Controversy in the Locker Room

     This week in English we watched The Hurt Locker. When the movie first came out, it was met with a lot of mixed criticism. The general American public loved the movie, and it even won 6 Academy Awards. For the military audience, however, it was met with quite a bit of negativity. I personally believe that it is a top 5 war movie of all time because of the way it connects with the audience. The story follows an Explosive Ordnance Disposal team trying to disarm IEDs.

    A lot of the negative controversy surrounding the movie stems from the inaccuracies that, while unnoticed by most normal civilians, are blatantly obvious to anyone with knowledge of the military. In an interview with EOD teams in southern Iraq they say,  "The Hurt Locker is a good action movie if you know nothing about defusing roadside bombs or the military." Some critics take offense to the movie and how the soldiers are portrayed. Paul Rieckhoff, the executive director and founder of the 150,000-member Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, says in an interview, "The depiction of our community in this film is disrespectful. We are not cowboys. We are not reckless. We are professionals. And a lot of the film would make you think the opposite." Our professor even says that her husband cannot watch the movie without pointing out inaccuracies, some as particular as the way the soldiers fold their sleeves.

     The feedback from the military was not all negative. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said that the movie was very compelling and recommended it to his staff. In addition, the rest of the general public loved the movie, as shown by the 6 oscars and many other awards won. In an article in Newsweek Magazine, the author, who is a major critic of the majority of the movie, says "The film does a good job of articulating the challenges returning troops face when they are coming home and trying to assimilate back to normal life." He is referring to the scene in the movie where Staff Sgt. William James goes to buy cereal, and there is an entire isle of choices. This portrays how simple tasks become difficult to a returning veteran.

     I personally believe that the movie is a top 5 war movie of all time. It shows a great depth in to the mental struggles that face the soldiers, where as other films sometimes focus in on the physical. While some of its inaccuracies cause controversy in a group of the audience, I think that it has a way to connect to all audiences. It allows the viewer to sympathize with the soldiers, as well as making some of the emotional struggles they face relatable.