It’s the closest thing to a perfect film we’ll likely get and absolutely lives up and surpasses all the praise it’s been getting. Kathryn Bigelow marks her return and let’s hope she’s back to stay. She’s helped by Boal’s tight script and some spectacular performances by it’s leads. Bigelow anchors the ship to make it rise head and shoulders above everything else that’s come out, or likely, will come out. The film is just pure greatness from the opening frame to its last, which right now makes it one of, if not the best film of the year.

Rating: ★★★★★